Howl by Eliza Delf & The Wilderness
Howl
“I’ve stepped out of a cage that I made…”
Eliza Delf: A jaunty, confident pop song with dark lyrics, embellished with dramatic flourishes, and culminating with breathless urgency. The vocal performance is steeped in danger and drama – and this permeates the arrangement and tone.
The song describes a search for a more authentic identity, free of a self-imposed straitjacket. It is rich in imagery that captures the sense of release and freedom that comes from accepting oneself in all one’s messy complexity – it’s about growing up without giving up.
Jon Loomes: Eliza's dramatic storytelling demanded something beyond generic pop production, so I began with the orchestra first (working from Eliza's piano sketch), adding the Drums, Bass, and Guitar quite late on in the process. This quickly established itself as a good working method and most of the album was approached this way, usually piano and strings first, then woodwinds and brass for colour and emotional depth. I've also used a Finnish folk harp called a Kantele for its beautiful and distinct chiming sound.
Tracklist
| 1. | Howl | 3:36 |
Lyrics
Howl
I’ve sat in the spotlight and I’ve spoken aloud,
Ripped open my chest and let blood fall on the ground.
It’s brought me no pleasure and it’s brought me no gain,
And now soap and water have erased the stain.
Crayons drew me in but they went over the lines,
Tried to use Monopoly money to hush up my crime.
But there were no sirens and no blue lights,
So I took out my bow to go hunting for a good time.
I stepped out of a cage that I made,
A willing audience to serenade.
The best minds can be so very foul.
Listen to me howl.
We step out of cages we make,
With willing audiences to serenade.
The best minds are always so foul,
Listen, listen, listen to me howl.
I’ve got red lipstick on my new identity,
Don’t be shy.
New skin does not replace old,
I feel a comfort in these dear old bones.
Now I get the urge to throw myself at the sky,
Go floating through the clouds,
Watching the world from a-high.
And when I touch down I’ll send the past a card;
A new woman, but with the old I’m reconciled.
I stepped out of a cage that I made,
A willing audience to serenade.
The best minds can be so very foul.
Listen to me howl.
We step out of cages we make,
With willing audiences to serenade.
The best minds are always so foul,
Listen, listen, listen to me howl.
You make me, you make me, you make me hungry.
You make me, you make me, you make me hungry.
You make me, you make me, you make me hungry.
You make me, you make me, you make me hungry.
I stepped out of a cage that I made,
A willing audience to serenade.
The best minds can be so very foul.
Listen to me howl.
We step out of cages we make,
With willing audiences to serenade.
The best minds are always so foul,
Listen, listen, listen to me howl.
© Eliza Delf 2022
Credits
Written and performed by Eliza Delf.
Produced, arranged, and engineered by Jon Loomes.
Additional instruments (digital and acoustic) by Jon Loomes.
Drums and percussion by Edwin Beasant.
Produced by Eliza Delf, Jon Loomes, Fruzsina Rakoczy, and Simon Delf.
The choir and orchestra were conducted by Forbes Legato.
License
All rights reserved.
Eliza Delf & The Wilderness are a dramatic new presence on the musical landscape. Eliza weaves beguiling harmonies and seductive melodies into a tapestry of enchantment and discovery. Her songs draw inspiration from the darkly subversive folk tales of Angela Carter – with a dash of Me Too generation defiance to add fire to the poetry. Follow Eliza into the wilderness.