Americana Highways brings you this premiere of John Dennis’ “Fools Golden Boy” from his upcoming release Mortal Flames (Rainfeather Records). Mortal Flames is out January 31, and was mixed by Bryan Clark.
“Fools Golden Boy” is John Dennis on guitars and vocals, Bryan Clark on guitars and arrangements, with Mason Embry on Hammond B3, Adam Fluhrer on electric guitar, Chris Brush on drums and percussion, and Jason Erie on backing vocals; plus Bren Joy, Kynadi Echols, and Tyra Thompson on gospel backing vocals.
With macabre creaking effects to launch it, “Fools Golden Boy” pulls you into a dark melancholic contemplation in a listener’s tale. John Dennis has created a truly captivating, innovative sound as he tells a story from beginning to end on Mortal Flames.
I think of this tune as the character’s adolescence and about the feelings of inauthenticity I’ve struggled with throughout my life. More specifically, it speaks to those voices inside (and sometimes outside) that, in the face of any success, tell me that I’m not worthy. The same voices that always made me feel like at some point the whole world was going to see this phony, unlovable part of me that I was keeping hidden. ‘When deep down you know you’re plastic, when someday you know they’ll see past it to a Fools Golden Boy.’ This inner, unwarranted, shame is an issue that I still have to work on in my recovery. I also want to mention that the song illustrates a conflict with the mother, and whereas, it is founded somewhat in my history—my mom and I have had our problems just like anyone else has, and are doing very well now—the point of the song is more to illustrate those voices of insanity, codependence, self effacement, etc. and their projections. This song was my attempt to name them in myself. That being said, the parental conflict theme appears in a few places throughout the record and ultimately finds its resolution later in the album. — John Dennis
Tour dates:
January 30 – Nashville, TN – The Old School
February 27 – Asheville, NC – ISIS Music Hall
February 29 – Knoxville, TN – The Corner Lounge