Americana Highways is hosting this premiere of Julia Sanders’ song “Three Leaf Clover,” from her forthcoming album Morning Star. Morning Star was produced and mixed by John James Tourville;
recorded by Steve Earnest and John James Tourville; with digital mastering by Adam Keil and vinyl mastering by Citizen Vinyl. Album design was by K.M. Fuller and photos are by Melina Coogan. All songs were written by Julia Sanders
“Three Leaf Clover” is Julia Sanders on vocals and acoustic guitar; Erika Lewis on harmony vocals; Stacy Glasgow on drums; Mick Glasgow on fuzz bass; and John James Tourville on fuzz bass, piano, organ, electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers, Glockenspiel, and aux percussion. Follow Julia down a winding pathway to fewer inhibitions and following the voice of your biggest dreams with sweet sweet music. “I’m just a three-leaf clover, almost lucky enough.”
“Three Leaf Clover” is a song to those parts that got in my way for so many years as a musician and a creative person—imposter syndrome, that negative voice inside your head. For a long time, when I’d start writing a song, it was easy for me to listen to that voice that says, “No, this is bad. Don’t follow through on it. That line is corny. The melody is no good.” Maybe I have a really tough internal critic.
I started playing music back when I was 5 years old, and I started playing violin and guitar in middle school. There was ample time to be a songwriter. I wrote and I journaled constantly, and I always had ideas for songs and melodies. I would sit down sometimes and come up with a little something, but then I’d be like, “nope, I’m not gonna finish that thought.”
The biggest difference for me between now and then is that I’ve learned to get out of my own way when songs show up. That’s what “Three Leaf Clover” is really about. It starts out talking about feeling like I shouldn’t be allowed to make music, and trying to overcome that. But then it also gets into the way we compare ourselves to other people, and the imposter syndrome we feel. It’s something I think we all struggle with these days, when we only see each other on social media, and everyone seems like they’re doing great all the time. We’re all posturing to look like we’re doing a great job, when everyone is internally freaking out. All you have to do to realize that is actually talk to people you know, the ones you think are successful or cruising through life, and you realize that they’re not. Unfortunately, with social media, we get a very skewed version of life, which doesn’t help. — Julia Sanders
Find more of Sanders’ music here: https://juliasandersmusic.bandcamp.com