Rachael Sage – “Whistle Blow”
Americana Highways bring you this premiere of Rachael Sage’s song “Whistle Blow,” from her forthcoming album The Other Side, due to be released in July. The album was produced by Rachael Sage with Mikhail Pivovarov and Andy Zulla; engineered by Mikhail Pivovarov; and mixed by Andy Zulla.
“Whistle Blow” is Rachael on vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and Wurlitzer; Kelly Halloran on violin and background vocals; Andy Mac on drums, shaker, and tympani; Doug Yowell on drums; Mikhail Pivovarov on acoustic bass and baritone guitar; James Mastro on resonator guitar; Kevin J. Killen on Hammond organ; Dave Eggar on cello;
and Russ Johnson on trumpet.
Rachael Sage creates songs that come from a place of quiet dignity and power. This one takes on the situation of “power over” and abuse, and what it takes to gather strength and find the way to be heard, and the song’s elements all come together seamlessly with fluid musical production.
the definition stands the hero is a man
he lifts you from the fire pulls you from the quicksand
the definition stands the woman is a heart
and learning to be heard is a Herculean art
but in the middle of the night I can hear your voice
singing look back – you have a choice
in the middle of the night
I can hear that whistle blow loud
When I wrote “Whistle Blow” I initially had one very specific celebrity in mind, who had recently fallen from grace via some pretty shocking public accusations. In the past I’ve tended to write more personally, pulling from my own specific experience or perhaps those of people who I’ve encountered in my travels, who’ve confided their stories to me. For this song, I decided to write from the imagined perspective of someone summoning the courage to speak out, stand up, and make it crystal clear that they have been mistreated by someone in a greater position of power. On the flipside, I wanted to also channel the courage and focus – a kind of imperviousness – that it takes to worry less about what people will think, than about sharing your own truth. The line ‘I can hear your voice / singing don’t look back – you have a choice’ is describing all of the individuals someone may have met and been influenced by, upon whom they are drawing for strength. Sometimes the voices that most encourage us are authors, filmmakers, or maybe even our own ancestors. All of that confidence-gathering can contribute to a pivotal moment of truth, when someone is finally able to speak for themselves fully and clearly, with transformative determination. — Rachael Sage
Find the music here: https://mpress.lnk.to/WhistleBlow
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Rachael Sage “Ohio”