Pokey LaFarge's passion for women, storytelling and American blues and gospel all come together on this song, the title track of his new album, Something in the Water. LaFarge wrote to us to tell us that the song "is about the ups and downs of a Midwestern love affair. The female character in the song doesn't always treat her man right, but no matter how crazy things can get and how hard things sometimes seem to be, he realizes that all of her quirks and eccentricities are a big part of why he loves her and that ultimately he can't live without her. I guess that's what they call love, or at least can be one definition of many.
"The initial inspiration for the song came from a band member's girlfriend, who had an El Camino at one point. I developed a melody for that line and couldn't stop singing it. From there, my own personal experiences sort of fed into the rest of the songwriting process and things really got fleshed out when I was in the studio with Jimmy Sutton.
"The video was shot on and around Cherokee Street in South City, St. Louis. Since the lyrics of the tune tell a vivid story, we wanted to make the video a pretty literal interpretation of the lyrics. Working on the concept for the video, we kept hitting back on the idea that in any relationship, no one from the outside knows quite what it's like behind closed doors. We wanted to shed light on the crazier side of love, and on a reality that many people face but don't necessarily share. One really important thing too was that no matter the pitfalls of their love, the humor and chemistry the two lovers share is the real takeaway, and what keeps them together."
Something in the Water will be out on Rounder Records April 7.
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