Old Pine

Album: Every Kingdom (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Devon native Ben Howard was raised by musical parents who exposed him at a young age to their favourite records from singer-songwriter artists such as Bob Dylan, Nina Simone and John Martyn. Howard began writing his own songs and after a short spell studying journalism, he decided at the age of 21 to become a full time musician. After building up a reputation with his gigs across the UK, Howard was eventually asked to sign to Island Records. His first album, Every Kingdom, was released on October 3, 2011 and debuted at #7 on the UK album chart.
  • This was Howard's debut single, which was inspired by nearly getting killed by a falling pine tree during a surf trip when he was 16. He recalled to The Sun: "It was a crazy time with some truly amazing memories. I had the guitar riff in my head for a while and eventually the song formed around it pretty naturally from there."
  • The song's music video was filmed on the west coast of Ireland by renowned surfing cinematographer Mickey Smith, who is a close friend of Howard's.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Adele

AdeleFact or Fiction

Despite her reticent personality, Adele's life and music are filled with intrigue. See if you can spot the true tales.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.