History Repeats

Album: Jaime (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lead single from Jaime, "History Repeats" is also the oldest song on the album. In early 2017, Brittany Howard was showing a friend how she uses her recording software. In piecing things together in a demo, Howard came up with the song. She totally forgot about it until she found the track a couple years later.
  • This was the most difficult song on Jaime to record. Howard told HMV: "The drums are intense and mixing it was even more of a challenge."
  • Howard said regarding the song's meaning: "'History Repeats' is as much a personal song as it is a song about us as a human species. Our times of success may propel us forward, but our repeating failures hold us back from evolving into harmony."
  • The album is named for Howard's elder sister who died from retinoblastoma in 1998, aged just 13. The singer told Mojo magazine: "Spiritually that's someone I feel, even though they're not here. Most of my memories of my sister are of her teaching me something. Getting to talk about her, and how meaningful her presence in my life was, and it's not being a thing of, like, sadness, it felt like the right thing to do. She was one of those people, she never complained about anything. When she lost her vision, she still created art. That puts everything into perspective. I like sharing who she was with people."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A Timeline

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A TimelineSong Writing

Untangling the events that led to the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit.

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.

Tom Waits Lyrics Quiz

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.