The Innermost Light

Album: CousteauX (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The song is from the first Cousteau album following their 2005 split. When they re-formed, they did so under the name CousteauX (with a silent X), under legal pressure from the Jacques Cousteau Society. The song's jarring, tortured sound, with stabs of electric guitar cutting into stomping percussion, contrasts sharply against the other songs on the album, which are generally slower and more romantic.
  • According to Davey Ray Moor's Songfacts interview, "'The Innermost Light' was written with Carl Barât from The Libertines. He turned up for a songwriting session with that phrase. Carl borrowed it from a tattoo on his manager's arm that quoted Aleister Crowley, the Edwardian occultist of Led Zeppelin renown. Crowley used 'The Innermost Light' as a term to describe what others might call 'the soul,' or the inner spark of light that is our thoughts. Carl and I worked around ideas of light, and the quest for the innermost light in the eyes of a soulmate."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.