Weightless

Album: Giants Of All Sizes (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Elbow singer Guy Garvey's father died from cancer in March 2018. The singer's son Jack was born a few months earlier; Garvey Sr. met his grandson twice before his passing. This song finds Garvey reflecting on how Jack's birth and his dad's death are all part of the circle of life.

    Hey
    You look like me
    So we
    Look like him


    "He's a replica of me," Garvey told Q magazine. "And I'm a replica of my dad. Something about Jack being in the world made it part of a cycle rather than the end of something. It pins you in the map."
  • The song finds Garvey singing of his love for both his father and son.

    When the time came
    Just like you are
    He was weightless
    In my arms


    Garvey told The Sun regarding his father: "He was a great bloke and while the line 'weightless in my arms' conjures up an image of illness, he wasn't weightless. He was so loved. I often had a complicated relationship with him and he'd said in his last two weeks of his life that he never felt so loved. 'Love' is not easy language for a man of his generation."

    Garvey added that having Jack really helped him get through his father's death. "It made Dad's passing part of something rather than the end of something," he said.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?