North Star

Album: The Far Field (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Balearic-sounding track is based on a long distance relationship that Future Islands frontman Samuel Herring had in 2016. "Falling in love with someone who lives thousands of miles away is the only way I've known how to fall in love for the last few years of my life, he told Q Magazine. "I've been here before. Then you ask those questions: 'Why do you put yourself in that position? Why can't you fall in love with someone who lives up the street?'"
  • Stranded in Baltimore because of a snowstorm, Herring cannot fly to his long-distance lover. The North Star doesn't appear in the lyrics, but it represents a symbol of hope and direction as he drives across the country to be with her.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

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.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."