Meeting The Master

Album: Starcatcher (2023)
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Songfacts®:

  • Greta Van Fleet band wrote "Meeting the Master" alongside Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile) while working on Starcatcher. They released it as the first single from the album on April 7, 2023.
  • The song serves as an introduction to Starcatcher and its existential themes. "'Meeting the Master' peers into an esoteric world heeded by the word of a wise teacher," the band explained. "Sung in the voice of a devout believer, and eventual group exclamation, the song details the love these fervent followers have for their teacher and their firm belief in his vision. It's an exotic spiritual journey. A dark comedy that inevitably ends in chaos."
  • So who is the titular master? Some fans think it's God or a guru, while others believe it's just Greta Van Fleet's epic storytelling with a touch of idealism.

    Interpretation's the key here. Like the enigmatic aura of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" its mysterious metaphors have multiple meanings. When Josh Kiska sings, "time to go home," "home" could be Heaven, Nirvana, the universe, or a higher version of self.
  • Greta Van Fleet first played "Meeting The Master" live on March 24, 2023, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on the tail end of their Dreams in Gold Tour.
  • Greta Van Fleet co-directed the video alongside Gus Black (Eels' "Today Is The Day," Lizzy McAlpine's "Ceilings"). "The final shot of the video is as close to magic as anything I've ever been a part of creating," said Black. "It was an absolute pleasure collaborating with these fine humans."
  • Greta Van Fleet recorded Starcatcher at the legendary RCA Studios in Nashville. The band utilized the large recording room to capture the electrifying essence of their live shows. The 10-track album explores the contrast between fantasy and reality, with a focus on the interplay between light and darkness.

    "We had this idea that we wanted to tell these stories to build a universe," said drummer Danny Wagner. "We wanted to introduce characters and motifs and these ideas that would come about here and there throughout our careers through this world."

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