Magnolia

Album: Fight Or Flight (2012)
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Songfacts®:

  • This vibrant uptempo song with a tender core was inspired by singer Doug Robb's baby girl, who was born during the writing for Fight or Flight. "That is a very literal song," he explained. "Magnolia is my daughter's name. The first line is, 'I watch and wonder as you discover' - it's me looking at my child as an infant discovering the world, and hoping that I find something in her that reminds me of myself. More generally, it's a father looking at his daughter and realizing how fleeting and precious these moments are."
  • The rhythmic whooshing sound heard at the beginning of the song and repeated in the bridge is an ultrasound recording of Magnolia's prenatal heartbeat. "It wasn't altered tempo-wise to fit the song," Robb pointed out "It just fit. It's one of the songs I play for Maggie, and the second she hears the guitar in the beginning, she starts dancing. Maybe it subconsciously reminds her of being in the womb."

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