Open Up The Heavens

Album: Different Kinds of Light (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Jade Bird is "alone in the middle of the night" picking the bones of a toxic relationship. Her lover is putting no effort into the romance, leaving the singer feeling "completely drenched."
  • Jade Bird recorded the song for her second album, Different Kinds Of Light. She laid down the record at Nashville's famed RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb, known for his work with Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile, and also for the A Star Is Born soundtrack.
  • Jade Bird wrote and recorded this soaring pop-rock track two days before she had to fly back to England from Nashville. She'd heard stories about the last song you write for a record being the best, so she was searching for that in the vocal booth that evening. Bird told Apple Music she was hammering away on a riff when Cobb popped his head in and told her, "Oh, you really have to do something with that. It's a great riff."

    Encouraged, she quickly completed the song and sent it to him two hours later on a voice memo. Before Bird knew it, Cobb had brought all the musicians back in, and they raced through and tracked her favorite track on Different Kinds Of Light.
  • Bird first encountered Dave Cobb after working with his cousin, the country singer-songwriter Brent Cobb. Back in 2017, the then-little-known Bird opened some UK shows for Brent Cobb. The two became good friends and in 2019 recorded the duet "Feet Off The Ground."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."