Woman

Album: Delta (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This sparse, semi-electronic love song finds Marcus Mumford honoring the unknowability of his lady.

    I can't read your mind though I'm trying all the time
    There's something I don't know, I can see it in your eyes
    As the night descends, oh it's always slow again
    But I am left in awe of the woman I adore


    Another song that touches on the male's fascination with the mystery of the female species is U2's "Mysterious Ways."
  • Mumford & Sons reused on Delta the folk instruments they utilized on their first two albums but did not play on Wilder Mind. However they set out to make the instruments sound different to the way they're normally used. A case in point is this song's looped riff which the band told The Guardian was achieved by "chopping up banjos" with the studio software Logic.
  • Mumford & Son's Winston Marshall told the BBC he created a five-string cello banjo which he used on this song. "Trying to use a banjo without it ever sounding like a banjo was actually quite an exciting ambition for this album," he said.
  • The lo-fi video was shot in New York by Mumford & Sons' frequent collaborator James Marcus Haney and choreographed by Kristin Sudeikis. The clip follows two contemporary dancers, Stephanie Crousillat and Yeman Brown, in a series of intimate home video-style vignettes in which they portray lovers.
  • The video was inspired by Winston Marshall's newfound appreciation for the power of dance. The Mumford guitarist recalled to Dance Magazine that he first came across Brown after seeing him improvise to Beyoncé's "Halo" back in 2018. "My heart went into my throat and I was quite literally moved to tears," he said. "It stole my breath away. I didn't know dance could make you feel that way."
  • Though the song is titled "Woman," the male dancer Yeman Brown is the focus of much of the video. Marshall explained: "It's a little deceptive because the story of the song isn't the woman. It's the love between those two people and that's why the video is clever: It reveals that throughout the song. It's not something that smacks you in the face the first second of the video, it's something you learn."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.