Pioneer

Album: Pioneer (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the title track of The Band Perry's second studio album. To begin the recording process, the trio took a road trip from Tennessee out to Malibu, California. They wrote a lot of the music along the way, including this song in Santa Fe, New.Mexico.
  • The band explained during an album preview event that the song title pays tribute to those who set foot "into the unknown."
  • The album title was inspired by The Band Perry's own road trip. "We see it as a journey," Kimberly Perry told Billboard magazine. "It's us going from point A to point B and every step along the way. That journey led us to a new horizon and a new place."
  • The tune's message is about the exhilaration of exploring the unknown. "The song really asks more questions than it has answers," Kimberly explained to The Boot. "Sometimes when you're barreling towards your future, you have no idea what it's gonna look like or how you're gonna get there, and it can be a scary thing.
    "For us, 'Pioneer' is about the journey from our first album to our second," she added, "everything that we've been thinking about and living out for the past two years. It's about putting one foot in front of the other and about the journey. We did take a literal journey from east Tennessee all the way to the southwest and Malibu to do a long songwriting trip. 'Pioneer' was written on a hilltop in Santa Fe with the skyline in the background, and it was just a beautiful, inspiring moment."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.