Album: Irene (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track from the Honeycutters' debut album is a bittersweet remembrance of childhood. The narrator recalls sneaking cigarettes and swigs of rum and running wild with her best friend. The band's frontwoman, Amanda Anne Platt, grew up near New York City but moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where she wrote "Irene." She told Songfacts: "I had not been in Asheville long and I was coming up against the fact that I'm really not a kid anymore. I've moved to this other city and I'm making my own way now and remembering things about my childhood. That chorus felt like a good solidifier of all the things that I was feeling."
  • The chorus borrows the refrain "Goodnight, Irene" from the folk standard of the same name and calls back to Platt's memories of listening to her dad's band rehearse. "They would practice at our house from time to time and I would always want to hang out with the boys and not go to bed," she explained. "When it was time for me to go bed they would sing 'Goodnight, Irene.'"
  • This fits into our songs that mention other musicians in the lyrics category for its nod to Elvis Presley:

    I was sleeping in the back of the bar
    with my head on Mama's shoulder, and my Elvis playing cards

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Eagles Lyrics Quiz

Eagles Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Lots of life lessons in these Eagles lyrics - can you match them to the correct song?

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.