Any Heart In A Storm

Album: An Ocean Full of Islands (2023)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is a track from the Scottish folk-rock group Tide Lines' third album, An Ocean Full of Islands. The song title is a play on the phrase "any port in a storm."
  • Names of locations fly 'round this station
    Passengers board for their own destinations
    You long
    To find your place somewhere
    Any heart in a storm, any soul when it's warm
    You'll find it somewhere down the line


    Singer Robert Robertson is in a state of uncertainty, grappling with a sense of being adrift and in search of his purpose. Overwhelmed by the vast array of choices and possibilities that lay before him, he yearns to discover a sanctuary where he can truly belong.

    "It's about a train journey but it's also about the wider story of life which I think defines a lot of the other song lyrics on the album," he told The Sun. "I came up with it one day on the train to London. It left Glasgow Queen Street early and I was shattered. I was dozing off as the announcer kept reading the station names and repeating 'Manchester, Preston, Wigan Northwestern.' When I woke up, that line was going round and round in my head and there was a tune attached."
  • Tide Lines recorded An Ocean Full of Islands in a disused Baptist church on the Isle Of Mull. The church sits in an elevated position overlooking Bunessan Bay and has views of the water. The album title comes from what the band looked out on from the windows of the studio. "It's descriptive of where and how the album was put together," said Robertson. "It also summarizes the stories in the songs which are often about individual lives which seem so small among the wider world."
  • An Ocean Full of Islands was produced by Australian producer Ross Wilson and the band themselves. It peaked at #13 on the UK Albums chart, their second record to reach the Top 20.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

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.

Music Video Director David Hogan

Music Video Director David HoganSong Writing

David talks about videos he made for Prince, Alabama, Big & Rich, Sheryl Crow, DMB, Melissa Etheridge and Sisters of Mercy.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Grammar In Lyrics

Grammar In LyricsMusic Quiz

Lyrics don't always follow the rules of grammar. Can you spot the ones that don't?

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.