Gaslight

Album: released as a single (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Trishes is Trish Hosein, a Berklee grad of Trinidadian descent who often incorporates spoken word into her songwriting. This is a very personal and emotional song for her. She explains: "'Gaslight' is about one of the most painful and pivotal nights in my life; an experience that shook my sense of self. My music is normally about ideas, politics, and psychology, so creating something so vulnerable was difficult, but also important. Oddly enough, something about that night and that person helped me to become who I am, and the song itself took me on adventures and collaborations that I really treasure."
  • Gaslighting is term that means intentionally driving someone crazy by making them question their own sanity. The term comes from the 1944 movie Gaslight, where Ingrid Bergman plays a woman whose husband manipulates her into going insane. One of his techniques is to tell her that a gaslight is not flickering like she thinks it is, trying to get her not to believe her own eyes. In 2020, The Chicks released an album called Gaslighter with a title track that deals with the technique. Trishes wrote this song three years earlier, but didn't release it until a few months after The Chicks put out their album.
  • Trishes wrote this in Los Angeles "the day after I watched someone I loved at a party with someone else." She explains: "It was recorded with UK producer and bassist Andy Lewis in a small town a few hours outside of London where we used a cello, squeaky doors and one take of lead vocals to create something that I think accurately captures this type of heartache, shame and confusion."
  • This song was released during the coronavirus pandemic, which made creating a video challenging. Trishes got around the quarantine restriction by having four dancers perform in their homes to interpret the song with movement. "It pays homage to the original film in which a man convinces his wife she is crazy by moving objects around their home, and telling her that the lights aren't flickering when they are," she says. "Eventually the woman locks herself in her house thinking she is a danger to herself and others. The isolation takes a toll on her psyche, which the dancers and I related to and channeled into the video, as we were two months into 'safer at home' measures."

    The dancers in the video are:

    Kalbe Isaacson
    Friidom Dunn
    Alyse Rockett
    Adam Lower

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went MainstreamSong Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

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'."

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.

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.