Goldmine

Album: Big TV (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Big TV is a concept album about a girl who's in a relationship with a guy in an unidentified provincial European area who moves to a much bigger, more glamorous city, This song finds the girl reunited with her boyfriend, but for how long? Bassist and lyricist Charles Cave explained to NME: "Even though she's back, he doesn't consider her to be back for good. She's got an itch built in to her – she'll always be digging for gold."
  • This was the last song that White Lies wrote for Big TV. Vocalist Harry McVeigh told Artist Direct: "It came together from parts of other tracks, but it was quite a spontaneous moment in the studio with a couple of days left. It came out of us playing in the room together with a melody in mind. That was it."
  • McVeigh expanded on the song's meaning to Artist Direct: "The basic narrative of the record is about a girl who leaves her hometown. It's implied it's somewhere in Europe, perhaps Eastern Europe. She moves to a big city, and it's implied the big city is in the States. She leaves her hometown thinking she's going to make this great new modern life for herself. Actually, it turns out that doesn't happen, and she moves back home. It's about her digging in the 'Goldmine,' trying to live the dream, and earn money. It's not working out though. She leaves a guy back at home, and it's also his view as well. That's my interpretation."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

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

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."