Tomorrow, Friday 2nd October, sees a new single from Chippenham indie folk singer-songwriter Meg Hoy, or M3G, and it’s called My River…..
If you deem songwriters using rivers as metaphors as a bit cliché these days, from Springsteen’s safety net for the burdens of youthful relationships, or Joni Mitchell’s desperate escapism, to Billy Joel’s spiritual quest, or Neil Young’s haunting impulsive act, I’d nod, and tend to agree…but…
Rivers often, and arguably more simply, represent the relentless passage of time, a comforting escape from relationship issues, or bold life or spiritual journeys. I’ve expressed the originality in past reviews of Meg’s songs, and how she angles subjects with breathtaking honesty, and completely unique prose. My River is the perfect example, for here’s a commonly used subject, but Meg uses the river more as emotional balance; a kind of psychological therapeutic acupuncture.
“The timeless presence of my river helps me find perspective through my pain,” she said, explaining “I grew up on and around the River Avon, it has been a constant in my life, something I can always rely on to be there.”
“Another constant over the past seven years has been my pains and aches throughout my body. I wrote this song as I was being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Coming to terms with the fact that there is nothing physically causing all of my pain and that it would be around for the rest of my life was something I did not want to do. But as my pain will continue, so will the river that I love.”
Perhaps the most appropriate song about rivers to compare this by composition to, is The Byrds, Ballad of Easy Rider, which Dylan famously scribbled the chorus to on a napkin for the director, Peter Fonda, because both flow like rivers.
Acoustic for a minute, until subtle layers of chanting develop, and the whole composition of Meg’s river themed song builds in intensity to a climax of ultimate expression, just how a river builds its flow to an estuary. My River presents Meg vocally more mature than anything past. The effect is spellbinding.
“The name ‘Avon’ comes a Celtic word used thousands of years ago to mean river,” Meg said, “so the River Avon literally means the River River!”
Equally this song is so intensely beautiful, it should be named twice!
