Going to Colorado
As the date for the release of our debut CD approaches, Kent has started a new blog series. The purpose of the series is to take you ‘behind the music’ to share with you his thoughts and inspiration for the music and lyrics and how each song came together.
A subset of the lyrics to “Going to Colorado” is in italics below. The full lyrics are available under the Music tab, by song title.
Living in Colorado, I sometimes take for granted the beauty that is around me all the time. So this is my way of showing appreciation for where I live through the eyes of someone who has decided to move here.
Well I heard from someone the place to be is Colorado
Well it must be true ‘cause I heard it on the radio.
Oh the mountains do call me
Every day that I’m stuck out in this traffic
John Denver and R.E.M. influences definitely crept into this song but what really brought it all together for me was Cindy’s complementary vocal line in the chorus.
The amber autumn rises with the dawn
And granite canyons wrap around my view
The winding road leads on and on and on
It is a happy and fun song about where I live although the last lyric line brings into question that there may be more motivation than just the beauty of the state for the narrator to move to Colorado.
…and to you.
Cool,
You should come check out Gunnison, never have I been surrounded by mountains on all sides and experienced the “searing cold” of -30 degree mornings.
Thanks, Brian, that would be neat to visit Gunnison! Surrounded by mountains is exactly what inspired the “granite canyons” line of the song. I’m trying to remember is it all pine trees around Gunnison or do you get to see the gorgeous autumn Aspen trees too? I’ve only been in -20 or so degree temperatures a few times, mostly in Montana, where we cheered when one day it got to 0! “Searing cold” is a great way to describe it.
Kent,
Mostly sage and lots of Red Indian paint brush during the spring (where Western state got their colors red and silver). There are Aspen trees around though, mostly a big valley near big mountains of Crested Butte, blue mesa reservoir west of town and rock outcroppings of Hartman Rocks just south of town.
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