In a premonition of what was to come, Ben Kyle, Romantica’s songwriter and frontman, sang this prescription on Romantica’s 2017 Shadowlands release. He understood his body and mind were being undermined – but he didn’t know it was Lyme disease or that it would completely rearrange life as he knew it for the better part of 2 years. This experience would inform much of Romantica’s new album, Outlaws, coming out on June 8th.
The story behind this album is very personal, it is a collection of songs gathered from recording sessions and live shows over the past 10 years, and featuring contributions from longtime collaborators Jessy Greene, Eric Heywood, Carrie Rodriguez and Alex Oana and a cameo from Ryan Adams that was curated and compiled by songwriter and frontman Ben Kyle during his 2 year recovery from a life-threatening bout with lyme-disease. The album features 10 unreleased songs beloved by the band and fans, that were outlawed from previous Romantica recordings, including the singles “Love in the Winter”, “Dear Caroline” and crowd favorite “Baby Killed Bobby”, as well as singular versions of Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, the Beatles’ “Something” and a cameo appearance with Ryan Adams.
Today Glide is excited to share an exclusive premiere of “Baby Killed Bobby”, a longtime live staple and fan favorite. The song has a mournful, gothic folk sound to it while showcasing Ben Kyle’s howling vocals. Kyle layers on powerful and haunting fiddles, sinister bass and guitar, and a heavy drumbeat. While the song feels intimate and persona, it also explodes into Springsteen-esque showmanship as Kyle wails at the top of his longs as if fighting for his life. It’s not surprise that it’s a crowd favorite as it begs to be witnessed in the live setting.
Explaining the song behind the song, Kyle shares this tale:
“‘Baby Killed Bobby” was a response to three tragic stories that entered my life at the same time. The first one chronicles a friend who was suspected to have killed her husband with his shotgun and then proceeded to play it off as a suicide. The second was the true suicide of my wife’s great uncle who suffered schizophrenia and an alcoholic father. The third was the tragic accidental death of a baby suffocated by the body of his own sleeping mother. The song is a prayer, and a cry for help – for some kind of mercy in the midst of absurd tragedy that we all touch or experience at some point in our life. It’s an intercession to the angels – so to speak.”
LISTEN:
Photo credit Nicole McCoy
2 Responses
Fantastic song but the player really needs a volume control. I blasted my coworkers out of their seats.
Raw. Real. Poignant & Beautiful. Expect no less from Ben Kyle.
Continue to heal & grow…you are blessed and a blessing.