Too tough for folk and too blues influenced for country, Lynne Hanson’s brand of “porch music with a little red dirt” can turn on a dime from a sunshine, blue sky ballad to a full-on thunderstorm of gritty Americana swamp from one song to the next. The award winning Canadian songwriter is known for her high-energy, roots guitar driven live performances, whether playing solo or with her band the Good Intentions. Lynne has performed in venues and festivals across North America and Europe. Over her fifteen-year solo career, Lynne has recorded seven studio albums, published a book of haiku in 2016, and released a book of poetry in February 2020 along with her latest full-length album release Just Words. Lynne is currently recording a new album slated for release in 2022.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for her tune “Hold My Breath.” Hanson gives the song a soft acoustic folk treatment that is accentuated by textured instrumentation to elevate it above a simple solo singer-songwriter tune. Steeped in nostalgia and personal reflection, the shimmering tune features a catchy chorus, heartfelt lyrics, and gorgeous harmonies. Layered instrumentation adds to the honey-sweet richness of this poignant Americana track and once again puts Hanson in the spotlight as a songwriter worthy of your attention.
Watch the video for the song and read our interview with Hanson below…
What inspired you to write this song? What is the story behind it? What is it about?
Like a lot of songwriters, I really struggled with writer’s block during the pandemic. The thing that got me writing again was starting to collaborate with guitarist Blair Michael Hogan, who is also part of my band, The Good Intentions. For this song, Blair sent me a guitar instrumental he had written. It was rough and about six minutes long, so I rearranged the song and wrote the lyrics and a melody for it. I had one lyric I’d captured on the plane ride back from Europe to Canada in March 2020: “I’d have held on to you a little longer.” It made me think of the connection and friendship I was missing. The world has been so chaotic, and this song really is about craving kindness and peace when the world feels incredibly heavy. I didn’t want it to be a pandemic song, but for sure it was inspired by feeling isolated.
Do you consider this song — and your music in general — a place for you to work through things that are weighing on you or that you are trying to process? Do you find songwriting therapeutic? Did writing this song bring you solace or peace in any way?
I think, early in my songwriting career, songs were definitely cathartic. I’d work my own issues out through music, and the lyrics could often be quite literal. These days, I still find the process of songwriting to be a place of quiet, and it’s where I find my true joy. But, at the same time, I think I’m more able to rise above my own experiences and try to create a storyline that’s more relatable. Or at least I hope so. 🙂
What do you hope listeners hear in its music and lyrics?
I think one of the messages we’ve heard repeatedly during this pandemic is that we are at a crossroads. We have an opportunity to reassess our priorities and identify what REALLY matters in all of our lives. So I guess I’m hoping listeners will hear themselves in the music and lyrics, and feel a degree of connection to the images I’m attempting to paint. And that they feel some of the lightness that I’m singing about from having heard the song.
Talk a bit about the video. Who directed it? Whose idea was the video concept? How did it come together?
The video was directed by Tyler Williams. It’s funny, because when I approached him about making the video, we had a similar concept of reminiscing. I had the idea of 35mm slides and a projector, like when Don Draper introduces Kodak’s Carousel in “Mad Men.” Incredibly, Tyler had just inherited an old 8mm projector and box full of vacation film shot in the late ’60s from a relative. When he suggested projecting the videos onto Blair and me as part of the concept, I loved the idea. We didn’t even know what was on the film before we played it at the shoot, so it was really cool that some of the images in the reels seemed to line up with the story in the lyrics of the song.
What is your favorite thing about the video?
My favorite part of the video has to be when the young girl in the bright red sweater dances in what looks like a school yard to the line “till things get a little brighter.” There’s this innocence and joy in that moment that makes me smile every single time I see it, which is, ironically, the effect I’m hoping the song itself will have on the listener.
Photo credit: Jen Squires
