The singer-songwriter is taking us on an emotional journey for his heartbroken and drunk playlist.
Dropping his new tune “Remember to Forget” today, singer-songwriter Passenger is making his grand return. Telling the story of how a guy refuses to call it night, the singer captures the feeling of sorrow perfectly as he sings sweetly over the country guitar melody. Accompanied by a captivating video set in a dive bar, it sees fellow patrons drowning in their sadness as we then see “Suzanne”, an older woman reflecting on her days gone by.
Opening up on the premise of the tune, the singer-songwriter revealed: “His song is for all of those people that that never want to go to bed after a night out and just want to stay out drinking for as long as they can. I’ve definitely been that guy before, and I know a few others that have. The idea of having to be on your own in a dark room with ringing in your ears is not a pleasant one.”
With the announcement of the new tune, Passenger also revealed his next album Song For The Drunk And Broken Hearted is set for release January 8th, and is expected to be filled with various broken-hearted characters. But before we can bask in our feels for the new album, the singer has put together his own drunk and heartbroken playlist for us featuring tunes from Bon Iver and Gabrielle Aplin – grab the tissues.
Check out the playlist below…
Joni Mitchell – “A Case Of You”
What a song. Joni has written some of my favourite songs of all time and this is special even for her. The lyrics are sensational. It portraits such a complex relationship and captures the bittersweet nature of love perfectly. She’s a total genius.
The Kinks – “Death Of A Clown”
Given the subject matter, I feel like this is the perfect song to accompany my new record. The kinks tell fantastic stories within their songs and they’ve always been a huge inspiration to me – the way he captures characters is brilliant. I love the barroom feel of this recording too.
Tom Waits – ” I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You”
Again, another barroom classic. He sounds so hurt and broken and I love the twist at the end. You can’t be drunk and broken-hearted without a bit of Tom Waits!
Thin Lizzy – “Whiskey In The Jar”
One of the best riffs ever and a true drinking anthem!
Bon Iver – “Re Stacks”
This is such a glorious moment on a seminal album. I love how ambiguous the lyrics are but yet the sentiment is so strong and clear.
Paper Kites – “Arms”
Such a deeply underrated band. I was privileged to have them open up for me in North America and Australia a few years back and it was such a joy to watch and listen to them every night. This song is sensational and some of their best work.
Gabrielle Aplin – “Miss You”
I’m a huge fan of Gabby. I first met her back in 2013 when we both supported Ed Sheeran in Australia and I’ve loved her music ever since. I think one day she is going to blow up and be a total megastar . She’s a great writer and I never get bored of this one.
Damien Rice – “Cheers Darlin”
O is one of my all-time favourite albums and I just love the performance of this track. He sounds furious and drunk and the musical arrangement is sensational.
Otis Reading – “Cigarettes and Coffee”
Otis Redding has been a hero of mine for years and years. I remember getting a cassette tape of his greatest hits when I was a teenager and I had it in my Walkman for about six months. I know every moment of it like the back of my hand. His vocal is second to none. It was a toss-up between this and “Try a little tenderness” but I felt this was more in keeping maybe.
Carole King – “Its Too Late”
Such a resigned and philosophical take on a relationship that is coming to an end. It captures that moment perfectly – the one where you both realise that it’s just not going to work out and that it’s sad but ok.