Faulkner began playing guitar at the age of 11-12 with session guitarist Bob "crazy guy" Cranham and also attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, where he spent 2 years gaining both diploma and the higher diploma award under the tutelage of Eric Roche.
His first band was a Green Day cover band, in which he played bass guitar. His experience on the stage grew as he formed Half a Guy, a funk rock group with a quirky edge, with fellow band mates Matt Buchanan, Dave Elvy and Nicola Crawshaw. Half a Guy recorded two demo CDs and managed 2 years before splitting. He then spent time recording and gigging under the name Newton Battenberg Faulkner, where he played the Lapagestock festival on the 11th June 2005.
Recent appearances on BBC Radio 2 as well as a publishing deal with Peermusic UK compelled the Independent on Sunday to tell its readers to "Watch this face". Faulkner performed at the 2006 South by Southwest music festival and at Guilfest 2007.
In 2006 he had a support slot for Steve Forbert at The Spitz in London, England.
Newton has recently been signed by [labelSony BMG records and on the 30th of July 2007 he released his debut album Hand Built By Robots. He supported James Morrison on his February UK tour as well as Paolo Nutini on his UK tour in April, and also John Mayer on his September dates in the United Kingdom. He also supported The John Butler Trio on a number of European dates.
In June 2007 Newton's second single Dream Catch Me was selected Jo Whiley's 'Pet Sound' on her daily Radio 1 show. This gave the track much exposure and was highly commented on by listeners to Jo's show.
Newton appeared twice at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2007 - once on the Friday on the Acoustic Stage and once on the Sunday on the Leftfield Stage. He appeared at V Festival 2007 in August where he played in the Virgin Mobile Sessions Tent - a venue much too small as people overflowed outside. He also appeared at the Connect Music Festival at the end of August 2007 on the Guitars and Other Machines stage
On July 29, Dream Catch Me entered the UK Singles Chart at number 16. The following week it had risen to number 7 with Hand Built By Robots entering the album charts at number 3. The song rose to #8 on 12 August, the album to number 1 on 26 August.
Eric Roche is undoubtedly one of Newton's biggest influences, both from a stylistic point of view (vis a vis the percussive use of the guitar's body) and through the use of tapping, uncommon tunings and inventive chord changes, such as in I Need Something and Ageing Superhero, from his debut album. This method of playing also shows heavily in the work of Jon Gomm and Pete Wailes, although with a slightly different feel in both.
Dream Catch Me
Newton Faulkner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I know now who I am
Yeah, yeah, yeah
And I know now
There's a place I go when I'm alone
Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see and I cannot believe I'm falling
That's where I'm going, where are you going?
Hold it close, won't let this go
Dream, catch me, yeah
Dream, catch me when I fall
Or else I won't come back at all
You do so much but you don't know it's true
And I know now who I am
Yeah, yeah, yeah
And I know now
There's a place I go when I'm alone
Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see and I cannot believe I'm falling
That's where I'm going, where are you going?
Hold it close, won't let this go
Dream, catch me, yeah
Dream, catch me when I fall
Or else I won't come back at all
See you as a mountain, a fountain of God
See you as a descant soul in the setting sun
You as a sound just as silent as none
I'm yours
There's a place I go when I'm alone
Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see and I cannot believe I'm falling
There's a place I go when I'm alone
Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see and I cannot believe I'm falling
That's where I'm going, where are you going?
Hold it close, won't let this go
Dream, catch me, yeah
Dream, catch me when I fall
Or else I won't come back at all
" Dream Catch Me" by Newton Faulkner is a song that explores the concept of finding oneself and the role that love plays in that journey. The singer begins the song by closing his eyes and finding comfort in the thought of someone he loves. Through this, he discovers his own identity and understands who he is. The next few lines recount how there's a place where he goes to when he's alone, where he can do or be anything he wants to. It is with this backdrop that he realizes that he's falling in love with the person he's thinking of. He then implores them to catch him if he falls, or he might not come back at all.
The chorus, "Dream Catch Me," serves as a metaphor for love - something that can hold us when we fall or help us pursue our dreams. The second verse repeats some of the lines of the first verse and emphasizes how the person he loves doesn't realize how much they mean to him, and he knows who he is because of them. The bridge of the song talks about how he sees the person he loves, and it's like seeing a mountain, a fountain of God, a descant soul in the setting sun. To him, they are everything and all he wants is to be with them, and he's theirs.
Overall, "Dream Catch Me" is a beautiful song about discovering oneself through love and the importance of being caught when one falls.
Line by Line Meaning
I close my eyes it's you
When I shut my eyes, I picture you in my mind.
And I know now who I am
I understand myself better than ever before.
There's a place I go when I'm alone
I visit a secret place when I am by myself.
Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be
In this place, I have the freedom to be whoever I wish and do whatever I desire.
But it is us I see and I cannot believe I'm falling
Despite the endless possibilities, it is always you that I envision, and I am amazed that I am falling for you.
That's where I'm going, where are you going?
I am heading towards our future together, where are you headed?
Hold it close, won't let this go
I cherish what we have and will not allow it to slip away.
Dream, catch me yeah
I dream of you catching me when I fall, yeah.
Dream, catch me when I fall
I hope that you will be there to catch me if I stumble.
Or else I won't come back at all
If I cannot count on you, I may never return.
You do so much but you don't know it's true
You do so many wonderful things, but you don't realize their magnitude.
See you as a mountain, a fountain of God
I picture you as a powerful force, like a towering mountain or a divine fountain.
See you as a descant soul in the setting sun
I imagine you as a soulful presence in the serene beauty of a sunset.
You as a sound just as silent as none
To me, your voice is both as silent as nothing and as full of meaning as everything.
I'm yours
I belong to you and am dedicated to our relationship.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: NEWTON FAULKNER, CRISPIN HUNT, GORDON MILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind