2018 marked McDell’s return with an independently-released record that celebrates her musical roots and the sounds of her upbringing. This new recorded project came together between Auckland, New Zealand and Nashville, Tennessee where she recorded the tracks with Australian award-winner producer Nash Chambers. The record features a hearty cast of country music legends including Kasey Chambers, Bill Chambers and Tami Neilson.
It was the music of her childhood that would form the fundamental elements of what excited her about songwriting the most - an honest vocal, lots of acoustic guitar and deep storytelling. At age 7, while living aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean, when McDell wrote her first song. On that yacht lived a small collection of her parents’ favourite tapes, including albums by Jimmy Buffett, John Denver and James Taylor, which the young McDell formed a particularly strong bond with. She fondly remembers watching her parents perform Jimmy Buffett duets - and occasionally chiming in, learning how to harmonize vocally with her mother. An eager learner, McDell picked up the guitar after studying her fathers’ John Denver chord book collection and has never looked back.
In March 2017, McDell booked a trip to Nashville for a change of scenery and to connect with the environment that birthed the country/folk music of her youth. There she wrote the songs that would make up the fabric for her upcoming record.
Later that year, twelve songs (written solely by McDell) were recorded in two days with full band at House Of Blues, Studio D in Nashville, with Chambers at the helm. Recording this way would boil up feelings of nostalgia for McDell, who’s very first recording experience took place at Auckland’s York Street studios in the same vein.
“This is the closest thing I’ve done to a live record,” McDell says. “I enjoy playing and singing in the same room as everyone, recording full takes, celebrating the liveliness of the players and accepting mistakes or imperfections as a special and important part of the body of work.”
On this new record, McDell’s vocals are the most raw and vulnerable they have ever been - powerful and honest - and reflect her core listening inspirations which include Patty Griffin and Alison Krauss. Her Margaritaville-infused childhood sneaks through in humorous lines like “scared of looking crazy, she opens up a bottle of wine, forgets about her baby and looks to have a hell of a time.”
This new album also marks McDell’s second independent release since going independent from 2016 - the first being a debut album, written/performed with her younger sister Tessa as Dunes. This record has been personally hand-crafted from the ground up, with McDell overseeing everything from the writing, creation, promotion and release. She also creates the visual artwork herself, as a graphic designer by day.
Putting the overall feeling of the album into words isn’t easy, but McDell reflects on the personal challenge of leaving the comfort of home to write something that was honest and true.
“Nashville was me getting out of my comfort zone and finding my way back to it. I like to write songs quickly and alone and quite frankly when I feel like it, and I think being away from home helped me get back to that headspace,”
“The listener is getting a sincerely true collection of stories that haven’t been tampered with since they were written. They are exactly what I felt like saying/singing at the time - raw, unpolished
and deeply honest.”
Rewind
Jamie McDell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lie in golden grass and savour every moment we're alive
A day in summer when the music played a different kind of song
Oh, whoa
Nervous whisper as you ask me if I'd be your favourite girl
The painful memory of singing that we'd sail around the world
Now I'm wondering why I couldn't see how much I had to learn
And rewind five times
So I can make it that we never met
And go back in time
So I can change the day I let you in
Rewind five times
All my memories of you are tinted with a shade of grey
Didn't know that I was capable of taking love away
Now in winter all I hope for is some day I'll let it go
Oh, whoa
Every part of me is saying I should leave the past behind
But the hardest thing is trying to keep your face out of my mind
All my energy is wasted on another summer lie
Oh, whoa
And rewind five times
So I can make it that we never met (we never met, we never met)
And go back in time
So I can change the day I let you in
Rewind five times
Release me from this never-ending hole
You've started war without a worthy cause
You crossed the line, I'm ready to let go
Erase it all before my mind explodes
And rewind five times
So I can make it that we never met (we never met, we never met)
And go back in time
So I can change the day I let you in
Rewind five times
[Repeat]
I remember waiting for those aeroplanes to cross the sky
"Rewind" by Jamie McDell is a song about regretting past decisions and wanting to go back in time to undo them. The lyrics describe a nostalgic feeling of remembering a summer day where the music played a different kind of song while lying in golden grass and watching aeroplanes cross the sky. The singer reflects on a past relationship where she was asked to be someone's favourite girl and sang about sailing around the world, but now wonders why she couldn't see how much she had to learn. The memories of the relationship are now tinted with a shade of grey, and the singer wishes she could erase it all before her mind explodes.
The chorus of the song repeats the desire to rewind five times so that she can make it so that they never met, and so she can change the day she let him in. The singer recognizes the difficulty of leaving the past behind, but ultimately wants to release herself from the never-ending hole of regret.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember waiting for those aeroplanes to cross the sky
I have fond memories of the past, particularly a time where I waited for airplanes to pass by in the sky.
Lie in golden grass and savour every moment we're alive
I enjoyed lying in grass and taking in the beauty of life around us.
A day in summer when the music played a different kind of song
One summer day, I remember hearing unusual music that stood out from the rest.
Nervous whisper as you ask me if I'd be your favourite girl
You nervously asked me if I could be your special someone.
The painful memory of singing that we'd sail around the world
I recall a painful memory where we sang about future plans to travel the world together.
Now I'm wondering why I couldn't see how much I had to learn
I am reflecting on the past and regret not realizing the lessons I had yet to learn.
All my memories of you are tinted with a shade of grey
My memories of you are overshadowed with sadness.
Didn't know that I was capable of taking love away
I never thought I could hurt someone by taking away their love.
Now in winter all I hope for is some day I'll let it go
As winter approaches, I find myself hoping I'll eventually be able to let go of the past.
Every part of me is saying I should leave the past behind
I feel like I should move on from the past and leave it all behind.
But the hardest thing is trying to keep your face out of my mind
Despite wanting to move on, it's difficult for me to forget about you and keep you out of my thoughts.
All my energy is wasted on another summer lie
I feel like I'm wasting all my energy on another lie from summer.
Release me from this never-ending hole
I want to be released from this never-ending cycle of regret and pain.
You've started war without a worthy cause
You started a war without any justifiable reason.
You crossed the line, I'm ready to let go
You've crossed a line that I can no longer ignore, and I'm now ready to move on.
Erase it all before my mind explodes
I'm overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions and need a way to erase it all before it's too much to handle.
Contributed by Mackenzie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.