Panes, who plays mandolin and guitar, is accompanied by Georgie Harris (Viola), Joanne Sy (Cello), Sean Hatton (Drums) and Deborah Panes (Vocals).
Panes is a British songwriter with a guitar to his chest and a heart swelling with hopes and dreams. A common on-paper pitch, perhaps, and one sold a thousand times before. But Dorset-born Panes has something special to offer those willing to wait a while for their favourite songs to settle into place.
Panes’ debut album, ‘Little Giant’, isn’t a collection operating at the vanguard of a cutting-edge, ultimately transient scene worthy of clicks for the next few months. It’s not an album that sets out to trick its audience in any way – what you hear is succinct, honest songwriting, from a place of deep personal expression, resonating with universal truths and values. It’s an embracing set, a welcoming one, which represents everything that its maker has worked towards since first picking up a guitar and exploring his innermost thoughts and feelings through song. No follower of fashion, Panes walks to his own beat.
It’s a strange admission for any artist, but nevertheless: “I’ve never really listened to much music,” says Panes. “Influences from other artists, they’re not really that important. I find that my music comes to me from situations I find myself in – those situations can come to me as songs. In terms of first picking up an instrument, my granny was a classical pianist – we’d go to her house, hear her play, and run around in circles. And my mum used to be in a travelling theatre company, so I was encouraged towards culture, towards the arts. But I always thought: if I want to listen to music, I’ll just write it.”
Don’t mistake confidence for arrogance – such statements come from a sincere place, as Panes’ upbringing in Wimborne, once home to novelist Thomas Hardy, proved more inspirational to his writing than any sessions in the company of a parent’s record collection. The natural beauty of Dorset’s open spaces – and those of the Lake District, a place he loves to visit – have become woven into the fabric of his craft. The peace, the silent solitude: it’s here that Panes feels more alive with ideas than he does in the hubbub of his adopted home of London. There’s a pastoral warmth to ‘Little Giant’ that couldn’t have manifested had its roots been laid within urban limits.
The comfort of home, of a tight and supportive family, punctuates proceedings throughout Panes’ debut LP – which is perhaps inevitable, as the collection was recorded there. Beside producer Rupert Coulson – a man with numerous soundtrack credits, as well as experience of working on records by Portishead, Robbie Williams and Oasis – Panes and his band captured the classic 12-string guitar sounds, rippling percussion and sweeping strings that decorate ‘Little Giant’ in, says the singer, “the music room, down at our house – just a small, wooden-floored room. I thought, why not keep the recording close to where I write the songs?”
He continues: “I’m a really big fan of the idea that you don’t need all the stuff you find in a big studio – it’s about how you use the things you do have. Rupert had a lot of imagination, and got a good grasp of the room and harnessed it. I love working in places that have an atmosphere, and I think it’s good to have that extra, background noise on a record. I’m sure there’s an ambulance on the album, actually.”
He was, briefly, the face of a Burberry campaign, something he describes as “random”. “I was on tour,” he says, “and I got a phone call asking me to do it. I just grabbed the opportunity that was in front of me. I went in a musician, and came out a musician. It’s a short episode in my life, but one that’s had some quite big repercussions.” Indeed, a Google search pulls up many attractively composed black-and-white photographs of Panes sporting fine threads – but it’s music that surges strongest in his veins, above all other passions.
And now that you’ve separated your senses from social media for a while, closed your chattering inbox, just what does ‘Little Giant’ offer above more garden variety singer-songwriter recordings? A little patience provides the answers: this is material that truly connects on an emotional level, its gentle rhythms and compelling cadences topped by vocals that can’t be faked, that come characterised by a complete lack of artifice and affectation. His is a deep voice, one that sounds aged beyond its years, perhaps. And yet, it’s telling of timeless stories, endless ache and forever love. It asks that we all find the right way to see the world around us.
One number that specifically addresses the need for optimism is the single ‘Tiger Striped Sky’. Says Panes: “It’s about the idea where we can look at any situation ahead of us in two ways: either it’s challenging, and off-putting, or you can say that you love a challenge. It’s about the idea that you chose your context, and if you put yourself into a negative context, you’re going to come out with stripes on you.”
The title track is about addressing one’s own shortcomings in order to better themselves. “It’s accepting that you have to realise your own vulnerabilities in order to become stronger,” says Panes. “That’s why there’s the line, ‘Have the heart of a giant / But know you’re a man.’ You have to take things step by step. It’s also got that message of hope, as well.”
These songs are, says Panes, “personal, and vulnerable – but expansive, too. Because I don’t want it to just be about me. Here’s a bit of me, to help you understand a bit of you. I think positivity and hope are things worth giving to people, and I think that the album does transmit a lot of hope.”
Commentator
Roo Panes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Would you take the long way back again
Singing this is the life
She was like the wind in your hair
You couldn't hold her but she held you there
Just like the freshest air
Singing can't we stay here
Will you bring me back there?
Ooh ooh ooh
Remember when I used to say
You never took your shoes off at the door
Yeah, you just muddied all my thoughts
Well, love, I just want you to know
How I miss your running commentary
Beside me is an empty seat
You got me wondering
All the things you're thinking
Hoping you might just crash
Through the ceiling
Ooh ooh ooh
Oh oh oh oh (i have been alive
I have been alive
Thank you for this whole surprise
I have been alive i have been alive)
The song "Commentator" by Roo Panes is a beautiful mix of melancholy and nostalgia, depicting the emotions of someone longing for a lost love. The opening lines, "All for the love of those eyes, would you take the long way back again?" depict someone reminiscing about the past and wishing they could return to a time when they were with their loved one. They sing the words, "Singing this is the life, she was like the wind in your hair, you couldn't hold her but she held you there, just like the freshest air," picturing their partner as a free spirit who they couldn't control but who made them feel alive.
Throughout the song, there is a poignant sense of loss as the singer remembers the small details of their relationship like not taking shoes off at the door or their running commentary that they miss. The singer is left alone and wonders what their partner is thinking now. The lines "You got me wondering all the things you're thinking, hoping you might just crash through the ceiling," capture the sense of longing to reconnect with their partner.
In conclusion, "Commentator" is a wistful song about longing and loss, filled with poignant lyrics and beautiful melody that captures the essence of a lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
All for the love of those eyes
Everything I do is motivated by my love for you, particularly your beautiful eyes
Would you take the long way back again
Would you be willing to revisit our past experiences and memories together, even if it takes longer than the usual way?
Singing this is the life
Expressing contentment and joy with the present moment and this phase of life
She was like the wind in your hair
You were swept away and moved by her presence and energy, just like the wind moving your hair
You couldn't hold her but she held you there
Although you couldn't physically hold her in your arms, she had a strong emotional grip on you, keeping you fixed in place
Just like the freshest air
Her presence was like a breath of fresh air, revitalising and rejuvenating
Singing can't we stay here
Expressing a desire to remain in this moment and continue experiencing the current feelings
Middle of this feeling? You had me dreaming
Being so wrapped up in the moment, it felt like a dream and was almost too good to be true
Will you bring me back there?
Asking the person to take them back to the time and place where they experienced this feeling again
Remember when I used to say
Reflecting on past conversations or statements made to the person
You never took your shoes off at the door
Recalling the other person's habits, particularly one that seemed frustrating or odd
Yeah, you just muddied all my thoughts
Their actions created confusion or chaos in the artist's mind
Well, love, I just want you to know
Addressing the other person affectionately and conveying a message they want them to hear
How I miss your running commentary
Expressing yearning or longing for the other person's constant and lively input or observations
Beside me is an empty seat
Observing the physical absence of the other person, perhaps in a setting where they are used to being together
You got me wondering
Feeling curious and thoughtful about the other person's thoughts, actions or motives
All the things you're thinking
Suspecting that the other person has a great deal on their mind that they are keeping to themselves
Hoping you might just crash
Desiring that the other person will break out of their shell, let their guard down, or be more open
Through the ceiling
Metaphorically breaking through barriers or boundaries in communication or connection
Oh oh oh oh (i have been alive
A repeated phrase expressing an overwhelming sense of vitality, excitement, or gratitude
I have been alive
Feeling present, fully alive, and appreciative of all that life has to offer
Thank you for this whole surprise
Expressing gratitude to someone who has brought an unexpected and delightful element into one's life
I have been alive i have been alive)
Repeating the earlier phrase and affirming the sense of vitality and appreciation
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDREW DAVID PANES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Parth Raval
All for the love of those eyes
Would you take the long way back again?
Singing this is the life
She was like the wind in your hair
You couldn't hold her, but she held you there
Just like the freshest air
Singing, can't we stay here
Middle of this feeling?
You had me dreaming
Will you bring me back there?
Remember when I used to say
You never took your shoes off at the door
Yeah, you just muddied all my thoughts
Well, love, I just want you to know
How I miss your running commentary
Beside me is an empty seat
You got me wondering all the things you're thinking
Hoping you might just crash through the ceiling
I have been alive, I have been alive
Well thank you for this whole surprise
I have been alive, I have been alive
Well thank you for this whole surprise
I have been alive, I have been alive
Thank you for this whole surprise
I have been alive, I have been alive
Uriellh Jkoab
I feel now that a simple THANK YOU, will never express exactly how grateful I am with you 💜
Your music is life for me, please Roo, promise you'll never stop making music. 🙏
Martin Debataraja
I love how he always comes from the bright side telling a story, even though the relationship doesn't last. And the video, it's a different vibe from the lyrics and music, but it fits perfectly.
Parth Raval
All for the love of those eyes
Would you take the long way back again?
Singing this is the life
She was like the wind in your hair
You couldn't hold her, but she held you there
Just like the freshest air
Singing, can't we stay here
Middle of this feeling?
You had me dreaming
Will you bring me back there?
Remember when I used to say
You never took your shoes off at the door
Yeah, you just muddied all my thoughts
Well, love, I just want you to know
How I miss your running commentary
Beside me is an empty seat
You got me wondering all the things you're thinking
Hoping you might just crash through the ceiling
I have been alive, I have been alive
Well thank you for this whole surprise
I have been alive, I have been alive
Well thank you for this whole surprise
I have been alive, I have been alive
Thank you for this whole surprise
I have been alive, I have been alive
LovelyxImperfect
This song is like a breath of fresh air, so calming and beautiful<3
fabien brenner
lol
Perla La.
Your music always puts me in the best mood, you create pure art Roo, you've been my favorite singer since a lot and I'm so proud of you!
redcatsix
This song is so damn beautiful and peaceful! Wonderful work!
funkycosmicfishgirl
Every further song I listen to I'm more and more in love with your music and lyrics. You're such a breath of fresh air 🎶💓🎶
Wioletta Milewska
Magiczny glos, który koi moja duszę, dziękuję 🙂
Salvador
I’m listening this song in loop! Thank you Roo ❤️