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.”
Where I Want to Go
Roo Panes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In your arms, in your arms, what I need
And there's nothing for me
Outside your arms, outside your arms
Nothing for me
Because your
Your love takes me where I want to go!
Your love takes me where I want to go!
There's a sweet, sweet disarray
To the way you pave, to the way you pave
A sweet disarray oh come on love!
Call me your own! Because I know
You'll take me where I want to go
Further than the eye can see
But nearer than the air I breathe
I don't need to see the end
To follow you all the way my friend
Because your
Your love takes us where we want to go!
Oh your
Your love takes me where I want to go!
Your love takes me where I want to go
Your love takes me where I want to go
Your love takes me where I want to go
Your love takes me where I want to go
In Roo Panes's song "Where I Want to Go," the lyrics depict a deep longing and dependence on someone's love. The opening lines express the singer's realization that they have found everything they need in the arms of their loved one. They feel that there is nothing outside of their partner's embrace that can fulfill them. This highlights the significance and power of love in their life.
The chorus emphasizes the transformative nature of the love they share. The repeated lines "Your love takes me where I want to go" convey a sense of liberation and freedom. The singer believes that their love transcends physical boundaries and limitations, allowing them to journey to places beyond what their eyes can see or what they can imagine. It becomes a source of inspiration and motivation for them to follow their loved one on this journey, trusting that they will be led to the right path.
The verse mentioning the "sweet, sweet disarray" in the way their partner paves the way suggests that their love is not perfect but filled with small imperfections and unpredictability. However, instead of viewing this as a negative aspect, the singer embraces it and encourages their partner to call them their own. They believe that their love will lead them to their desired destination, even though they might not know exactly where that is.
Overall, "Where I Want to Go" is a heartfelt song about the transformative power of love and the trust placed in a loved one to lead the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've found what I need
I have discovered what truly fulfills me
In your arms, in your arms, what I need
Being in your embrace is everything I desire
And there's nothing for me
There is nothing that can satisfy me
Outside your arms, outside your arms
Apart from being in your embrace
Nothing for me
There is nothing else that brings me contentment
Because your
Due to your
Your love takes me where I want to go!
Your love guides me to my desired destination!
Oh your
Oh, your
Your love takes me where I want to go!
Your love leads me to the places I long to reach!
There's a sweet, sweet disarray
There is a delightful and charming disorder
To the way you pave, to the way you pave
In how you pave the path for us
A sweet disarray oh come on love!
An endearing chaos, so let's embrace it, my love!
Call me your own! Because I know
Declare me as yours! Because I am aware
You'll take me where I want to go
You will guide me to the destinations I desire
Further than the eye can see
Beyond the visible horizon
But nearer than the air I breathe
Yet closer than the very breath I take
I don't need to see the end
I do not require knowledge of the final destination
To follow you all the way my friend
In order to follow you faithfully, my companion
Because your
Due to your
Your love takes us where we want to go!
Your love leads all of us to our desired destinations!
Oh your
Oh, your
Your love takes me where I want to go!
Your love guides me to the places I long to reach!
Your love takes me where I want to go
Your love leads me to the destinations I desire
Your love takes me where I want to go
Your love guides me to the places I long to reach
Your love takes me where I want to go
Your love leads me to the destinations I desire
Your love takes me where I want to go
Your love guides me to the places I long to reach
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDREW PANES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michell386
Well I've found what I need,
in your arms,
in your arms,
what I need.
And there's nothing for me,
outside your arms,
outside your arms,
nothing for me.
Because your love takes me where I want to go ...
There's a sweet,
sweet disarray
to the way you pave,
to the way you pave,
a sweet disarray.
Oh come on, love.
Call me your own.
Because I know,
you'll take me where I want to go.
Further than the eye can see,
but nearer than the air I breathe,
I don't need to see the end,
to follow you all the way my friend.
Because your love takes us where we want to go ...
@thatialfrei1060
Five years ago was listening to this song, for some reason it helped me to let things go and surrender to God's plan. Now in 2022 it stills does the same thing. Thank you
@droopy_911
As much as it pains me to see this wonderful artist not appreciated enough by the mainstream, for he's simply brilliant, nevertheless, I'm glad that not many people know who Roo is, cos there are songs that you wouldn't like to share with anyone in the whole, wide world. Works of such artists make my playlist uniquely covetous.
pardon my selfishness👻👻
@rubensmcdooger5327
i feel the same, even though i want him to get all the appreciation he deserves, i want these songs to be mine!
@droopy_911
👍👍☺
@rbytcarl2551
Dude exactly dude
@hopelesshavoc6215
I am exactly like that feeling. You know you want them to be famous not because of attention but because of the artistry in their music and the messages of their works. And that because most people prefer mainstream music on most times, we rather possess them for ourselves and unlikely to share with them because anyway they won't understand us and/or the music we like and so we leave them to what they listen to because it's what they prefer and grasp to listen to. I understand the world is designed in strange ways. Am I right? Tell me I'm not the only one please :<
@edoo.dribeiro
I understand you 100%. I want him to be successful, but his songs are mine. It's like they were written for me. I'm glad I'm not the only selfish one
@jefaxtor
This is beyond comprehension, this is amazing, this is a lovely masterpiece. I can recognize the message. The love and company of God. Thanks Roo for such a masterpiece!
@katyj.5104
That's the content I'm paying Spotify for. I love this artist! Don't change your genre to gain recognition, your music is medicine for the soul
@ladyt3579
Roo Panes is just pure perfection!! Medicine for my soul! ❤💜💖