One morning, Georgia singer/songwriter Adam Klein and his wife noticed a cat had died on their driveway and assumed he had accidently run it over. Normally in this situation, life would go on after feeling some remorse for the animal and then eventually, it would be forgotten. Klein however, handled the situation a bit differently.
Videos by American Songwriter
This experience inspired Klein to write his song, “Little Tiger.” Although it is based off of the stray cat that unfortunately passed away, the lyrics ended up having a much deeper meaning to them.
“Really thinking about the song now, I feel like it means and can mean a whole lot more,” says Klein. “There’s a yearning in the song, there’s a certain nostalgia and you have the idea of the fragility of life and relationships.”
Klein is not trying to compare the loss of this wondering stray cat to a human’s loved one who has passed, but in these lyrics, he focuses on the topic of grief. As humans, there can be a lot to mourn in life, whether it be a person, place or idea.
“I think it can be read as a mourning for a pet, a mourning for a lost friendship, or a lost love, but it’s also the loss of a future that one may have imagined with someone. That’s a real loss and something to grieve.”
“Little Tiger” was written in 2015 and was originally on the list to be added onto his 2019 album, “Low Flyin’ Planes,” which was released in spring of 2019. He ended up not including this track, so instead, he decided to use it to create his first three-song EP.
This collection of songs contains the outtakes that didn’t make it onto the album and will be released early next year.
“It was always, in my mind, a part of that album and it was a companion piece to the title track, “Low Flyin’ Planes.” I just assumed it would be on the other side of the record or something, but in the end, we decided not to record it at the time.”
“It’s good to clear the deck of these songs and move onto the next,” says Klein.
Producer and engineer, Bronson Tew at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Mississippi was a big part of bringing the record and song to life.
“We have a partnership where I bring the tunes to him and the song is formed and completed, but he allows it to be actualized in a technical sense. I love what he does, and I feel like he brings something that’s sonically very compelling to the songs.”
“Little Tiger” has always stuck out to Klein and his band members. Now, he is looking forward to finally being able to share the heartwarming Americana song.
The track reveals just how empathetic Klein is with the simple things in life. Hearing these lyrics will allow the audience to remember the past losses and appreciate the present.
Listen to “Little Tiger” down below:
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.