Indigo Girls Discuss The Songs On Staring Down The Brilliant Dream

In the liner notes to their soul-warming live double album, Staring Down The Brilliant Dream (out June 29), the Indigo Girls, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, write about each track’s origins. Some of the songs are cut with a live band, while others are just the two of them, the same way they started. There are also some fine covers of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” and the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.”

Here’s a peak at the liner notes:

Prince of Darkness – 07/15/08 @ The Paramount Theatre / Rutland, VT

This song almost didn’t make it to our Epic debut record in 1988. And there are definitely some lines I would tweak if I were to write it again. Nonetheless, it has become sort of a personal anthem of thanks for my parents, and an effort to try to live in a path of light, whatever that may be. I love Julie’s piano part on this live version, all those big, dark chords driving the song.

– Amy

Shame On You – 11/11/06 @ Ventura Theatre / Ventura, CA

This song started out as a feel good, “I don’t wanna do any work today” song. My best friends were trying to help me move, but I kept trying to avoid packing the boxes. We listened to The Pixies and Van Morrison all day and eventually got it done. Somehow the song morphed into a celebration of the Hispanic immigrant community in my neck of the woods. There is actually a cool video for this song somewhere out there on the interweb. Playing this song live with a full band is a total blast. The drums beat sets it up and then the electric guitars kick in and we’re off to the dance.

– Amy

Kid Fears – 10/26/06 @ The Pageant / St. Louis, MO

I remember writing this song when I lived at Emory Woods Apartments in Decatur, GA. My gang of friends at the time had particularly painful histories and I wrote this song for their healing. We toured around quite a bit with a rock band from Atlanta called Three5Human. Their lead singer, Trina Meade, has been part of the Atlanta music scene since our early days. Her voice is a gorgeous beast and she was the first one to interpret Michael Stipe’s vocal lines in a completely new way, adding her soulrock style to the equation of two folk singers from the A-T-L. The first time she sung Kid Fears with us, I remember, when the last chorus came around, I was so stunned, I almost forgot to sing.

– Amy

The Wood Song – 10/03/09 @ Mayo Center for Performing Arts / Morristown, NJ

I always think of ‘Wood Song’ as kind of Philosophy 101 for myself. Even after all these years, I still think about the words as I sing them and try to live my life by them. I also like the interplay of the two guitars, as I am in standard tuning, and Amy is in open G.

– Emily

Second Time Around – 10/03/09 @ Mayo Center for Performing Arts / Morristown, NJ

This song grew out of a few different stories from friends and some of my own as well. I remember, I was being harassed by a drunk crowd one night while loading out from a solo rock show and it felt like no matter what I said, I couldn’t win for losing. I was feeling a real need for allies and also trying to get my own heart and attitude straight. I hear this song differently every time we sing it. Each audience reacts in a different way. Sometimes they laugh and clap along, and sometimes I just feel their sadness and compassion. I never take the crowd for granted, and this is one song I like to let the audience guide. It helps me tell the story to feel their reaction. This particular show in Morristown was one of our favorite shows of all time; the kind of show that even your sound engineer says was a good one.

– Amy