“No Roots” by Alice Merton – A Song Review

     Humility comes with a good memory. It’s easy to assert that you have the experience to quickly and accurately access a new band or a song. But then a significant misjudgment occurs. One of our glaring examples was in 2012, when we prepared to see Haim open at an all-day festival in Monterey, California. We walked in with very low expectations of Haim. By the third song from the three sisters, we realized our mistake.

     “No Roots” by Alice Merton is the most recent humility check. The song was released months ago. It was interesting, but not blogworthy. Over time, the attraction to the song grew. Last week, Alice Merton was announced as a performer at a concert in the San Francisco Bay Area. She will be an early performer at the Live 105 Not So Silent Night event. She will only be at the second night (Saturday December 9, 2017). When “No Roots” hits the speakers, Oracle Arena in Oakland should be a party. This song invites participation and can be handled by the musically challenged.

     “No Roots” includes band vocals, a raw power, and a St. Vincent moment (starting at the 3-minute mark). The song relies on the bass more than most tracks in the genre. It all works!

     Quoting the press materials:

  Raised in Canada, finishing high school in Germany, then moving on to England with her family, Alice has gotten quite used to packing and unpacking boxes. With her debut single No Roots, she describes the life of having had many different homes, but comes to the realization that her home was never in one place.

  At the age of five she started taking classical piano lessons, four years later she was introduced to vocal training. After spending many years being classically trained, Alice discovered the art of songwriting through one of her high school courses in Germany. She then went on to study songwriting and pursue her dream of becoming a professional singer/songwriter.

  During her studies she started working with various producers. Finding the right producer is like finding a missing puzzle piece, you know it's there somewhere, but it takes a really longtime to find." However, after being introduced to Nicolas Rebscher, a Berlin-based producer, she knew she had found her match. 

     “No Roots” by Alice Merton 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicemerton/

Website: https://www.alicemerton.com/

Lyrics of “No Roots” by Alice Merton

I like digging holes and hiding things inside them

When I'll grow old I hope I won't forget to find them

'Cause I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

I built a home and wait for someone to tear it down

Then pack it up in boxes, head for the next town running

'Cause I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

And a thousand times I've seen this road,

A thousand times

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots

I've got no roots

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots

I've got no roots

I like standing still, boy that's just a wishful plan

Ask me where I come from, I'll say a different land

But I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

I can't get the numbers, and play the guessing name

It's just the place that changes, the rest is still the same

But I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

And a thousand times I've seen this road,

A thousand times

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots

I've got no roots

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots

I've got no roots

I like digging holes,

Hiding things inside them

When I'll grow old

I won't forget to find them

I like digging holes,

Hiding things inside them

When I'll grow old

I won't forget to find them

I've got no roots

No roots

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots

I've got no roots

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots, but my home was never on the ground

I've got no roots

I've got no roots