"I See Myself" carried us through three phases of recognition. Initially, the listening was relaxed, and we were swept into the calmness of the vocals and the peacefulness of the acoustic guitar. We were quickly sold on the song from Abel Hawnt.
After hearing the single a number of times, there grew an interest in determining how “I See Myself” separated itself from other appealing songs in the same genre. It was during this more focused phase that the attention to detail and Hawnt's love for his craft surfaced. Some features are subtle. For example, beginning at 0:31, the piano periodically strikes a single note. The skill required of the piano player is not demanding, but recognizing the effect of adding the notes to the song was musical brilliance. Other features are readily apparent, such as the on-again. off-again reverberation and vocal overdubbing that can be heard at 1:25.
In the third phase of appreciating “I See
Myself,” the attention turned to the lyrics. The song is about perspective. Abel
Hawnt is based in a large city – London. The lyrics talk about hearing the call
from the mountains and growing old in the countryside – all that is left to
do is to put pride off to the side. Hawnt explains:
“[It’s a] song I wrote during a road trip
around the Scottish Highlands and Islands this Summer. It was written whilst
meandering through the rivers and mountains. It's an honest song about the need
to put our pride to one side to get to where we want to be. Where do we truly
see ourselves? Are we doing what we really want to do? Or are we going through
the motions just because? It’s about realising what we want and following
through to make it happen, regardless of what others may think.”
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