Myles Goodwyn makes a sombre and striking statement on the residential school system with his new single and video Some Of These Children (They Never Grew Up) — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“It’s a personal response by Jim Henman and I to the recent finding of unmarked graves of Indigenous children in Canada,” the award-winning producer, songwriter, and artist says on behalf of his long-time collaborator and former April Wine bandmate. “We felt like making a statement regarding the discovery of these graves, and this song is that statement.”
The song’s heart-wrenching subject lands within an incredibly personal connection to the Halifax artist, he adds. “My life partner Kim is native Sioux Assiniboine, and her mother was a survivor of the ‘assimilation’ attempts by the Federal government and the Catholic Church to ‘remove the savage from the Indian.’ I have felt her pain as more and more bodies of these unfortunate children are discovered.”
Some Of These Children (They Never Grew Up) follows Goodwyn’s other recent offering, Will the Last Voice I Hear Be an Angel; his first-ever spiritual song, it captivates with thoughtful reflections around life lived, and mortality. The songs arrive ahead of Goodwyn’s forthcoming album Long Pants. Featuring his most personal songs to date, the new full-length will dive deep into the masterful musician’s extensive and previously unreleased archives.
“The ‘oldest’ new song on the album, Forever Amber, was written four decades ago,” Goodwyn shares. “I wrote it for my daughter Amber on the very night she was born. Long Pants will feature a song I’ve written for each of my three children. Talk to Me was written for my son Aaron, and is about love and the importance of communication between a child and their parents. And Over the Moon was written when I learned my younger boy Cary was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It’s a serious and chronic disease, and the song is one of love, understanding, optimism — which is an important message of hope and love to all children and parents dealing with diabetes.”
It’s a robust release traversing Goodwyn’s interests, introspect, and outward observations; there’s a fun song about kittens, plus a rollicking drinking song, to boot. There’s a touching love song, Princess Rain, inspired by his lifetime partner, and Right Myself, co-written with award winning singer-songwriter and distinguished member of The Order of Canada Lennie Gallant. I Leave Today is a stirring song about euthanasia, inspired by Dan Hill’s mom choosing the option at the age of 90, and Darling Where Are You, a deeply poignant penning expressing concern and compassion for missing Indigenous women.
Teeming with Goodwyn’s inimitable vocals and distinct, immediately recognizable musicianship, Long Pants lands as yet another top-shelf addition to his extensive discography and career. The recipient of the prestigious Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award, Goodwyn also recently took both the 2019 and 2020 ECMA Blues Recording of the Year Awards for his solo albums Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues, and Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues 2.
Watch Some Of These Children (They Never Grew Up) above, hear more from Myles Goodwyn below, and connect with him at his website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
