Inspired by the country classic Long Black Veil, the new single from Melbourne band The Glorious North is told from the perspective of a killer.
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While Long Black Veil was the story of an innocent men sentenced to death, The Widow is a murder ballad about a man who kills for love.
Tele Dee, the band’s guitarist, said the song became a single thanks to feedback at their live shows, where the song has been included in their set list for a while now.
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The song was written by the alt country band’s lead singer PJ Devery.
“He came to the band with it,” Tele said, “and he openly admits that he was listening to a lot of Long Black Veil, the Johnny Cash standard that’s been done by a lot of people, but we know the Johnny Cash one best.
“He openly admits that he wanted to do a murder ballad for us, but we’ve changed the protagonists where this one is written from the perspective of a guy who has killed for what he thinks is love, and it doesn’t go according to plan.”
As the story unfolds it’s revealed that his would-be lover, who put him up to it and is now free in every sense of the world, has manipulated him.
The song was recorded and produced by Dave Rogers, at the Channel Studio in Southbank, Melbourne, in the bowels of Hamer Hall, where you open up the curtains you get a magnificent view of Melbourne from across the Yarra River.
They were looking north, of course, back towards the northern suburbs from which they proudly took their name.
While both Tele and PJ grew up in Queensland, the rest of the band hail from Victoria and it was in Melbourne that the band came together.
“We consider ourselves Victorians now,” Tele said. “We moved down here a couple of decades ago.”
The pair have been playing music together a long time, including plenty of duo gigs, playing covers.
After sharing their original songs with each other, they started jamming, and soon got a drummer involved, then a bass player, leading to the start of the band.
“That was four and a bit years ago, and our crowds have been getting bigger and bigger ever since,” Tele said.
The Glorious North has cemented themselves in the Melbourne pub scene over the past few years, but have also played at Tamworth Country Music Festival.
“We’re looking like we’ll be getting back there for the next festival,” Tele said
“We still finalising the details, but we’ve got a few shows sorted out. But if can get a few more spots, that’d be great.”