Driftwood (song)

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“Driftwood”
“Driftwood” cover
Single by Travis
from the album The Man Who
Released May 17, 1999
Format CD, Cassette
Recorded  ?
Genre Indie pop
Britpop
Length 3 min 33 s
Label Independiente
Producer Nigel Godrich
Travis singles chronology
"Writing to Reach You"
(1999)		 "Driftwood"
(1999)		 "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?"
(1999)
Not to be confused with the song of the same name by The Moody Blues.

"Driftwood" is the second single from Travis' second album, The Man Who. It became their biggest UK hit single up to that point. The title reputedly comes from the advice of a close friend of singer Fran Healy advising him not to leave college to concentrate on the band. The lyrics focus on a character who has abandoned all his connections and is now like driftwood - "breaking into pieces... hollow and of no use, waterfalls will find you, bind you, grind you".

Healy has said: "Driftwood is a song for the person in your life who has so much potential and, yet, doesn't use it because they're afraid of falling on their backside, you know, they're afraid of making a fool of themselves. But, yet, if they put their minds to it and just threw their plate out the window, they would actually do a lot with it and make themselves happy and other people happy."

Healy also stated on VH1 Storytellers in 2000 that he had been watching a Cheers episode that involved somebody overhearing their boss stating that they were going to get rid of the "driftwood" in the company. Healy later went to do the washing up and had thought of the first line in the chorus then.

In this interview, Healy also spoke of the line "pillars turn to butter." The original idea was "caterpillars turn to butterflies", but it was too long to fit with the tune, so he shaved off syllables, leaving it as "pillars turn to butter."

[edit] Track listing

  • CD1
  1. "Driftwood"
  2. "Be My Baby"
  3. "Where is the Love"
  • CD2
  1. "Driftwood"
  2. "Writing To Reach You" (Deadly Avenger Mix)
  3. "Writing To Reach You" (Instrumental Mix)

[edit] Cover versions

  • Aselin Debison covered "Driftwood" on her album Sweet is the Melody.


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Travis
Francis Healy · Dougie Payne · Andy Dunlop · Neil Primrose
Albums
Compilations / DVDs
More Than Us · Travis at the Palace · Singles
Singles
Production
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