I'm Not a Quitter ( out Oct. 4th 2024) is the first single from my next album: A Songwriter's Odyssey due Jan. 31st 2025. Master Quality (Wave File 4410-44b)
I'm Not a Quitter
Here is my new song, out and about as of Oct. 4th 2024.
“I’m Not a Quitter" is the lead single off my next album A Songwriter’s Odyssey, which will be my 8th album as a solo artist. Having said that, there is never anything “solo” about making an album. I have recorded this album in Vancouver, Canada - hence the Odyssey reference in the album title - with producer John Raham and Canadian musicians. The whole project, traveling to Canada with my songs, the recording with Raham and having these fantastic musicians work on my songs, has been a dream come true for me. More on that collaboration as the release date of the full album gets closer.
A Songwriter’s Odyssey is due January 31, 2025.
Below you will find :
(lyric)-Video, Option for high-ress download, Streaming links , A personal “behind the song commentary”,
and for Download: English One-sheet and Danish pressemed. Press Photos, Full lyric and Label copy/credits & metadata
Are you a journalist or radio-DJ and have we not already serviced you with a press kit,
for audio files, and early access to full album please write to:
(North America & UK) Mavis Harris | Nice Marmot PR – mavis@nicemarmotpr.com
(Scandinavia and continental Europe) wordforwordpromo@gmail.com
Behind the Song
“I’m not a quitter
And I ain’t done yet
I’m out there on the band stand
And I plan to sleep when I’m dead”
These are the opening lines of “I’m Not a Quitter” and this i my personal behind-the-song-commentary.
Considering the fact, that I have yet another album (this one in Danish) coming out later in 2025, and that we are also back in the studio with Tone of Voice Orchestra later this month, I feel that opening statement is not merely wishfull thinking, but indeed a fact. I certainly am not a quitter.
In the English press material my Canadian publicist calls “I’m Not a Quitter” a stirring anthem of perseverance and passion and a song that showcases a gritty, bluesy Americana/Nordicana style, featuring standout acoustic instruments like dobro and western guitar.
Are you looking for specific themes “I’m Not a Quitter” captures themes of stamina, empowerment, and resilience.
Here are my personal notes:
Inspiration for the lyrics:
I have been a fan of Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards for a while. When I was writing this song, I had just decided to get to know her better and googled for interviews.
On YouTube I found an interview from a while back when she had decided to take a break from the music business. She was standing in the cafe she had opened back home in Ottawa, which she had called “Quitters”. That interview resonated with me, and the word “quitter” stayed with me, and sort of propelled me into writing this song.
However, on examining my own feelings around the word, I realized, as my song proclaims, I am not a quitter. But like I said, I could certainly relate to the feeling of needing a break.
That break came for me with covid lockdowns, where I wrote most of the songs for this album, and also made the decision to travel to Canada to record it. I sort of got my break, the time to re-evaluate my career and to write a bunch of new songs, without having the guts - so to speak- to actually quit.
Also, I confess to being rather driven and still deeply fascinated with music and all the many different expressions and styles. So, in reality I have never wanted to quit for real. In fact, now a days I am more driven than ever, because I have a distinct feeling that there is only so much time left. So, if I have any dreams, that by now I have not acted on, like writing what I think of as a country album - now is the time to pursue those dreams. And that is exactly what I am doing with this album. So that lyric is basically how I feel right here, right now.
You will notice a lot of boxing metaphors. As an artist and music business professional you certainly take some blows, but like the boxer in the ring, you get up when you fall - that is if you have true grit and a certain amount of stamina.
This leeds me to the last lines of "I’m Not a Quitter”:
"No it won’t be my towel
On the floor in that ring
I’ll be rolling with the punches
‘Till the fat lady sings."
The process of writing and recording Quitter:
This was in fact just an extra song I had with me in case something else didn’t come out so well. It was also the only song I hadn’t prepared an actual demo for. The only recording I had of it was from the evening I had just written it, simply playing into my mobile phone and scribbling down the cords so I would remember.
Also, it usually takes me days to write a song, but this is my “fastest” songs ever. I had written the lyric a few weeks earlier and they were still sitting on the piano. I literally remember starting the song and melody when my husband started dinner. I was fooling around with one of my favorite odd tunings and once my husband had the dinner ready, I just wrapped it up… and that was more or less it.
When recording it onto my mobile I hadn’t tightened my cabo properly, so some of the strings kind of rung out a bit more “aggressively” than they should. That gave me the idea for asking Scotty (Scott Smith) to give it a shut on his dobro. The way he plays it gives the song a very rustic roots feeling which I particularly love.
For the true nerds. My tuning is EGDGAE. One of my favorites. My Cabo is in 5th fret.
You will find 2 episodes (LINK)of my Video Log “Værings Værksted” from back when I was actually amidst writing it.
For Download
ENG. Full One-sheet for download
1.75 MB
DK Pressemedelse
1.74 MB
Lyric - I'm Not a Quitter
30.8 KB
This production was supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia, The Danish Arts Foundation, KODA Kultur and Dansk Solistforbund.
Photo credit : Tuala Hjarnø