I had the song’s title for quite a while before I started writing the initial lyrics. “Lavender Sky” is my own personal way to describe the absolutely magnificent display of variations in the purple and pink sky I was blessed to witness every single evening while living in Tangier. That sky was somehow reflecting an invitation to release my father by accepting his death and finally being able to mourn him, to make peace with whatever I have experienced in the past and admit to myself that no matter how complex of a lie I could believe, I’d never be able to move on with my life until I finally acknowledged the profound sadness I fed my existence and my loved ones with. That was the lyrical starting point of the song; acceptance.
But soon after starting the production, the initial lyrics sounded distant. It wasn’t the emotions in themselves that were off, but a certain fatigue in the way I was approaching what they truly meant to me. So I decided to put the song aside for a while. I didn’t want to force words and production ambitions to it, even though I particularly liked the original lyrics. But I’d rather have an instrumental song or cut it off the record than know I turned it into a “Let’s find a nice way to fit those nice words into that nice song” kind of writing session.
It’s only weeks later while preparing the tracks for the final mix that I started rewriting the lyrics based on a more dynamic approach. Instead of insisting on the words, I focused on their meaning and intention and ended up recording the vocal track less than an hour after. That new spark would be my admission of fear and everything we do to cover its implications. I then focused on a larger perspective, in the sensation of being rootless individuals, no matter what we do or whatever we may put our faith in… “From a stranger to another”… That became the heart of the song, and from those very simple words, I was able to feel rather than thoughtfully process every single word.
Therefore, the lyrics for “Lavender Sky” became a motion. From the trigger being pulled, a life that keeps on going faster and faster as the unknown measure of time we have keeps on going backward in what looks like an even faster pace, we embrace science, religion, power, control or whatever we may use to defy our fear of the unknown… The most resolute of all denials or the most sincere prayer prevails on nights for catching up on days and seasons to keep on turning against each other’s nature. But acceptance ain’t about being defeated, nor is truth something to be trusted.
In retrospect, it may sound like quite a pessimistic song, a bleak way to look at the world, a violent admission of faithlessness… But while honesty doesn’t know cynicism and bitterness, I see “Lavender Sky” as the acceptance of things we don’t know and can’t control, as much as an admittance of our own fear is what makes us who we are and keeps us as human as the sky we keep longing for… From a stranger to another.
– Alex
“Lavender Sky” is the third international single off “Windows in the Sky”, the first solo album by Alex Henry Foster, Your Favorite Enemies’ lead singer.
