Myles Goodwyn’s new single is his statement on children who didn’t return from Residential School
Multi-platinum selling Hall of Fame producer, songwriter, and artist Myles Goodwyn relays a somber statement on the Residential School system with his new song “Some Of These Children (They Never Grew Up).”
“It’s a personal response by Jim Henman and I to the recent finding of unmarked graves of Indigenous children in Canada,” Myles said of his long-time collaborator, with whom he also started the iconic rock band, April Wine in 1969. “We felt like making a statement regarding the discovery of these graves, and this song is that statement.”
“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,’” he said.
“I have felt her pain as more and more bodies of these… children are discovered.”
“Some Of These Children (They Never Grew Up)” follows Myles’ 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 Myles’ forthcoming recording project, Long Pants; a collection of his most personal songs to date. The new full-length is set to dive deep into the musician’s extensive and previously unreleased archives, with one song’s origins even dating back 40 years.
“The ‘oldest’ new song on the album, ‘Forever Amber,’ was written four decades ago,” he said. “I wrote it for my daughter, Amber, on the very night she was born.
“Long Pants will also feature a song I’ve written for each of my three children,” he continued. “‘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 Myles’ 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,” with his lifetime partner, Kim, as its muse, and “Right Myself,” co-written with multi-award winning singer-songwriter, and member of The Order of Canada, Lennie Gallant.
Also among the 12 tracks are “I Leave Today,” a stirring song about euthanasia, inspired by Dan Hill’s mom’s choice to use the option at the age of 90, and “Darling Where Are You,” a deeply poignant work expressing concern and compassion for missing Indigenous women.
Teeming with Myles’ 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, Myles 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.
His self-penned memoir, Just Between You and Me, hit the 2018 Globe and Mail bestseller list. It details the deeply personal tale of his upbringing — from a home in rural Nova Scotia to the later years as the lead singer of Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees April Wine.
“Some Of These Children (They Never Grew Up)” is available now.
