The nature of country music… true country music… is storytelling. Pulling at the strings of our history and hearts with tales of the little moments that make up life. Sam Palladio does this beautifully while telling the story in word and song of his grandfather’s first love during World War 2.
Acclaimed musician and actor Sam Palladio has released the video for his new single ‘Wake Me Up In Nashville’, taken from his recently released debut album The Perfect Summer’s Day, Before We Lost The Light.
The delicate acoustic ballad honours Sam’s late grandfather which he has written to detail a heartfelt love story the decorated World War II bomber pilot experienced while based in America for training. Watch Sam’s grandfather Owen Scott describe his time as a wartime pilot for the RAF Benevolent Fund here.
Sam explains, “‘Wake Me Up In Nashville’ was the first song I wrote after moving to Nashville to shoot the TV show ‘Nashville’. It’s a song that I’m really proud of as it honours my late grandfather Owen Scott who was a famed Lancaster bomber pilot in World War II. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in over 30 missions throughout the war.
“The inspiration for the song came from his real-life wartime romance with a girl from Nashville. He met her while training in Pensacola, Florida and had started a romance until being sent back to England. He was put on a train that travelled across America, and on discovering he would be stopping in Nashville, managed to get a letter to her to say he would “meet her on the platform” at Union Station in Nashville to say their farewells.
“The story goes that he tipped the train conductor to wake him up in Nashville as the train would be passing through early in the morning. Unfortunately, he was never awoken and never got to say goodbye to the girlfriend who had been waiting for him on the platform.
“It’s a story that has captivated fans for all the years I’ve been playing this song live and to finally put it out on my debut record feels very special. I was able to record him telling the story before he passed in 2018 and made his voice the intro to the song, making it all the more personal and special. Living in Nashville and being surrounded by a community of songwriters where storytelling is at the heart of the craft, inspired me to follow that path and put my grandfather’s story to music.”
WATCH ‘WAKE ME UP IN NASHVILLE’ HERE
Sam’s debut album The Perfect Summer’s Day, Before We Lost The Light speaks to the trans-Atlantic star’s lifelong experience in and around music, his deep immersion in Nashville and heartland Americana, while also retaining his obsessive fandom for rock and guitar music. It also addresses very personal and life changing moments, prompting a diverse record of moving emotions, textures and sounds.
The Perfect Summer’s Day, Before We Lost The Light was born in Nashville, with some judicious nods back to the UK and finished in Los Angeles in the iconic “Prince Room” of the legendary Sunset Sound studios with Grammy-winning producer Dave Sardy (Noel Gallagher, Band Of Horses, Royal Blood).
Sam is also joined by collaborators on the record including Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil on the laid-back anthem ‘Spill Your Heart’, which the pair performed together at Glasgow’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut on Sam’s UK headline tour last month, while Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett lays down scorching riffs and soloing on the rollicking barroom anthem ‘Tennessee’. Chris also joined Sam onstage recently where the pair performed the single together at London’s 100 Club.
Sam has two Nashville Reunion tour shows in America this month where he will play the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta on November 22nd and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville the following day. He has more live shows and onscreen roles to be announced soon.