Di Leva (Sweden) – Fire of Love (single/track from forthcoming album)
Di Leva has spent the last six months touring his consistently sold-out David Bowie tribute show around Sweden following on from his amazing cover of Bowie’s ‘Heroes’, which was released on the occasion of his 75th birthday last year (and reviewed by NMC).
(And he ain’t finished yet, no sir. The Bowie tribute show, ‘Changes’ returns by popular demand this spring with a further twenty concert dates. No ch-ch-ch-changes there, then.
After that series of shows came his own song ‘Free Freedom’, which is taken from his forthcoming album, the first for a decade, called ‘The Hybrids.’ That was followed by ‘The Arrival of the Hybrids’, a track and trailer for the album and the atmospheric track quickly became one of Di Leva’s most streamed on Spotify.
’Fire of Love’ is the last single from the album and the message is about always focusing on what is really important in life rather than on little things which are disproportionate and distracting. His mantra is to ‘follow the heart’ rather than follow the money or follow the science.
Of course, some will point out that many people have been burned by the fire of love. Or as Fiona Apple once immortally put it in ‘Shadowboxer’, “So I’ll be sure to stay wary of you, love, to save the pain of once my flame and twice my burn.” But, like Icarus you have to fly close to the sun if you want to get to heaven.
I can’t think of many artists who are as philanthropic as Di Leva and I wish there were a few more like him as an alternative to the non-stop whingeing about how ‘life just isn’t fair and I’m going to cwy’. We know it isn’t.
Some people will regard Di Leva as a veteran of the industry now; he’s been part of it for a long time. And with that experience comes the knowledge of how to write a song that everyone can appreciate.
There’s nothing elaborate about it; no fancy arpeggios, chord progressions or guitar solos. Just a good solid melody line with a couple of decent hooks thrown in along the way (and a nice little homage to The Police’s ‘Every Breath you take’ in the opening bars), and a big chorus, which builds towards an even bigger one at the end.
It’s the same with the lyrics, a plain simple statement that anyone can relate to and read their own situation into, and no attempt to challenge Shakespeare for floridity.
“We got to stop living in fear/Wasting our lives/Wasting our time/Running scared
This is the point of no return/We got to hold the line/Be true to yourself/All the way
Keep on running/Towards the fire/Towards the fire/The fire of love”.
(And I love the little Bowie reference, “just stand up like the rebel you are.”)
It’s a lesson, a master class, in how to write a song. And all done in the optimum three minutes and 30 seconds. Aspiring young musicians listen up!
And one that is guaranteed to get you in the feels.
‘Fire of Love’ was released on January 20th.
‘The Hybrids’ will be released on February 17th.
The cover is drawn by Di Leva’s youngest son Telo, who gave it to Thomas on Father’s Day.
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