Check out the latest single from Sea Captain troubadours Mike and Amy Aiken. The intro’ to ‘Flew Away’ is beautifully warm and resonant, finger-picked guitar dancing gently around sustained pedal steel notes, immediately setting the haunting tone and atmosphere for the rest of the song. When Mike Aiken and Chris P James wrote the song, they were reflecting on the recent passing of their fathers, discussing their legacies and what had been learned from them. Then, the death of David Crosby, a huge influence on their writing, sparked the creation of ‘Flew Away’. Central to the song’s theme is the lifetime of sailing across vast oceans that Mike’s father inspired on a wooden sailboat in Mike’s younger days: “A wooden ship out on the water // Passed by today // Came for my father // Spread her sails and flew away.” The sensitive lyrics go on to ruminate on life and death, offering a heartfelt and profound response to grief and loss. Throughout the song, the complementary blend of Mike and Amy’s voices is perfectly balanced.
Directed and put together by Paul Steward, the accompanying music video is as atmospheric as the song itself. Artfully incorporating Amy and Mike performing with other images that reinforce the song’s themes, the visual is very effective, showing the difference a well-conceived and produced video can make.
Mike Aiken says of the songwriting process: “In the studio, we opted for a sound different to my typical instrumentation to keep in line with the writing process featuring guitar and piano. I recorded a lot of ideas, several instruments, vocals, and pared it down to what truly served the song. I wanted three distinct voices. Of course, mine and Amy’s and I brought in Tim Buppert as the third. Tim has sung on much of my music, and I knew the song would resonate with him. Writing and producing ‘Flew Away’ has been a very personal, sometimes difficult, and close to the bone song for me. It is about the end of life and the dying process of my father. It took a good two years after he passed before I could step back with some objectivity and write. In that time, I started to better understand the life lessons he tried to pass down to me and the freedom he encouraged me to run with and chase my dreams. This was not a song that dropped out of the air in 20 minutes. It was a lifetime of lessons. During the process I started thinking of what I was trying to pass on to my daughter and what she is trying to pass on to her children. It’s not an easy task.” At its heart, ‘Flew Away’ is simply about the profound impact of saying goodbye to a loved one and, while this was very persoanl for Mike, it’s a subject that’s universally accessible and meaningful to anyone who has ever felt such loss and grief.
Mike and Amy Aiken’s life and love story is a fascinating one in itself. Aboard their boat, they travel the oceans, writing, recording and performing across the world. They’ve covered more than 30,000 miles across the world’s seas, creating seven albums along the way. Perhaps this seafarng lifestyle is the secret to fine song-craft, beautiful words and messages, and gorgeous vocal harmonies. Absorb ‘Flew Away’ and take a moment of quiet reflection, imagining that wooden boat on the waves.
Beautiful song just like you two