The Whitmore Sisters “Learn To Fly” – not all metaphor

You’ll recognise half of The Whitmore Sisters from The Mastersons and also Steve Earle and the Dukes (and Duchesses) – that’s Eleanor, but her sister Bonnie also has a number (and that number is four) albums to her name.  ‘Learn to Fly‘ though is taken from the duo’s debut release ‘Ghost Stories‘, here the ghosts are images from the past that can bubble up and suddenly become part of the present.  Take ‘Learn to Fly‘ – it could be a metaphor for trying new things, it could mirror Neil Young’s ‘Flying on the Ground is Wrong‘ but actually it’s also about flying.  Learning to fly in particular – as the sisters explained: “You see things from a different perspective,” Bonnie said, whilst Eleanor added, “I was practically born in an airplane! In our family, you fly a plane, you sing and you play an instrument. You just do.  My Dad was an airline pilot, so it’s not just a means of transportation to us.” 

About Jonathan Aird 2891 Articles
Sure, I could climb high in a tree, or go to Skye on my holiday. I could be happy. All I really want is the excitement of first hearing The Byrds, the amazement of decades of Dylan's music, or the thrill of seeing a band like The Long Ryders live. That's not much to ask, is it?
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