‘Take Me Away’ is the latest single from ‘Reckless’, Morgan Wade’s acclaimed album, which has been Radio 2’s Album of the Week and Rolling Stone Country’s No. 1 Album of 2021. In her distinctive, vulnerable vocal, Wade delivers beautifully melodic and emotive lines: “Show my angry heart what I’ve been missing // Baby, take me away // I’m so tired of being alone // Won’t you rest my angry bones?” We listeners are immediately drawn into the direct lyrics about the need to break free from overwhelming feelings and uncertainty. The instrumentation is warm and layered and Wade displays outstanding songcraft.
Filmed in an abandoned building in Watertown, Tennessee, the minimalist video focusing largely on Wade, close up and singing to the camera. Film-maker David McClister succeeds in creating an intimate, almost claustrophobic portrayal of someone stuck in an emotionally dark place. Towards the end of the video, there’s a powerfully symbolic moment when Wade smashes through a window to make a dramatic escape from the bleak confines of the house in which she is trapped.
Of the video, she says: “Making videos, especially ones that aren’t so literal, gives people other tastes and flavours – and room for their own story. It pulls them into the music, both the song and what this whole album is, because the pieces together show you all the ways someone can be broken down, can desire, can engage… that’s a bigger truth than any one song. But in the end, she saves herself. I love that this video shows that paralysed place, the sadness that is overwhelming. But then after trying the door, she picks up a chair and busts out a window. She knows she needs to escape – and does it by any means necessary. Any means! And when she steps through the window, and into the day, you can feel the relief and how beautiful the springtime is. It’s an instant blast of better – which is the whole point, really.” The tone of the video is just right for this soulful song.
Look out for UK tour dates for the Virginia songwriter in June. In the meantime, check this out.
