“Where did your long hair go? Where is the girl I used to know? How could you lose that happy glow? Oh, Caroline, no,” sings Brian Wilson on The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds classic. But Esme Patterson, founding member of the charismatic folk troupe Paper Bird, seeks to flip the perspective on Caroline and other women featured in classics with her forthcoming solo EP, Woman To Woman, by putting them behind the mic.
Patterson explains, “I was sitting in a hotel room in Spearfish, South Dakota learning to play a Townes Van Zandt tune called ‘Loretta’, as I was singing the words, I got angrier, thinking how one-sided and subjective a lot of ‘love songs’ are, and how a lot of women immortalized in songs might tell a different side of the story if anyone ever asked. They are archetypes from famous songs, frozen forever in black and white, and I have tried my best to add some color and give them humanity.”
“I cut off my long hair, turned the glow inside. All that lives must die. You’re crying for what you can’t keep. And no one knows why but me,” sings Patterson on “The Glow” — Caroline grew up, Mr. Wilson. Besides the incredible concept, the captivating track also showcases both her vocal and songwriting prowess. “I am constantly aware of being in a very male-dominated industry. You’d be surprised how often people ask, ‘so who writes your songs for you?’” Patterson says. “I don’t necessarily have a soap box that I’m standing on with this album. The idea is more to start a conversation and to open up a dialog on how we view and express female archetypes in popular music.” Also included in the lineup are Jolene (Dolly Parton), Alison (Elvis Costello), Loretta (Townes Van Zandt), Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles), Evangeline (The Band), and Irene (Leadbelly).
Besides her work with Paper Bird, Esme Patterson has worked as back-up singer for Anais Mitchell and Tennis and collaborated with artists like Shakey Graves and Nathaniel Rateliff. Woman To Woman is her second solo recording to be released April 15. Listen to the premiere of “The Glow” above.