Weekly Obsession: Parachute!
The first time I saw Parachute live was in 2012 at Union Transfer in Philadelphia. It was a co-headlining summer tour with The Cab and needless to say, I was pretty excited. Recently, Parachute announced the release of a new song and the pre-order for their fourth album. In honor of that, I am bringing you my 10 favorite Parachute songs. The problem is, I needed some help so I wouldn’t forget any. Therefore, I have called in the help of my Internet-friend and Parachute expert… Chelsea Dunn! We’ve put together this list of 10 of the BEST Parachute songs and are going to share them with you now. (These are in no specific order.)
1. Ghost
This song, co-written by Nate McFarland, sounds kind of stalker-ish at first. I’m not going to lie. This song is about the moments when who you love is on your mind. It’s a great intro to the band. Will Anderson’s unique vocals with some great guitar and a fun beat is a recipe for success. This song will have you tapping your foot the whole time.
2. She Is Love
Songs are always open for interpretation. I don’t really know if this song is necessarily focusing on a person as much as on a feeling – the emotions you go through when you find someone that you care about so purely that nothing else matters. This is just a beautiful song and as an extreme lover of acoustic music, this song is my jam.
3. The Mess I Made
I love songs that teach life lessons and this song has the perfect one. Live it up. Seize the day. Life it too short to not follow your heart. See the person you just called cute? Go over and introduce yourself. Get their phone number. Ask them out. There is no harm in trying and who knows, you could end up meeting your soulmate. When I think of Parachute, this is one of the first songs that comes to my mind because I think it so true to who they are. It’s somewhat slow but really powerful. It’s a great sing-a-long song and it’s a song that everyone can relate to.
4. Philadelphia
Who is surprised this song is on my list? Let’s be honest. Another thing that I love about this band’s music is their ability to tell stories through their songs. This is the finale of their Sophomore album, “The Way It Was,” and a great closing selection. This song is very John Mayer-esque. Although at times, the lyrics might seem a little hard to follow, I still think it is one of their best songs. I’m not going to lie to you, I cried. I’ve cried to this song a few times.
5. Kiss Me Slowly
This is a more popular Parachute song, having been released as a single as well as an album track. Once again a really fun sing-a-long song. It’s a song I’m sure most people are dying to hear their significant others sing to them. When I tweeted I was going to write this and was looking for some Parachute songs, my friend tweeted “Kiss Me Slowly,” about 5 times and I had 3 DM’s with this on the list. I think it’s a safe bet to consider this a fan favorite.
6. Forever And Always
I cry. Every single time. I tell myself that I won’t cry and I do and it’s bad. My friends laugh at me but this is one of those songs where I can’t help it. This song is the story of a relationship which ends too short and is beautifully written. It’s not easy to take a sad song and write it in a way that people want to hear it but they achieved that with this one. It’s not overly sad. It’s not written completely in minor chords. 10/10.
7. What I Know
Once again, a song most people can relate to. This song is about rejection and feeling like you’ve been abandoned. The person you care for cares for someone else and that’s all you need to know. But at the same time, as bad as this feeling is and how much this sucks, it’s a fun song. It’s a really great song to play when you want to just get into your car and drive to wherever. It has gang vocals for your friends and a choir for your more vocally-talented friends. It never fails to make me smile.
8. Something To Believe In
I love this song so much. This was the leading single for “The Way It Was,” and did exactly what lead singles should do. I was excited to hear the rest of the album. This was produced and written fantastically and matched Anderson’s vocals with an entire choir. This song could be taken a few ways. I take it as your path to faith and the journey to find that. It’s fun and different. I love the acoustic guitar / keyboard driven songs as much as the next person but this was something that I hadn’t really heard a lot of from them before and it is perfect. Yes, I pretend I am the woman singing at the end and that I can hit all of those notes.
9. Disappear
We’re back to acoustic. In case you’re new to this… I love acoustic songs. It’s a medium pace and Anderson’s vocals really shine. He is able to convey so much without going crazy with vibrato or doing intense runs. It sounds so pure and clear. It really showcases his range and I consider it one of his best vocal performances on “Overnight.” I haven’t had the chance to see them play this song live yet, but I can almost guarantee I would love it. It seems like it would be very intimate and quiet and just a moment to kind of soak in everything.
10. Without You
This is the newest release and I love it. It’s so fun and happy and so genuinely… Parachute. It has that Gospel twist on it that I had mentioned a few times before. It’s the love song at the end of a cheesy romantic comedy where everyone from the town would start a flash mob lead by the leading man. Sing it to your friends, your significant other, your dog – anyone. Just make sure they know what they mean to you. This will be played at wedding receptions across the country in a matter of weeks. This is a great teaser of “Wide Awake,” and I am counting down the days!
There you have it! Did I miss one? Do you have any particularly strong feelings about Parachute? Special thanks to Chelsea for helping me out and make sure you share, comment, and like this post to let me know what you think!
♥
