Words: Rajan Lakhani
While 'Life Is Golden' is the first official single from Suede’s upcoming 'The Blue Hour' album, it’s actually the third song released from the record following the orchestral, Morricone-influenced 'The Invisibles' and the rockier 'Don’t Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You'.
'Life Is Golden' is typically epic and widescreen of recent Suede records, underpinned by a fantastic, melodic chorus. The lyrics are poignant and uplifting, telling a child that a part of their parent will always be with them. Being a father, your one hope is things will be better for your children than you experienced them, and this song perfectly encapsulates that, making it all the impactful to me.
The refrain of "You’re never alone" is a lovely nod to Bowie’s 'Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide', and the video filmed in Pripyat, Ukraine, a town that was quickly abandoned in 1986 after the Chernobyl disaster, works seamlessly with the track. 'Life Is Golden' not only makes it a hat-trick of excellent releases from the album, it might just be their best song since the band got back together in 2010, which bodes well for the 'The Blue Hour'.
Find more info and pre-order 'The Blue Hour' at suede.co.uk.