Why This song?
For a while now, I’ve been wanting to do a Song Guide on a Lewis Capaldi song. I first heard “Grace” on Grey’s Anatomy and I was struck by its rhythmical melody and simple, powerful hook. Next thing I knew, Capaldi had a radio hit and Grammy nomination for “Someone You Loved,” a piano/vocal song with a lyric that evokes the Titanic of relationship disasters. Capaldi’s current single, “Before You Go,” is well on its way to a billion listens on Spotify. So I start wondering who is this guy?
Well, it turns out, Lewis Capaldi the artist currently consists of himself and a production/songwriting team called TMS (Tommy Barnes, Benjamin Kohn, and Peter Kelleher). You can find out more about their collaboration in this interview.
Their cowrite with Capaldi,”Before You Go,” seems an unlikely hit in these days of unrelenting dance beats. Its dark, confessional Singer-Songwriter lyric and huge, emotional chorus, set it apart from most commercial radio hits. So I want to take a deeper look to find out what makes it work.