Award-winning Scottish singer Megan Black is back with her latest single, Clementine.
Fusing the classic sounds of 60s/70s rock with themes of closeted queer love, Black has crafted a track that’s both clear in its influence and something completely of its own.
With grungy guitar hooks reminiscent of a classic Stones single (or dare I say it – echoes of Harry Styles’ Kiwi) and a tight combo of drums and bass, Clementine manages to capture the angst of being closeted whilst having the sort of wide-ranging sound whose appeal spans age, gender and taste.
In the second verse, Black sings: “Next she wants me to meet her mother / But we eat out, we don’t dine / I’ll run from it ‘cause that’s all I’ve got, babe / Loving her feels like a crime”. Lyrically, the track manages to marry the seriousness of growing up queer in small towns with joking sexual innuendo.
Her vocals are captivating. There’s a certain edge she manages to muster up to compliment the track, despite having the skill and control of a singer who has been classically trained.
Time and again Black has proven herself as one to watch, given her contributions to soundtracks for the likes of Miriam Margolyes and sold-out shows, and Clementine proves that this praise is more than warranted.
Black said of the song: “I grew up in a small town in Scotland and was afraid to come out. This song is about an alternate reality where I never came out and married a man instead (terrifying, I know).
“I wanted to find a name that was perfect for this song and decided to go with Clementine as it’s the name of my first car – a little white Peugeot with a black bumper.
“I wrote the lyric ‘Clementine, you’ve got my desire. Clementine, a woman on fire’ and two weeks later, Clementine exploded.
“You best believe there is witchcraft in this song.”