Eastbourne's critically acclaimed songstress CATHY BURTON talks us through the tracks on her hot new album 'Speed Your Love'

"La La Love"
The opening track, this song was
written as a light hearted reflection on the dreaminess of falling in
love, or at least thinking that you have! I wrote it after bumping
into a famous superstar. I was just getting his autograph like
everyone else, but managed to make a complete fool of myself by
falling over. Anyway, it's every girl's dream to be noticed by a film
star or rock star. I think I managed it, although not in the most
dignified of ways! So this sparked a song about that sort of thing!
"Love Without A Trace"
This is a song I wrote
with Mark Kerr. He's the brother of Jim Kerr, from Simple Minds. So it
was an exciting write for me, even before I got there. When you write
with someone else I think it's difficult to really write from
experience unless it's on common ground. This was again on the subject
of falling in love. We chatted about what that feels like. I
remembered when I was 17; I'd just got engaged to Paul, who would
visit me in Devon. I used to go back to college after spending time
with him at the weekend. I was lodging at the time and on my own quite
a lot and would often be convinced of seeing him sitting in the
lounge. Hence the whole "I can see you" theme..he's there, yet,
without a trace!
"Speed Your Love"
I wrote this on New Year's
Day 2003. I distinctly remember sitting down at my piano and the song
came pouring out of my fingers and mouth. I didn't really know what it
was all about at first. When it hit the chorus though it was very
clear. There had been a very sudden bereavement in our church
community and I'd had no real way of expressing my grief. It's a song,
almost a prayer for the family that this lovely man left behind.
Asking God to speed his love and fill in the huge void that had been
left in this family unit by such an incredible person.
"Home"
This song is as literal as it gets. It's
a raw reflection on a situation that is ongoing. A few years ago a
good friend of mine decided to walk out on his whole life including
his wife, friends and business. It's all quite complicated. I still
love him and I still miss him and it's a song about that. Some people
have compared it to the prodigal son story, which on reflection it
does have similarities. I wasn't intentionally trying to write about
that or be that clever though. The feelings I have are still pretty
raw about this one and it's always a challenge to sing at a gig. I
think the album version captures everything I feel in the outro.
"Down The Road"
The expression "down the road"
has its own special meaning to me. I started to write this song on the
day that I launched my album 'Burn Out'; sadly, my friend's Dad died.
It was expected, but it felt so strange that someone I knew so close
could just lose their father. It got me thinking about the whole death
thing and I remembered how my Grandfather used to handle it. He'd just
say, "Get on with you, I'm off down the road." It's like he knew. He
was referring to the local cemetery which was literally down the road!
I never really knew what my Grandfather believed, but it's my personal
belief that when I die, I'll have eternal life through Jesus. The
bridge section of the song is my reflection on the road that is
eternity; there are miles and miles of it. When we die it's just the
start of it. I'm hoping that I'll see him again down that road.

"Falling"
This song was a long time in writing.
I had all the verses and the words "stars feel like they are falling
down," but no real chorus to speak of. I wrote it in the middle of the
night whilst at a festival. I'd been literally lying on the floor
looking at the stars asking God why did he sometimes feel so far away,
like the stars, but at the same time, when you look up at the stars
they feel like they could fall on top of you and pop you on the head
(you have to look for a long time to get that sensation!). It was an
inspired Ricky Ross collaboration that brought this song into its
fullness. The final verse was written later, when I experienced a
moment that I wanted to last for ever, and not really knowing how I
would cope after that moment would pass.
"Right Now"
This song was written with Kevin
Hunter. It was just at the end of a summer. I'd been doing loads of
gigs and my drummer and good friend Paul, on the way back from a gig,
had a car crash. It's what you dread, doing what we do with gigging
and stuff. You are often driving round the roads of the UK well beyond
1 am. The next day his Dad called me and said, "Paul's been in a car
crash. (huge pause)... but he's fine"! It just took those split
seconds for my world to flip out. I thought the worst. When I came to
write the song later that day I couldn't escape the feeling that what
might have happened - would I have said everything I'd wanted to him?
Would I have ended on a good note with him? etc. This song
encapsulates the mentality of just ceasing the day and being good to
each other.
"Someday"
This is a song that reflects on the
massive gap between the rich and poor. I struggle with the wealth that
we have in this country when you just have to turn on the television
and see the poverty and suffering in the other 2/3's of the world. I
find it so easy to be compassionate about these things, when I can be
bothered and when it is brought to my attention in my selfish and
wealthy existence. I wish I was someone who could be aware of that all
of the time. I consciously try hard to be thankful for all the stuff I
have, like food, water, clothes, house, career path and all those
things. But there's something in me that wants to be more effective
with the world's problems. I know you can only do what you can do as
an individual. This song is a challenge to myself to be striving to do
that and not to be complacent in my cosy comfort zone. I don't want to
be drawn into a lulled contentment that then means I don't reach out
to others.
"Leave Me With You"
Since the age of 17 it
feels like my world has been in two places. When I met my husband
Paul, I lived in Devon and he was in Eastbourne - opposite ends of the
country. Life consisted of endless train journeys in order to see each
other. Now I live in West Sussex and my family live in Devon. Again
it's now all about endless car journeys! This song just says it how it
is, it reflects on my hours on the trains, the way my thoughts used to
run away into the imagination world of what it would be like when I
got to my destination. Mainly though it's about falling in love and
staying in love and wanting to be with the ones you love, even when
you have to go away.
"Hold Your Hand"
It seems to me that when you
are in your 20s a lot of people go travelling. A couple of friends of
mine decided to do just that almost 18 months ago now. Life was very
hectic at the time. I was on a tour and basically they left. My friend
rang me just before I went on stage. Although I hadn't seen much of
them, I felt devastated when I realised I wasn't going to see them for
over two years. Telephones are fantastic, but are no substitute for a
face to face farewell. So that was the main inspiration of the song,
then sadly around the same time I had a couple of bereavements and the
last section of the song is about wanting just that extra bit of time,
that you know you can't have. It's a verse to pay tribute to those who
are very special to me.
Thanks for that- really understand the album a lot more now. I really enjoy listening to it.