Passenger reflects on “Let Her Go”: “
Where do I begin… it’s a truly life altering song. Four minutes of music that shifted my trajectory entirely. It’s so big that I think of my career in two sections – before and after ‘Let Her Go.’ People often ask me if I knew I’d written a hit straight away after writing it. The honest truth is I didn’t. I’d written so many songs up until that point that I had been excited by, but nothing had ever come of them, so by this stage I had genuinely stopped thinking in those terms.I vividly remember writing it. It was early 2011, and I was out on a regional tour of Australia playing tiny rooms to a handful of people each night. I remember walking into a venue dressing room, picking up my guitar and playing the opening riff like I’d written it years ago, like I’d played it before. Like it had always been there. I don’t think I’ve had many other moments like that.
A massive part of the song’s success is down to Ed Sheeran. If he hadn’t have taken me around the world as his opening act in the year leading up to the song blowing up, then it simply wouldn’t have happened. I owe him an awful lot – he has championed me and opened doors that were securely locked. He’s an incredibly kind and thoughtful person that somehow finds time and energy to lift others up around him even though he carries the world on his shoulders. He’s a constant inspiration and a fierce friend.
So, when it came to rerecording this song, there was only ever going to be one person that I’d want to duet on it. I’m sure some people will see this collaboration and assume that it’s for commercial opportunity and of course they’re right – it’s no bad thing to have one of the biggest stars in the world sing on one of my songs!! But like the other three collaborators on this album, there is a genuine and undeniable link that he has had to Passenger over the years and to this song in particular.
I’m grateful to ‘Let Her Go’ beyond words. Not just for its success, but for the opportunity to reach people all over the world, just for four minutes, and make some kind of small difference. What an amazing thing.”
Passenger will play special album release show at London’s Union Chapel on November 15th, along with a run of UK Record Store shows, all of which sold-out in under 24 hours.
All The Little Lights was originally recorded in Sydney at Linear Recording and produced by Chris Vallejo, who would become Mike’s longtime collaborator. The years leading up to its release were filled with personal and professional upheavals and led Mike to a path of busking across the UK and eventually Australia, where he found himself at Linear Recording. The album quietly transformed into a global phenomenon buoyed by “Let Her Go.” The smash single soared to #1 in 19 countries and reached platinum status in 11 countries, landing at #2 in the UK (5 x Platinum), #5 in the US (6 x Platinum) and scoring nineteen international #1s as it exceeded a staggering 2 billion streams, as well as another 3.5 billion views at YouTube. It stood out as the #2 most-Shazamed song of all time and #1 most Shazamed Pop Song of all time.
Over the years, Mike has delivered show stopping performances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, TODAY, and Live with Kelly and Ryan, as well as provided the soundtrack for a multitude of TV and film syncs, including the beloved “Puppy Love” Superbowl Budweiser commercial.
In the years that followed the release of ‘All The Little Lights’, Passenger has released a further nine studio albums including his first UK #1 ‘Young As The Morning, Old As The Sea’ and another four Top 10 albums. The Ivor Novello award winner has maintained a relentless work ethic and dedication to his craft, as also evidenced by countless sold-out tours around the world.
Passenger now celebrates everything before, during and after this era with All The Little Lights (Anniversary Edition).Available on CD, Deluxe 2CD and Double LP (featuring a bonus disc of Acoustic versions of the album – also featuring guests Foy Vance, Gabrielle Aplin, Nina Nesbitt, and Ed Sheeran) plus Sunrise Coloured LP and Exclusive Yellow Coloured LP – also to stream and download.
