Consistent bluegrass hitmaker Milan Miller has a new single as we begin the holiday season, one he wrote with frequent co-writer, Beth Husband.
This one, The Sun is Setting in Barrow, carries an unusual topic for a bluegrass song, to wit, the long polar night in the upper northern hemisphere where the sun may only appear for a few minutes to an hour each day during the winter, or not at all, for weeks. For those who suffer from light deprivation, that sounds like a nightmare.
Milan says that the song is a rumination about enduring such a scenario, from people far from the actual events.
“The Sun is Setting in Barrow is a tune that Beth Husband and I wrote based around the polar night in the town of Barrow, Alaska. I’ll admit, I’d never even heard of Barrow until a photo on social media stopped me mid-scroll one evening. There was this tiny town, covered in snow and complete darkness, with a caption about the sun setting in Barrow and not returning for two months. That image definitely piqued my interest and sent me off to learn more about the town and the polar night.
The song isn’t really a story; we approached it more as a series of reflections and snapshots from someone watching the sun go down knowing they wouldn’t see it again for a long while, and pondering life through the stretch of continuous darkness at the top of the world.”
The arrangement is a simple one, letting the lyrics stand out front. Miller plays guitar and mandolin, and sings the lead, with Scott Vestal on banjo, Aubrey Haynie on fiddle, and Buddy Melton on bass. Adam Wright sang harmony vocals.
Wrap up in a blanket or light the fire, and give this one a listen.
The Sun is Setting in Barrow is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct or Get It Played.
