Behind the Songs: Evergreen

Paul Garisto: "Stoked that this track is now out there. I wrote the music in my basement...grateful it didn't fade away there. I hope you enjoy it!" (Facebook 2021)

Richard Butler: "'Evergreen' is something that we did while we were putting together Made Of Rain. It's a song about memory and the passing of time." (Official press statement, 2021)

Interviewer: "'I was dirt / And I'll be dirt again.' Do I have that right?"

Tim Butler: [Laughs] "We all go back to dirt!"

Interviewer: "Is there anything that has you guys thinking about your own mortality these days?"

Tim Butler: "Well, COVID! [Laughs] That has us thinking of our mortality. It doesn't have any favorites as far as who it affects or who it kills. It's a very scary time. Richard wrote the lyrics before COVID came along. So he was probably thinking about that 'everyday' mortality. But it still all fits nicely with the mood of society at the moment." (PopMatters 2021)

Interviewer: "Jumping back to the new song 'Evergreen', is there a reason it didn't make [on to Made Of Rain]?"

Tim Butler: "We had other songs that we recorded the basics of. I think we recorded 14 songs, and at the end of it, you decide which 12 were going to go on the album. Not to say it's not a good song. We just preferred the 12 we picked – no real reason why it was cast off. At the time, we decided on the 12 that are on the album. We always figured we would put ['Evergreen'] out at some other time or maybe on the next album or whatever." (PopMatters 2021)

Tim Butler: "['Evergreen'] keeps the album [Made Of Rain] and band in people's minds. To bring the fact that there is a new album out there and bring it to the front again. It has been a year since it came out and in this world of social media people's attention spans are not great so it reminds everyone there is a new album out." (Spill Magazine 2021)

My Thoughts on Evergreen: The Brand New Song

Two days ago The Psychedelic Furs posted on their social media that they were going to announce something important on September 1st, and I got excited and wondered what it would be. Well, today's the big day and The Furs revealed a new song! It is called "Evergreen" and the music was written by former drummer Paul Garisto (with lyrics by Richard Butler). I am currently listening to this song over and over as I write this and... Wow. It is absolutely awesome!! There are three things that entered my mind about the song; the first is that Rich Good's guitar work on "Evergreen" is just beautiful. He's such an incredible guitarist and the way he plays on this song really leaves me in awe, it gives me chills. The second thing is, once again, Richard Butler's vocals are fantastic! I can't believe his vocals sound so good. And the third thing is that Paul Garisto is an amazing composer. On Made Of Rain he composed the songs "Ash Wednesday" and "Turn Your Back On Me" (and also "Don't Believe" along with Tim Butler and Rich Good) and they are brilliant. Paul did a great job writing the music for those songs and "Evergreen". Another thing I want to say about "Evergreen" is that I really, really love the choruses. When The Psychedelic Furs go out on tour this month I wonder if they will play this song.

With me the only little downside is that "Evergreen" is only available as a digital download, and I hope with all my heart that this song will appear on The Furs' upcoming new album in the future. It would be cool if that happens.

This is a great way to start the month of September and thank you to The Psychedelic Furs for this wonderful song. You all did a fantastic job with it!

Update: I heard that "Evergreen" was recorded during the Made Of Rain sessions, so that means Paul Garisto was still in The Furs while the recording happened.