Track 07
Long Haul
Song summary
Long Haul is a rock song by Phoenix and the Angel from the album Places that I Remember. The song is about endurance, long journeys and the emotional and physical experience of sustained travel or life transitions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this song about?
It is about endurance, long journeys and the emotional and physical experience of sustained travel or life transitions.
Which album is this song from?
This song appears on Places that I Remember, the debut album by Phoenix and the Angel.
Who wrote this song?
This song was written as part of the Phoenix and the Angel project led by Guy Phoenix.
The album's epic centrepiece depicting long-haul air travel. An atmospheric, minimalist slow rock song about the suspended, lonely feeling of long-haul air travel. Here's Guy Phoenix:
Having flown more long-haul flights than I can remember, this song rightfully has a place on 'Places I Remember'. One year in my early 30s I calculated that I had spent the equivalent of 2 weeks on planes during that year.
With this song, I'm trying to capture the contradictions of air travel. Initial excitement, quickly tempered by airport environments and the cattle-like treatment people receive within them. Then once on the plane, there is again some excitement, which can be tempered by the environment – seats, cabin staff, full flights and so on.
Finally, on a long-haul flight, there is the contradiction again – free from earthly bounds (and problems!) and able to think freely – tempered by the ennui and boredom of a long flight.