Track 01
Places that I Remember
Song summary
Places that I Remember is the title track from the debut Phoenix and the Angel album. The song reflects on places, people and music that shaped Guy Phoenix's life and ties together the wider story of the album.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this song about?
It reflects on places, people and music that shaped Guy Phoenix's life and ties together the wider story of the album.
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.
This song ties together the whole album because it is about places, people and ultimately music.
The interesting thing about this song is that it was never supposed to be written! Here's Guy Phoenix:
The original concept for the Album of Places that I Remember started with a poster on the wall of my guitar studio at home. It was a poster of the lyrics to the Beatles classic 'In My Life', which starts 'There are places I remember...'. So, all along I had in mind that the 'title track' for the Album would be a cover version of 'In My Life'.
That was around March 2025, after I had written 'When the Light Goes Out'. So, I carried on writing the songs for the album. Then, in September 2025, about a month before I was due to fly to Nashville to record the Album (with 9 songs ready to go), I was messing around on my guitar and came up with a simple arpeggiating riff in E Minor. From that, I developed a chord progression, and from that, the lyrics flowed.
So the creative process was actually quite different to most of the songs on the Album, and in many ways I'm kind of more proud of it for that reason. I was a bit concerned that some of the lyrics were a bit twee, but the Band did a great job in giving it the kind of Noel Gallagher High Flying Birds feel, and I'm delighted with the final version. It's pretty non-standard, just 3 verses with the same pre-chorus and chorus.
This was the first song we recorded in the studio, and a few of the band members remarked that they really liked it. That was a massive confidence boost to me for the rest of the sessions.
To be honest, I had always had doubts about doing a Beatles cover version (I wouldn't want to get into any legal trouble with them!) and as Casey (Casey Wood – producer) said to me, 'the world's got enough Beatles' cover versions, Guy'.
Places that I Remember – People that I Remember – Music that I Remember. A story arc for my life, really.