It’s less than a month until Kelleigh Bennen releases her highly anticipated debut album Favorite Colors. The album will be out October 11, until then, Bannen has been dropping songs off the album to give fans a taste of what’s to come.
Fans are familiar with three (of the 14) previously released tracks, when they came out last year in the form of the EP The Joneses. Ahead of the release, Bannen has also released songs “Deluxe” “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Faith In You” accompanied by music videos. Her new release, “Diamonds” appears to be the final song to be released ahead of the album’s debut. Bannen has previously shared that she shot 4 music videos in one week, this summer.
LISTEN TO “DIAMONDS” BY KELLEIGH BANNEN
Billboard previously debuted “Diamonds” and was told about the inspiration for the song, which was inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s over the top performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Bannen explains how she came up with the line “diamonds are the way I get stoned” and the song grew from there.
“It got me thinking about ways I could rewrite that idea: An ode to diamonds, but somehow make it about more than just the stone itself. We spent the day just trying to figure out how to make [‘Diamonds’] both about the bling, but also about the kind of love that makes you wanna put a ring on it.
I started playing the song out around town, and it was so fun for me to perform, it became an early favorite when we started narrowing down songs for the album. It’s probably my favorite song to sing from the album, and I love how the track turned out. It feels kind of vintage and modern at the same time.”
It appears that Bannen may have also found inspiration from a Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” as she sings “Ain’t no temporary high/Talking way up like Lucy in the sky/Sparkle like a disco ball on the ceiling kinda feeling/Half a karat is enough but/If you really wanna see me buzzed/You can keep mixed up drinks/And your rolled up smoke/Cause diamonds are the way I get stoned.”
“Diamonds” showcases Bannen’s soulful voice without being overpowered by the rest of the production. It’s a love song about a long lasting love and not wanting something temporary but something meaningful and permanent. She doesn’t need other ways to feel good, because she has that love that lifts you up and makes you feel like you’re on cloud nine. Diamonds here are just a reference to that feeling. Although they are very shiny and pretty to look at, Bannen uses them as a metaphor for the love and commitment they represent. #MarriageGoals.
Favorite Colors Tracklist
- “Damn, I Still Love You” (Kelleigh Bannen, Will Bowen, Scott Stepakoff)
- “Deluxe” (Bannen and Danielle Blakey)
- “Boys Don’t Cry” (Bannen, Todd Clark, Jason Saenz)
- “Diamonds” (Bannen, Stepakoff)
- “Your Favorite Colors” (Bannen, Bowen)*
- “The Joneses” (Bannen, Clark, Travis Wood)**
- “Suit” (Bannen, Claire Douglas, Dallas Wilson)
- “Faith In You” (Bannen, Clark, Sean Van Vleet)
- “Sleeping Alone” (Bannen, Bowen)*
- “John Who” (Bannen, Bowen, Christopher Rafetto)
- “Haters” (Bannen, Jennifer Hanson, Jason Lehning)
- “Time Machine” (Bannen, Mark Trussell)
- “Happy Birthday” (Bannen, Claire Douglas, Wilson)
- “Long Shadow” (Bannen, Bowen, Tia Sillers)*
*Produced by Will Bowen **Produced by Todd Clark
Categories: Music