Ahead of the release of their new album Life, Death And Dennis Hopper, out 4 April on Sun Records, The Waterboys today release the lyric video for “Letter From An Unknown Girlfriend” featuring Fiona Apple.
The most audacious Waterboys album yet, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper is the epic story of the trailblazing American actor and rebel told through a song cycle depicting not only Hopper’s story, but the saga of the last 75 years of western pop culture.
“The arc of his life was the story of our times,” says Mike Scott, “He was at the big bang of youth culture in Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean; the beginnings of Pop Art with the young Andy Warhol. He was part of the counterculture, hippie, civil rights and psychedelic scenes of the ’60s. In the ’70s and ’80s he went on a 10-year rip, almost died, came back, got straight and became a five-movies-a-year character actor without losing the sparkle in his eye or the sense of danger or unpredictability that always gathered around him.”
Scott worked for 4 years on Life, Death And Dennis Hopper. Produced with Waterboys bandmates Famous James and Brother Paul, the album spans 25 tracks and traces the extraordinary arc of Hopper’s life, from his youth in Kansas to his long rise, five wives, tumultuous fall, and ultimate redemption. Every track has its own special place and fascinating, deep-rooted story.
The album is The Waterboys’ first for Sun and alongside Scott’s masterful songwriting, the album features a stellar lineup of guests including Bruce Springsteen, Fiona Apple, Steve Earle, Nashville-based Alt Americana artist Anana Kaye, young English singer Barny Fletcher, Norwegian country-rockers Sugarfoot, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, and punk arch-priestess Patti Palladin – incorporating a kaleidoscopic blend of genres that embodies the band’s trademark spirit of musical exploration.
