Every now and then, a song arrives with a subject most people already understand. No lengthy explanation required. Out now via Now Listen, Ron-Ian Cottam’s “Far Away” falls into that category, taking the familiar experience of reaching the end of your patience and turning it into a song about what happens afterwards.
Written by Billy Marlowe, the track finds its character looking beyond a relationship that has become increasingly difficult. The lyrics do not spend much time assigning blame. Instead, they concentrate on the urge to get out, with the repeated references to distance giving the song its defining image
That is where “Far Away” finds its personality. It is not really interested in the argument that came before the decision. The interesting part is the point at which somebody stops trying to fix the situation and starts thinking about somewhere else.
The mention of the morning tide adds an almost cinematic detail to the story. You can picture the departure without being told exactly where it leads. The song leaves that part deliberately open, which gives its main idea a little more breathing room.
There is also a sense of liberation in the lyrics. They speak on when you’ve had enough time accommodating someone else and are now prepared to take a different route. It is a familiar emotional territory, but Cottam approaches it without turning the song into an overly dramatic breakup statement.
That makes the track an easy addition to a playlist built around change, new chapters, late-night drives, or those moments when a person finally decides that enough really is enough.
Behind the release sits another chapter in Cottam’s story. Following his Parkinson’s diagnosis, he spent a period away from playing music before returning to it. “Far Away” is also associated with the music he enjoyed playing with his friend and fellow musician Stéphane De Schryver.
That background gives the single an extra point of interest, but the track itself remains the main attraction. Cottam has returned with a song that looks towards the road ahead rather than spending the entire journey looking backwards.
Sometimes that is all a good leaving song needs to do. Give the listener a reason to press play, turn the volume up, and imagine what might be waiting somewhere else.
