Sharon Ochs/RCA Records
Cam reflects on the bittersweet passage of time in her meditative new single, “Redwood Tree,” a song inspired in large part by a climbing tree that grew in her backyard when she was a child. Since then, her musical dreams and ambitions have taken her far away from her hometown and that old favorite tree, and the singer waxes nostalgic in the song for simpler times.
“I spent so many afternoons up there [in the tree] as a kid looking out and dreaming about the future,” Cam reflects. “It feels like I’ve lived five lifetimes since then — I’ve done more than I can even remember, but still part of me wishes I could’ve stayed put, and to have that time at home.”
As much as Cam has changed, the redwood tree, which can live for thousands of years, has remained exactly as she left it.
“It’s a song about time, and whatever way you spend it still feels just like a blink to a redwood tree,” she adds.
“Redwood Tree’s” evocative, stop-motion video tells the story of a family’s life as it revolves around a redwood tree. We see Cam as a young girl spending time around the tree with her parents, and as the song wears on, she grows up and moves away to Nashville. Meanwhile, her parents continue to grow older, but the tree remains the same. Ultimately, Cam returns to the redwood tree and her family, this time with a baby in her arms.
“Redwood Tree” follows “Till There’s Nothing Left,” which Cam released earlier this year.
By Carena Liptak
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