The Great Salt Lake
Encyclopedia
"The Great Salt Lake" is the second single taken from Band of Horses
' debut album Everything All the Time
, which was released on March 21, 2006.
", respectively.
The song isn't actually about the Great Salt Lake
, but about Lake Murray
, a reservoir in Ben Bridwell's
home state of South Carolina
. He explained, "A lot of the imagery is about South Carolina, combined with some incidents we heard about from some hilarious fuck-ups we knew from Salt Lake City."
An earlier version of the song was among the six lo-fi demos that appeared on the band's self-titled EP. Interest in that EP led to fellow South Carolina native Sam Beam of Iron and Wine offering Band of Horses the support slot on his tour.
Band of Horses
Band of Horses, originally briefly known as Horses, are an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle by Ben Bridwell. They have released three studio albums, the most recent and most successful of which is 2010's Grammy nominated Infinite Arms...
' debut album Everything All the Time
Everything all the Time
-Personnel:*Ben Bridwell - Vocals, guitar*Mat Brooke - Guitar, co-lead vocals on tracks 8 & 10*Chris Early - Bass guitar*Tim Meinig / Sera Cahoone - Drums-Chart performance:-Songs from Everything All the Time in popular culture:...
, which was released on March 21, 2006.
History
The song was released as a single in August 2006 in the US. While the single failed to chart, it remains one of Band of Horses best known songs. It is the third most performed song by the band, after "The General Specific" and "The (Billion Day) FuneralThe Funeral (song)
"The Funeral" is the first single taken from Band of Horses' debut album Everything All the Time, which was released on March 21, 2006. The song was released as a radio and video single in May 2006 in the US. The single was released on May 21, 2007 in the UK on limited edition numbered 7" vinyl to...
", respectively.
The song isn't actually about the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
, but about Lake Murray
Lake Murray (South Carolina)
Lake Murray is a reservoir in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is approximately 50,000 acres in size, and has roughly 500 miles of shoreline. It was impounded in the late 1920s to provide hydroelectric power to the state of South Carolina. Lake Murray is fed by the Saluda River, which flows...
, a reservoir in Ben Bridwell's
Ben Bridwell
Benjamin "Ben" Bridwell is the lead singer of American rock band Band of Horses and a former member of the band Carissa's Wierd.-Early life:Bridwell was born on April 25, 1978 and grew up in Irmo, South Carolina...
home state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He explained, "A lot of the imagery is about South Carolina, combined with some incidents we heard about from some hilarious fuck-ups we knew from Salt Lake City."
An earlier version of the song was among the six lo-fi demos that appeared on the band's self-titled EP. Interest in that EP led to fellow South Carolina native Sam Beam of Iron and Wine offering Band of Horses the support slot on his tour.
Music video
The music video for the song shows band members Ben Bridwell, Creighton Barrett and Rob Hampton playing in a baseball match. Neither Barrett or Hampton were members of Band of Horses when the song was recorded, but joined soon after the release of Everything All the Time.Personnel
- Ben Bridwell - Vocals, guitar
- Mat BrookeMat BrookeMathew Etter "Mat" Brooke is the lead singer of American rock band Grand Archives and a former member of the bands Band of Horses and Carissa's Wierd.-Early life:...
- Guitar - Chris Early - Bass guitar
- Time Meinig / Sera CahooneSera CahooneSera Cahoone is a singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Cahoone's music combines elements of both classic country-western and modern indie rock and lo-fi....
- Drums