Astute fans may recognize that this is the same musical track as "All the World Must Know" from El Sol, remixed and with a different vocal line. But in fact, "When California Caught on Fire" was the original version of the song that I wrote initially. I rewrote it to become "All the World Must Know" later for the album, because it seemed to me that the album as a whole was a bit heavy on heartbreak, and lacking in hope... and so I wanted to balance it out a bit.
"All the World Must Know" did turn out to be a favorite pop centerpiece on the album, but this original version is close to my heart, and I felt it needed to be put out into the world as an indelible piece of Luna Moth mythos.
Written in 2018 (during what was then the worst wildfire outbreak in the history of the country, as California burned), upon returning from a soul-searching summer in Japan, the island upon which I "sought my solace" in the song after the dissolution of a long and storied bond, the songwriting process for "When California Caught on Fire" was actually the seed that germinated into the rest of the songs that would become "El Sol."
lyrics
I lost my love beside the ocean
I watched her sink beneath the waves
And in my unknown destination
I was just looking for my way
I sought my solace on an island
Searching for something I could say
In my half-hearted hesitation
I was regretting my mistake
Are you a particle or wave?
When California caught on fire
We were surrounded by the flames
I felt my bones burn down to embers
Were you the kindling or the blaze?
Are you a phantom or my fate?
And I wondered while I wandered, will I get to you?
And I wondered while I wandered, will I finally get back home to you?
I climbed the highest mountain I could find, and I saw you there
For the first time...
Blazing in a cloud
Waiting for a sound
Baby, I'm still down
And I'm still around
You are the only destination
You are the circle in the sky
And in my endless explanation
You are the reason that I rise
You are the reason that I try
And I wondered while I wandered, will I get through to you?
And I wondered while I wandered, will I finally get back home to you?
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