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Saffron: Republica hit came in a dream

Saffron, the frontwoman of Republica, has told The Leona Graham Podcast that the band's smash Drop Dead Gorgeous arrived in her head complete while she slept, not long after they released their breakthrough anthem Ready to Go.

She explained that once Ready to Go was out, her first thought was that a follow-up had to happen, since pop and rock music works that way. The chords were already in place, and the words came to her in a dream. At the studio she sang, "My ex-boyfriend lies. He does it every time." Her co-writer Johnny Male was instantly convinced and urged her to record it right away.

With the band marking 30 years, Saffron looked back on the song's lasting pull and said it is still her favourite. Much of the lyrics and composition came to her in a dream, she noted, and the track carries a great deal of personal meaning for her.

The conversation spans three decades of Republica, starting with Saffron's early days talking her way into Starlight Express – she had wanted to be in Hot Gossip or become a rock star – and moving on to the band's terrifying first show at the Royal Albert Hall. Before that gig, Mick Jones of The Clash paid them a visit and told her she had it and had potential, but needed to write more songs. For Saffron, that was the reminder that a single person saying you can do it is all it takes.

She also remembered a wild gig in Transylvania, where she jumped off a drum riser, tore her ACL, dealt with a questionable local medic and was offered a lift to a forest rave on a stretcher.

Republica are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a UK tour through independent grassroots venues and a double-vinyl release that pairs their debut album with a previously unreleased live set from a show opening for Paul Weller. The full interview is available now on The Leona Graham Podcast.

Photo: Music-News
Source: Muzland
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