Welcome to HeartSongs, our regularly scheduled (probably) look at songs and the people who write them. We spoke to Jeni Magana AKA Magana about her new single ‘Inches Apart’.
“I was definitely in a situation where I was trying to reconcile two different things that I really wanted. After I wrote it, several people came up to me and told me what it meant and how it comforted them. I don't really want to poison that by talking too much about myself and my silly problems.
I was sitting on the couch and feeling pretty melancholy and just sort of noodling around on guitar. I've done that a million times without ever keeping the guitar part; it's mostly a way to get out some stress. But this one stuck around because I got a melody stuck in my head for it really quickly. I wasn't purposefully thinking of any influences or trying to write a song about a certain subject at the time.
I'm not really good at saying wise things, so instead I'm just going to talk about the cool people that did the music video. Lauren Finerman (who is the director) pulled together a crew of people that were super passionate about their work and it was very cool to watch them tackle their own jobs with the same type of excitement I had while recording the song. She and cinematographer Ben Lunden had this incredible energy throughout the entire day. They never sat down. They didn't even eat. They just paced around debating angles and time and other stuff I didn't understand. The two dancers Nick and Lindsey had the most positive attitude even through the last hours. And the choreographer Liz was there all day with them and brought such a good energy.
All of the people that worked on this video were so incredibly kind and hard-working. Are all video crews this chill? Or was it just because I was in California? I have no idea, but it was a really neat experience and I feel like I should be talking about them all the time. I did have a little bit of input into the storyline that was ultimately presented, but mostly I tried to stay out of the way. I already put my creation out there, and I wanted someone else to have a chance to play around with it and make something of their own. I suppose it's always a little bit of both. We rely a lot on other human beings and people can definitely trigger emotions, but I think it's ultimately just us dealing with how we feel and why we feel that way.”
‘Inches Apart’ lyrics
You were born with thicker skin
And I am only oxygen
Whispering, darling please don’t stay
Because you can leave but I won’t wait
When I’m cold
And I’m lonely
Hold me in your arms
We’ll grow old
We will only
Be inches apart
I have built my cell by hand
I was dreaming of the southern sand
And while every night you visit me
Darling you are friends with misery
When I’m cold
And I’m lonely
Hold me in your arms
We’ll grow old
We will only
Be inches apart
When I’m cold
And I’m lonely
Hold me in your arms
We’ll grow old
We will only
Be inches apart
Oceans won’t take you
Oceans won’t take you
Oceans won’t take you
Oceans won’t take you
