Scott Clay Bares Himself with His “The Captive” Music Video Premiere

You’d be hard-pressed to come up with a better phrase to describe Scott Clay than the one he used for the title of his most recent album, Let It All Lay Bare. The singer-songwriter is making a career out of putting it all out there, as he does with his brand new live in-studio version of “The Captive,” the album closer to last year’s Lay It All Lay Bare. The video was shot live in-studio with pianist Dan Walker (Heart, Ann Wilson, Leroy Bell), and this footage of them playing and recording really succeeds in conveying the emotion and the gravity of the song.

“The Captive” was written as a lullaby, with the lyrics an interplay between the sun and the moon. As the moon is held captive by the earth and sun, the lovers in this song are also held captive by each other. The intention of this in-studio live video is to give viewers a taste of the recording process, as well as the emotions and sentiments that were in the air during those sessions.

Let It All Lay Bare was released last September, a personal album to Clay, centred around themes that are important to him as a songwriter, such as relationships, natural beauty, and history, particularly significant historical events. It’s a real storyteller’s album, with each song offering listeners an up close and personal shot of an artist who is really operating within his element. Even though it’s his fifth proper studio album, Clay feels that Let It All Lay Bare represents an evolution in his music, representing his most personal set of songs that he is extremely proud of. It’s roots rock at its finest, an infusion of classic and modern elements that would be likable and relatable to anyone ranging from a fan of ’60s singer-songwriters to modern-day millennial Americana music.

To learn a little more about “The Captive” and this new live video, Clay joins us today to answer a few questions.

What prompted you to write this song? How did this song come together when you wrote it?

“The song ‘The Captive’ was written sitting on the edge of my bed as I was getting up one morning. I had thrown a capo on the guitar and was practicing scales on my guitar, and the melody for this song just jumped off the page at me. I started loosely constructing lyrics around the guitar melody, and within minutes this song had taken form.

“It was written as a relaxed, lullaby-type song, something you could listen to while getting into or out of bed or sipping some bourbon late at night. The first inclination in writing this song was a playful interaction between lovers. Something akin to playing ‘foursquare’ or ‘capture the flag’ as children on the playground, a childlike approach to someone ‘capturing’ you in love, and you feeling locked in their emotional world.

“The lyrics then move onto an interplay between the sun and the moon. And then for the last verse, a deeper emotional connection, where each tear that your lover cries is of utmost importance. I am often inspired by tarot cards in my writing process, and these last two verses definitely have a connection to tarot cards: sun, moon, world, lovers.”

This video is cool, especially will all the studio footage. What made you want to release this footage as the official music video? What do you think the video conveys or adds to the song?

“This song was one of the most unique and challenging songs that I recorded as a part of the Let It All Lay Bare sessions. We chose to record the entirety of this song live and ‘unplugged,’ with just Daniel Walker performing piano and me performing guitar and vocals live and in the same room. We took a couple of takes of the song and settled on this completed song. Dan is an absolutely brilliant accompanist, and we structured this song to allow him a melodic section after the first verse, which then gets mirrored on the guitar after the second verse. It was so exciting to build the dynamics in this song ‘live and on the floor,’ and it really pushed my skills as a performer and songwriter. I felt very supported by both Dan on piano and Mike Davis working from the control room as a producer.

“For the video process, we put a few iPhones/iPad on tripods around the room, to simply capture what was happening behind the scenes and give listeners a raw and straightforward view of the recording process. Given the very highly produced music videos that we released in the early parts of the album promotion cycle, I am very happy to release a more stripped-down video that shows the recording process behind the scenes. The song is so stripped-down and intimate that I feel as though this accompanying music video is the perfect complement to the song.”

What is coming up next for Scott Clay?

“I’ve got a very exciting summer tour currently being scheduled. Dates include a few sets of shows in the Minneapolis area, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Alaska.

“We also have a brand new album in production now that is set to release in Spring 2024, so please keep your ears peeled for the latest developments at www.scottclaymusic.com.”

Scott Clay ‘Let it all Lay Bare’ album artwork