Exclusive: Stream Sarah Segal-Lazar’s New “Secrets From Valleys” Spotify Playlist

By: Staff –

Sarah Segal-Lazar. (Photo: Emelia Hellman)

To celebrate the release of Sarah Segal-Lazar’s new album, Valleys, the Canadian folk artist curated a brand new “Secrets From Valleys” Spotify playlist that can be streamed below! 

“Wanna get the tea on the tracks from my latest album VALLEYS? Here’s a little insider info on each of the songs and their musical counterparts,” said Segal-Lazar.

Sarah Segal-Lazar – “Earlier”

This is the feature track off my new album VALLEYS. There’s something melancholic about knowing the end at the beginning – in relationships, and in music too. Initially, I didn’t see the meaning in starting my song “Earlier” with the chorus; it’s just how it flowed out of me. But what better way to tell the story about knowing from the start that the end will come?

Billy Joel – “New York State of Mind”

There’s a line in my song “Better in America,” “But they’ve got snow in New York, so it’s just a state of mind.” I started writing this song in rural New York and I love the double entendre of that lyric. We’ll never know if I would have gotten there without the original purveyor of that lyric, Mr. Billy Joel. So that line is also a little wink to him.

George Michael – “Careless Whisper”

My band in Montreal says that the melody for “Say Goodnight” reminds them of “Careless Whisper.” (Well, one of them said it and then the others agreed.) I think it’s a bit of a musical stretch but it makes me laugh, so this one’s for the band!

Rah Rah – “Betrayal pt. 2”

The title of my song “Butcher Heart” came from a complete misunderstanding. My friend and bass player Elijah Fisch was singing a Rah Rah song. I stopped him and said, “Did you just say Butcher Heart? That’s an incredible lyric.” He said, “…No… I said ‘But your heart’…” “Well it’s still a great lyric,” I said, “and I’m running with it.” The first line I wrote for the song was “But beware my Butcher Heart.” The rest of the song slowly fell into place after that. It might actually be the song that’s taken me the longest to write to date. But it was worth it. So thank you to Rah Rah for their song “Betrayal pt. 2,” which led to a beautiful misunderstanding, which led to the fourth track on VALLEYS.

Urge Overkill – “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon”

Whenever people ask me, “What does Folk Femme Fatale mean?”, this is the song whose guitar licks I reference. My song “Even Miami Is Cold” is the most Folk Femme Fatale track on VALLEYS, thanks to the brilliance of Joel Schwartz who played guitar (and other fretted intros) on the album. Depending on whom I’m talking to, I say that VALLEYS has Morriconesque tones, or Tarantinoesque tones, and “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” is a perfect example of what I’m referring to. Luckily, most folks have seen Pulp Fiction.

Leonard Cohen – “Suzanne”

My producer Matthew Barber calls my song “If This City Were a Man” my “Leonard Cohen song.” I don’t really understand what that means but I won’t turn down a comparison to Montreal’s hometown hero. Since “If This City Were a Man” is about Montreal, it seemed fitting to pair it with Cohen’s song “Suzanne,” probably his most famous song about Montreal.

Buddy Holly – “Peggy Sue Got Married”

Because my song “For Good” is actually a sequel to my song “Say Goodnight,” I wanted to feature a track here that was a sequel. I chose Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue Got Married,” which is a sequel to his track “Peggy Sue.” I really like this version of “Peggy Sue Got Married” cos it’s rare that we get to hear Buddy Holly singing stripped down, without that iconic Crickets drum pattern. Here he is, just him and his acoustic. This song was released posthumously; I’m glad we get to know what happened to Peggy Sue.

Hiss Golden Messenger – “Heart Like a Levee”

I don’t usually talk about the people who inspired my heartache songs. But the likelihood of the person that my track “Still Waters” is about reading this seems slim. (We’re no longer Facebook friends, don’t worry.) I believe that something comes from everything. And this particular person is the one who introduced me to the music of Hiss Golden Messenger. “Heart Like a Levee” is such a favourite of mine that I even have a cover of it on Spotify. When I sent the cover over to HGM, I got a personal note back saying, “What a gift. Thank you. It’s very beautiful and made my morning.” I’ll forever be grateful, not just for HGM’s amazing music, but also the compassion and care for fans. Thanks, M! (And thanks to my ex for the introduction!)

Semisonic – “Closing Time”

My song “Hatters” is named after a bar in Montreal where a lot of good times were had and big mistakes were made. I wanted to feature a track about a bar here and I can’t think of a better song than the very one that has escorted me out of countless bars over the years, when the lights get turned on and everyone gets the boot.

Chris Stapleton – “You Should Probably Leave”

I call the last track on VALLEYS, “This Old House,” my “Chris Stapleton song.” I’m not really sure why; I just always imagined him singing it, especially nailing the wails at the top of the chorus. Who knows! Maybe one day he will!