NOURALLAH BROTHERS
Q: Your song “We Listened to the Radio” has such a powerful nostalgic feel to it. What inspired you to write a song about that time in your life?
SALIM: Faris wrote this one! It’s pretty brilliant, isn’t it?
FARIS: It’s just a fond memory of mine. Listening to the radio with my brother when we were kids.
Q: You mention in the lyrics that it has been a “long, lonely time” since last hearing the radio. How is it different for you now in listening to music?
FARIS: I think there’s a certain wonder and excitement when you’re a child discovering something new.
SALIM: The innocent joy that came from listening without having the “knowledge” to analyze the kick drum sound is long gone!
Q: The refrain of “we listened to the radio” appears to be the focal point of the song. What does listening to the radio signify personally to you?
SALIM: It signifies nothing now because I haven’t listened to the radio in ages. But way back then it was EVERYTHING. The way we discovered the music that changed our lives.
FARIS: What he said…
Q: You say “back when everything was alright.” What was it about that period that was more comfortable or comforting?
SALIM: Faris wrote that line. Another good one!
FARIS: Yes, of course. Childhood was quite an idyllic time for Salim and I. We had lots of love and joy.
Q: Is there one memory of radio listening from your early life that stands out as particularly vivid to you?
SALIM: Definitely. Huddled under the covers in my bedroom trying to tune into KOA in Denver. I could only get the signal late at night. We were in El Paso.
Q: There’s a real sense of communality to the song, as though music was something that was in common. Was there someone in particular with whom you shared these radio experiences?
SALIM: My brother.
FARIS: What Salim said.
Q: How do you suppose listening to music on the radio is different from the way that people listen to music now?
FARIS: Things are far more accessible now. When we were kids, there were few choices.
SALIM: We mainly stream it, right? The radio had cool retro looking knobs and the reception was dodgy.
Q: There’s a very intimate feel to the song. Was that the sort of mood that you were trying to create from the outset?
FARIS: I can’t say. I just wrote the song and that’s the way it turned out.
SALIM: I love what Faris achieved with this one. The melody, the words, the world it transports the listener to. It’s genius. One of the best tunes we’ve ever done together.
Q: While you were composing this song, were you considering how others would identify with your personal radio listening experiences?
FARIS: Not at all. I hope it has some universal appeal, but I was just being nostalgic and thinking back to a special time in my life that I shared with my brother.
Q: There is a feeling of yearning in the song. Is the yearning for something more than the radio, maybe an earlier time or a less complicated way of life?
FARIS: The great thing about memories is that on a good day, you can simply shut your eyes, or maybe in this case, listen to a song and it can transport you back in time to a special time and place.
Q: Do you think that the manner in which people listen to music today has lost some of that personal connection that radio used to have?
FARIS: Oh, I don’t know. People just know what they know you know? Like I used to be my dad‘s remote control when he wanted the channel changed on the TV. Now people take the remote control for granted!
SALIM: I don’t think it’s lost the connection, it’s just a different time with different ways to connect. At least vinyl came back (kind of).
Q: The lyrics appear to discuss the way that time goes by and we cling to memory. In what ways does the song mirror your own experience with time and memory?
FARIS: I tend to be an incredibly sentimental person…
Q: The song creates an image of late nights playing music in silence. In what ways does that environment influence how you go about writing songs?
FARIS: Probably in no way. I’ve written quite a few songs. The inspiration for any given one of them varies.
SALIM: I’d have to agree with Faris. All kinds of things influence the songs. Lately it’s been phrases I’ve heard people say that I collect for potential songs or lyrics.
Q: You refer to listening “every night” in the song. Do you currently have a nightly ritual or routine for music listening?
FARIS: To be honest with you, I don’t listen to a lot of music anymore. I mainly read books.
SALIM: I still listen to music a lot. My favorite time to listen is with my 15 year old daughter, sitting on our balcony enjoying the night.
Q: Is there one feeling or emotion you’d want people to take away from listening to “We Listened to the Radio”?
FARIS: It would be great if people could remember what it felt like to be young, and maybe discover a new song, or to hear a new sound that excites them. That would be great!
SALIM: And maybe if they love it enough they’ll get the double LP it’s on?!!?
Q: Music, throughout the song, is presented as a metaphor for escape and solace. Why do you think music is something people turn to in order to cope with the trials of life?
FARIS: I think there is a certain connection when listening to a song, hearing someone’s voice sing to you. I personally never feel quite alone when that is happening.
SALIM: Music is life. Not soccer.
Q: In what ways does the nostalgia of this song affect your music and creative process today?
SALIM: I’ve always been interested in the relationship between the past and our present. The nostalgia associated with the golden days of our childhood is always somewhat bittersweet. I’m drawn to music that explores this every now and then.
FARIS: ✌️
Q: Why do you believe the radio remains such a sentimental space in the hearts of individuals who grew up hearing it?
SALIM: Maybe it’s because we first fell in love with music through that medium?
FARIS:✌️
