It’s been a while since we’ve heard new music from Gina Furtado, but Mountain Home Music has remedied that with a new single with the one word title, Submarine.
Recorded with her eponymous Gina Furtado Project, the song shares a whimsical story about a little girl who grows up dreaming of living under the sea in a submersible craft. Just when you think it’s a fanciful number about childhood imagination, it veers into a lesson on gender equality.
Furtado described the odd genesis for Submarine.
“The idea for this song was not mine. A gentleman approached me after a show and insisted that I should write a song about the scarcity of women submarine sailors. I thought it was a bizarre idea, but it lingered in the back of my mind. Eventually, I did a late night, insomnia-driven Google search on the topic and discovered that women were not allowed on submarines in the US Navy until 2010.
Now, I may not know anything about submarines, but as a girl who was raised with starkly defined gender roles that almost never suited my personality and interests, I do know a thing or two about having dreams that are off limits for no reason besides not being a boy. True to bluegrass form in just one small way, this is the saddest song I’ve ever written, but with the happiest sounding tune.”
Gina plays banjo and sings lead here, supported by her Project, sisters Malia Furtado on fiddle and Lu Furtado on bass, along with Drew Matulich on guitar. Producer Kristin Scott Benson also brought along her husband, Wayne, to play mandolin.
They give it a swingy, bluegrass feel. Check it out…
Submarine is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
