Americana Highways brings you this premiere of Sarah McCulloch’s song “Hippie Tattoo” from her forthcoming album Driving Me Home, which is due to be released in May. Driving Me Home was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Jim Bickerstaff at Waterview Studios in Southport, North Carolina with live recording engineer Mark Thompson. The album artwork was by Jeremy Fetzer with photography by Nina Babel.
“Hippie Tattoo” is Sarah McCulloch on vocals, Raiford Starke on guitar; William Ellis on bass; Pat Severs on dobro and banjo; Jim Bickerstaff on guitar; and Savannah Bickerstaff on background vocals.
Sarah’s vocals are sweet as pie with a quintessential message: “I’m a country girl with a hippie tattoo, If you like me a lot well my boy comes too.” She’s just “out there twirling in her tie dyed boots…” the great lines keep coming from start to finish in this song. The strings are clear as a bell and richly layered. It’s lovable.
"One day, I was at the beach with my teenage son, who has Autism. He was enjoying himself, playing in the water and sand, stimming, and being his usual self. But people were staring at him, and it made me tired of always being judged. I felt frustrated that they couldn’t see how special he is beyond his behaviors. I remembered the advice my mom gave me: put my son first, and the right man will come along. At that moment, I saw a couple walking by with tattoos, and I thought about the butterfly tattoos I had gotten after my divorce. They symbolized freedom, transformation, and beauty to me. I realized that I should keep putting my son first and not worry about finding a man. My son is unique and beautiful just the way he is, and he gives me the courage to be myself, too. So, I started humming what would become the song 'Hippie Tattoo' into my iPhone, inspired by the waves and my thoughts. Over the next few days, I pieced together the verses like a puzzle. It’s a clever and fun song, but the message is quite deep: we are more alike than not, and we all have scars. Tattoos are important symbols of our happy times but also our traumas, and they are deeply personal that way. People want to talk about their tattoos, so the song is a fun conversation starter. I have gotten so much positive feedback after I sing 'Hippie Tattoo.' It’s a great song to start a show!" – Sarah McCulloch
Find and save the music here: https://hypeddit.com/sarahmcculloch/hippietattoo
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Sarah McCulloch “Honey to a Bear”