"Where the Moss Grows" by Elena Goodrow
Three years ago I was sitting in an RV with my baritone ukulele and a notebook, writing a song about my long distance relationship. My family had sold our home and most of our belongings to move into an RV and travel the country. My family of six going from a 5 bedroom home to a fifth-wheel RV was a major adjustment, and my sixteen year old self was not pleased. It was especially difficult because I had just begun a new relationship with a very lovely person, and I did not want to be long distance. (It worked out- we have been together for almost 4 years now and live in an adorable mountain cottage together.) So I did what I usually do when I’m having lots of feelings, I write music to help release them. I wrote a song about this relationship and how much it meant to me, and how difficult it was to be so far apart. The song is called “my person” and at the time I had no idea it would be the first song I wrote for my debut album.
I released an EP back in 2019, and it was the first time I had shared my original music. I’ve always loved writing speeches and essays, but it wasn’t until that year I decided to try out writing music. I instantly fell in love with songwriting and it became a source of comfort and release for me. The EP is called “empty and overflowing” and it was released in December of 2019. I immediately started planning for my next release, but I didn’t plan for an RV trip around the country during a global pandemic. My family left for that RV trip in January of 2020 having no idea that the COVID-19 pandemic was right around the corner. We got stranded at a Texas campground during lockdown, but once we were able to start moving again after about 2 months we kept traveling. We mostly focused on outdoor activities where we could stay socially distanced, so we did lots of hiking at national parks. Throughout all this I wasn’t writing a lot of music. I was in a difficult place, being 16 years old and having to leave my childhood home and all my friends behind. I struggled a lot, so much so that I couldn’t even find happiness in music. I wrote the song “my person” along with one other song off the album called “prove me wrong” but mostly I found myself stuck in a hole I couldn’t climb out of. Once my family made our way around the majority of the country, we circled back around to our home state of Georgia. My family wanted to continue traveling, but living in an RV with my family was very taxing for my mental health and I was sinking into a very dark place. I knew I needed a change. I decided to move in with some extended family members, and it wasn’t quite the safe escape I was hoping for. I continued to sit in my musical rut, unable to find any motivation due to my mental health struggles living in a space where I didn’t feel seen.
In the summer of 2021, my Mom got a new job in the North Georgia mountains. My family invited me to move back in with them at their new home and I happily agreed. I needed my loving family to provide a safe space for me to freely feel my emotions and let my creativity flow, and that is exactly what happened. I had an explosion of motivation and wrote 8 more songs for the album. I was more than ready to continue with this goal of creating an album, and I was finally in a space where I was seen and felt safe enough to do so. By the end of 2021, I had a 10 song album ready to be recorded. Here are those songs:
After all this time
This song is about discovering who I am at my core, and finally figuring out the way my mind works. After finding out that I’m neurodivergent it helped me find healthy habits to implement in my daily life that changed everything about how I felt about myself. After all this time, I found my true self.
Friends?
In this song I reflect on my middle school best friend, we were extremely close and I didn’t realize it until several years later but I had a huge crush on her. We behaved in ways that felt more aligned with a romantic relationship rather than a friendship, and I wonder if she felt the same. Were we just friends?
Winter affair
This is the only song on the album that I did not write about my own life. I explored the idea of having a winter affair instead of a summer fling. I thought a short-lived relationship during the winter time seemed much more intimate and romantic. I wrote this song about that fantasy of mine.
Dear stability
I wrote this song about my experience on that RV trip. This song was not originally going to be on the album! When I played it for my parents they were hurt and didn’t have the reaction I was expecting. I packed up the music and stuffed it away to be forgotten about. Several months later as I was finalizing the tracklist, my Mom said I should really put this song on the album. I’m glad she gave me the encouragement I needed because I’m so proud of this song and I’m thrilled it made it onto the tracklist.
Prove me wrong
This song is about my insecurities in my relationship. I’ve been abandoned by many people in the past, so I’m slow to trust new people in my life. I felt as if I was never going to find someone that was willing to stick around when life got hard, and then I did. However, I still struggled to find confidence in them. It all worked out though. :)
My person
Here is that song I mentioned at the beginning! My lovely partner made me feel so loved even though we were on opposite sides of the country, I appreciate her so much.
She
Another song about my partner and the small moments we get to share together. I love the simple moments like drinking coffee in the morning or going to the grocery store together, it’s a reminder that the small things truly make life worth living.
Just like me
I wrote this song about my favorite character in the tv show “Heartstopper.” The character Charlie is someone I relate to deeply, and it was one of the first times I felt like I saw myself on the screen. That representation is so beautiful, and this song is a celebration of that beauty.
Reckless driver
This song is about when I lived with people that didn’t see me for who I am. They had their own narrative of my life and my mistakes within their mind that didn’t match up with reality. “Reckless driver” is where I own that narrative in a playful way, if you knew me you would know I am the most careful driver on the planet. I love a little bit of irony.
Where the moss grows
I wrote this song when my family moved to our new home in the mountains. For the first time in years, I felt at home. When I wrote this song I knew it was going to be the title song of the album. It summarizes the feeling I want my music to give. It feels like you are sitting by a creek in a patch of moss, admiring the sounds of the birds flying through the trees. You feel the sunshine graze your cheek, you feel at peace. You can find me where the moss grows.
Now that the music was complete, it was time to record the album. I tried a couple different routes to record it, with no luck. It wasn’t until summer of 2023 that I discovered there was a recording studio just 30 minutes away from me. It’s a locally owned place called “Diamond Studios.” The owner invited me to come meet him, and I instantly knew I had to work with them. It was like fate. Diamond Studios has the most lovely people working there, they are all so musically talented and intelligent. They helped me find my sound and put my album together just as I had pictured all these years. After 2 months of recording sessions, the album was complete. I was exhausted, elated, and very tired of listening to myself over and over again!
The entire experience of making this album was a crazy adventure, I never knew what was coming next but regardless I made it through. “Where the moss grows” is out NOW on all streaming platforms! Please share with your family and friends, and let me know what your favorite song is! If you would like to purchase a CD you can email me here: elenagoodrow@gmail.com
You can also view my website for more info about my album: elenagoodrow.com
I’m so thankful for everyone that helped me through this, each person that supported me through the writing process helped me feel like I was going in the right direction. The recording process was very new and foreign to me, but the Diamond Studios crew made sure I was never stressed and took the time to help me learn. My family helped me so much, my Dad took the album cover photo and my Mom played her drum on “friends?” I had an incredible team of people behind me and I’m so thankful.
Come meet me where the moss grows 💜