Norah Jones Gets Poetic on ‘Were You Watching?’

Norah Jones takes inspiration from poetry on her latest song “Were You Watching?” from her upcoming seventh studio album Pick Me Up Off the Floor, due out June 12th via Blue Note Records.

The track is a collaboration between Jones, bassist Christopher Thomas, drummer Brian Blade and violinist Mazz Swift, who also sings background vocals along with Ruby Amanfu and Sam Ashworth. Jones co-wrote the song with poet Emily Fiskio, who helped inspire Jones to write her own non-musical poetry for the first time.

“Were you watching/When I dropped the seeds from the window?/Were you watching/When I built walls from paper and glue?” Jones asks throughout the song. “Were you watching/When the flowers bloomed in the springtime?/Were you watching/Darling, where were you?”

Pick Me Up Off the Floor also features Jones’ collaboration with Jeff Tweedy, “I’m Alive,” as well as prior singles “Tryin’ to Keep It Together” (featured as a bonus track) and “How I Weep.”

“Some of the songs that are personal also apply to the larger issues we’re all facing,” Jones has said of the album. “And some of the songs that are about very specific larger things also feel quite personal.“

During the ongoing COVID-19 quarantine, Jones has performed regular Thursday livestreams on her Facebook page, where she takes fan requests for songs, both originals and covers.