Musician Nathaniel Rateliff made his Saturday Night Live debut last night, wowing audiences at home and in the studio with “Redemption”, part of his latest album And it is all good featured in the Justin Timberlake movie PalmerAfter years of growing success, the St. Louis native who joined the live broadcast with host Regina King is experiencing a big breakthrough year – which also includes some Academy Award buzz.
Rateliff’s latest project comes from a very intimate place, he says on his site. The emerging musician drew inspiration for his third solo album not only from the breakup of his 11-year relationship and marriage, but also from the death of his good friend and producer Richard Swift. The two quickly became friends and bonded with their shared experiences, such as growing up in highly religious households. Swift died after succumbing to complications related to his alcohol addiction. “I wrote ‘And It’s Still Alright’ about Richard, but it might as well have been about me,” said Rateliff. “’Rush On’ is also for Richard. We struggled with many of the same problems. I think I somehow understood why he let himself go, so I tried to write from that perspective, to confront the emptiness that you just can’t get away from and let the danger catch up with you. “
Viewers unaware of the singer and his oeuvre used social media to share their views. The general consensus is that the Saturday Night Live appearance was a refreshing success.
From his divorce in 2018, the singer and songwriter revealed he was struggling to decide what to say in his music. “It took me a long time to be honest with myself and to know that [writing about something] is part of my process of dealing with things, ”he said Esquire. Rateliff was on tour when he started writing about the experience. ‘I remember writing the songs [for that set] in the desert and it was almost like you were writing with this prophetic feeling, letting go of your subconscious mind… But I was like, ‘Well, I can’t really say that. That gives away too much information. ”
I just think it’s really cool #SNL could book a relatively niche, alternative adult rock act like Nathaniel Rateliff, who is clearly killing it here. Takes me back to the 2007 era of just really cool indie rock acts every week.
– Tall Jordan Schmidt (@TallGuySchmidt) February 14, 2021
This isn’t his first time at 30 Rock for a musical performance. Rateliff appeared The Tonight Show a few years ago with his band The Night Sweats. Watch the performance of “SOB” here on YouTube.
As noted, his recently released single “Redemption” can be heard in the latest Apple TV movie Palmer, starring Justin Timberlake. The film follows a former high school soccer star (Timberlake) who, after spending 12 years in prison, returns home to rebuild his life and career. Alisha Wainwright, who many may remember from the hand-holding scandal that happened in 2019, also stars in the film. “For me the song is about what I saw in the movie and what I see out there in the world, keep struggling until we find some kind of peace and some kind of answer,” Rateliff said in an interview with Variety“It’s about hope and connection. At the end of the song, there’s the line ‘we’ll keep running until we learn to find peace,’ ”he added.