James Calder · Alpha Beats · Track 01

Hopeful Fisherman

A quick, hooky alt-pop story song that turns the tired breakup advice “there are plenty of fish in the sea” into a stubbornly hopeful metaphor. James Calder brings the track a bright, slightly wounded optimism: heartbreak stings, betrayal hurts, but as long as there is still bait on the line, love is not finished with you yet.

PopAlternative RockPop RockSoft Rock

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Lyrics

It's a new kinda heartbreak every day
It's a new way to break my heart
When I'm starin' in your eyes
And we're sayin' our goodbyes
But you said that it was right at the start

But they say there's plenty of fish in the sea
And
Oh
Well
I've still got plenty of bait
'Cause I'm the hopeful fisherman

It's a new kinda heartbreak every night
It's a new way to break my heart
When you say you're coming home
But you wanna be alone
And it just didn't feel right in the dark

But they say there's plenty of fish in the sea
And
Oh
Well
I've still got plenty of bait
'Cause I'm the hopeful fisherman

It's a new kinda heartbreak every time
It's a new way to break my heart
When you tell me it's not me
But it's really 'cause you cheat
And you lied to me right from the start

But they say there's plenty of fish in the sea
And
Oh
Well
I've still got plenty of bait
'Cause I'm the hopeful fisherman
I'm the hopeful fisherman

Behind the Music

Composer’s Thoughts

I wanted to do something short-form in a poppy kind of alt music way that would fit in the under 2 minute mark. Most of my songs tend to go longer. At the time I initially wrote the lyrics, I had just gone through a pretty devastating breakup, and everyone kept saying the same advice… “There’s plenty of fish in the sea.” So I imagined myself as a fisherman. Growing up, we used to fish all the time, and we could always continue fishing as long as we had bait. So the metaphor of bait being our level of personal “hope” just seemed to resonate with me. It’s easy to wallow in our grief, but as long as we remember that true love does exist, we can’t lose hope.

James’ Thoughts

This was the first song I did for the collective, and I couldn’t have been happier. It really fits my vibe. It’s such a simple message, but really powerful one. Heartbreak will always happen to us in our lives, but if we don’t give up, we can eventually find the person we’re meant to be with. Instead of worrying about the one that got away, just think of it as a stepping stone to the right one and everything will turn out just fine, my guy. That’s such an awesome perspective and one that I can get behind.