Clementine: Megan Black’s Queer Coming-of-Age Anthem Wrapped in 60s Rock
Photo Cred: Abi Houliston
4th July 2025
'Clementine', the 60s-inspired rock single from Megan Black, is out now and it’s bursting with retro flair and personal reflection. The 25-year-old musician from Livingston caught up with it’s live to talk about the story behind the song: “Clementine is teenage Megan if I was cooler and grew up in the '60s. I grew up in a small town in Scotland and knew I was in love with my best friend - instead of telling her - I got a boyfriend.”
Photo Cred: Abi Houliston
Megan describes her teenage self as nerdy but 'Clementine' is her confident, stylish alter ego: “She wears cool clothes, listens to cool music, seems confident - and yet still doesn't have the courage to come out. I needed to heal a part of myself and so Clementine was born!”
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To picture 'Clementine', think vibrant orange tones, voluminous hair, iconic glasses, and standout go-go boots, a vivid caricature of who Megan longed to be. “She loves the summer, the beach, The Beatles and instead of coming out as queer, she marries a man.”
Photo Cred: Abi Houliston
Megan found creative inspiration in her own past, influenced in style through The Beatles and Jefferson Airplane as she reconnected with her teenage emotions. “I knew I wanted to write a song about my experience hiding who I am but I couldn't think of what to name the song.”
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The name 'Clementine' came from an unlikely source - her car. Two weeks after writing the lyric ‘Clementine, you've got my desire. Clementine, a woman on fire’, the car exploded. “Witchcraft”, Megan exclaims: “I made Pinterest boards, wrote poems from Clementine's perspective, looked at old photo albums of me growing up, drew her, created her. It was so much fun and also very emotional and freeing.”
Photo Cred: Abi Houliston
Once the riff came together, everything fell into place. “I played it a bunch of times with my amazing band and now here we are.”
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So, how does it feel to finally release 'Clementine?' Megan reveals: “It feels magical, exciting and scary! This is part one of a concept album that I can only describe as a soap opera of an album and I am so excited for people to hear it!”
Author: Karina Caulfield