A terrifying scream for all the men who assumed they had the upper hand and haunted her teens – that’s what her song „Anton“ is to Glasgow‘s Iona Zajac in her own words. To me it’s one of my two favorite songs of hers – and a big challenge when trying to play it. This is how I make it work.
Photo credit: Joshua Cobb
I really adore Iona Zajac and I think the lyrics and melodies of her songs are poetic in a way that is curiously modern and traditional at the same time. And then, when she adds her magical voice and face to them, they are just out-of-this-world beautiful, although dealing with very worldly experiences and emotions.
But when I try to cover the songs, not being Iona Zajac, they suddenly seem unfinished to me. The power chords accompaniement doesn’t seem suitable for a deep and poetic text like this. The endings seem abrupt, missing an outro at the least – but somehow even more than that.
Even if I consider the fact that this is clearly not intended to be mainstream songwriting, playing „Anton“ or „Rubbish Jubilee“ leaves me weirdly unsatisfied instead of healed, like such great songs normally would do. So I had to make some adjustments in order to make performing „Anton“ work for me. This is how I play the song:
Download Iona Zajac – „Anton“ lyrics & chords here.
In the official „Anton“ music video, the key is A major (A, D and E7 being the chords) with the capo in the 2nd fret, but I play it in C major (C, F and G7 being the chords) not using a capo. I rearranged the lyrics from the „chorus, verse 1, verse 2, chorus, bridge“ sequence to a „chorus, verse 1, bridge, verse 2, chorus, bridge“ sequence. This adjustment gives the song a sense of coming full circle.
I do realize that, in terms of content, the bridge lyrics don’t belong in this place because they are a catharsis after the big scream, a way of freeing oneself from the teenage trauma the song deals with. But not being brave enough to scream on stage like Iona Zajac does in the „Anton“ music video and from a strictly musical point of view, it is lovely to hear the bridge twice and add a little variety to the otherwise compellingly monotonous melody. I use a different fingerpicking pattern in the bridge, and I added a little intro and outro to make my peace with the piece. See what you think about it:
Download Iona Zajac – „Anton“ lyrics & chords here.
About Anton
If you want to learn more about the song „Anton“ and the touching music video in which singer-songwriter Iona Zajac lets us observe her ever so vulnerable in men’s underwear and with bruises on her thighs, I recommend these articles:
Iona Zajac confronts teenage trauma and abuse on new single “Anton”
„Anton is all the men who assumed they had the upper hand. The men that haunted my teens with their egos and their hands…“
Iona Zajac tackles toxic relationships in a powerful new single ‘Anton’
Fresh from a tour opening for Alison Moyet and singing in The Pogues, Iona Zajac released a powerful new single ‘Anton’. Already known for her deeply personal lyrics, Zajac tackles the impact that toxic men have had on her in her formative years – a subject matter that’s difficult to address, yet deeply relatable.
Iona Zajac tackles formative experiences with toxic men in brave new single ‘Anton’
Today, Glasgow’s Iona Zajac shares her third single of the year, the heart-wrenching and deeply personal ‘Anton’.