Joe Bonamassa’s Breakup With Ex-Girlfriend Sandi Thom Gave Birth to an Emotional Album
Thom wrote a song titled ‘Earthquake’ after the couple went their separate ways.
hm
Blues-rock guitarist Joseph Leonard Bonamassa aka Joe Bonamassa unwittingly served as the inspiration for his ex-lover Sandi Thom’s emotional song ‘Earthquake.’
The couple’s breakup left the Scottish singer-songwriter emotionally drained and shattered. Thom wrote the song after the couple went their separate ways.
The Aftermath of an Emotional Disaster
The multi-platinum-selling Thom released her single ‘Earthquake’ in November 2015 after learning that her ex-partner Bonamassa had left her and moved out. She dedicated the song to everyone who could resonate with a recent heartbreak.
In an interview with Essentially Pop in November 2015, just weeks before the release date, the Scottish singer revealed that her separation from Bonamassa shattered her and made her feel like an earthquake hit her. The duo was in a relationship for over five years.
Thom’s split with her guitarist boyfriend came out of the blue and left her shocked and lonely. She opened up about how Bonamassa chose to move out of their house when she was on holiday with her family in Peru.
Moreover, the singer-songwriter shared that coming back to a half-empty house was emotionally painful, and she felt like her world came crashing down around her.
Thom felt like she was left behind in the aftermath of an emotional disaster to rebuild her life alone after the musician couple’s relationship ended. She wrote the song straight from her experience to reach out to others who have gone through the same road.
Unbeknown to me I returned home to a half-empty house, so standing in what felt like the ruins of our relationship I likened the feeling to being hit by an earthquake when the whole world comes crashing down around you and you’re left in the aftermath of an emotional disaster to rebuild your life from the ground up.
'Weapons of Past Destruction'
Thom’s entire album, Weapons of Past Destruction, was dedicated to her past with Bonamassa. The singer explained how recording each song on the album was therapeutic as she could let go of her past one piece at a time.
She moved away from her helpless state to a new beginning as a confident woman after completing the album. The ‘Look-Up’ singer found her humor, smile, and happiness back after the album’s launch.
In the same Interview with Essentially Pop, Thom also shared that some of her personal favorites in the album were ‘Earthquake,’ ‘Look Up,’ and ‘Ghosts,’ which are about war, death, destruction, anger, courage, hope, and moving forward in life.
The whole album for me personally is about letting go of the past, hence the title, as I wrote and recorded each song, I moved further away from the sad, lonely, helpless person I had become in the aftermath of my break up, to someone who found themselves again, my confidence, my humor, and my smile.
Later, Thom also confessed to Mirror about the album's importance as it depicted a huge change in her life after Bonamassa left her.
This record has come in the aftermath of a huge life change, with my ex-boyfriend cheating on me, so it has a special place in my heart and so much of my emotion went into it.
After hitting rock bottom in 2015, the two have now moved on with their individual lives. While the amazing guitarist Bonamassa is single as of now, Thom, on the other hand, is married to her husband, Matt Benson, and shares a baby boy with him.