Up All Night

Album: Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This paisley-tinged track started with a demo Aaron Lee Tasjan's producer, Gregory Lattimer, created in his studio with Tasjan in mind. On the Songfacts Podcast, Tasjan explained how it came together: "I rewrote the song on piano. There's a very insistent synth riff happening through the whole song, and that was based off of the way that I rewrote the song on the piano, and when I wrote the song on the piano the verses came to me in a different way, a whole new set of words. Everything coalesced, and that was after Greg had already demoed the song. I wrote lyrics to it, then we did a demo of that version.

    Here's the thing about me: I'm never afraid to continue to work on a song as long as I feel like it's making it better. I'm never afraid to scrap lyrics, and with almost every song I do, I'm writing the lyrics up until the moment I sing it on the record because I really take my time with words and it all has to flow. It doesn't necessarily have to mean a bunch of amazing stuff, but it has to flow and sing right and phrase right. So, when we got into that third time where I was doing the piano and the synthesizer stuff and less focus on the guitar, we were creating this world around it that sonically felt like an ode to everything from ELO to Roy Orbison. It felt like the Traveling Wilburys, which Tom was a part of, which I also love.

    So, it became this blend of things, and then also through some of the psychedelic elements and some of the stuff I did with the guitar work and making that sound more like keyboards, it started to get its own voice. I am never worried about wearing my influences on my sleeve, but I want to always make sure that my voice is my stamp, is present, and is part of that. And there's enough of it there that people can feel that naturally when they hear it."
  • If you're getting a Tom Petty vibe from this song, you're not the only one. "For as long as I've been making records, some person who has reviewed it, no matter which album it is, has said it reminds them of Tom Petty in some way, shape or form," Tasjan told Songfacts.
  • "Up All Night" was released as a single ahead of Tasjan's fourth album, Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! It came with a futuristic video created by Curtis Wayne Millard, who used the same look on Tasjan's next single, "Computer Of Love."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Fehn of Slipknot

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Todd Rundgren

Todd RundgrenSongwriter Interviews

Todd Rundgren explains why he avoids "Hello It's Me," and what it was like producing Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.