Good Momma Bad

Album: Andrew Farriss (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • One of Australia's most celebrated songwriters, Andrew Farriss is best known for his work in INXS, where he played a variety of instruments and co-wrote most of their songs with Michael Hutchence. Even in his INXS days, he was writing and producing for other artists; his CV includes albums by Jenny Morris, Tania Kernaghan and Yothu Yindi. In 2019, he released his first solo single, "Come Midnight." The following year, he issued his next one, "Good Momma Bad." The song is about how we can't choose our parents, and a good momma can make all the difference. "Need a good momma bad" is something his dad used to say, and it stuck with him.
  • The song has a modern country vibe. Farriss wrote it in Nashville with the songwriters James Dean Hicks and Buck Johnson (Andrew's wife is American, so they spend a lot of time in that country). Instruments on the track include mandolin, fiddle and pedal steel guitar.
  • Farriss didn't sing much in INXS, so he needed some help coming into his own as a vocalist. His collaborators on this song, Hicks and Johnson, gave him a lot of help. "Both those guys are amazing singers," Farriss said in a Songfacts interview. "When we came to track the vocal recording, I said, 'Who is going to sing it?' It was kind of funny because they looked me and they said, 'You are!' I'm like, 'You want me to sing it?' They were like, 'Yeah, damn right.'

    I was kind of nervous because these guys are really good singers, so I'm singing away and looking at them for approval, and they helped make me sound reasonably good. But after that, something happened to me where I was like, 'You know what, I'm not in a band anymore, I don't have to live under those dynamics.'"
  • The video is set during frontier times; it was shot on Farriss' cattle ranch in Australia. It's a sequel to the "Come Midnight" video, following a woman who rides with a very special timepiece.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.