I'm Gone

Album: See The Light (2007)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In October 2006 Bo Bice underwent emergency surgery for an intestinal problem that doctors said he may have had since he was born. The surgery was, according to his doctors, neither easy nor routine, but it was successful. It was while he was home recuperating from this surgery that Bice found himself one day writing this song with his good friend and frequent co-writer Chris Tompkins. "He was one of the first people that I reached out to to write after my surgery," recalls Bice. "And I had just worked on the opening lick for that song. I remember writing it in the back lounge of a bus. And he came in and had the rhythm guitar part, started playing it, and started singing. He wrote the first line, 'I'm gonna give leavin' a brand new meanin', show you how it feels to be alone.' And from that it's kind of a song that wrote itself, so it's just two friends kind of hanging out."

    "I've experienced everything I wrote about in the song," Bice says. "But we were telling somebody else's story. And now looking back at the finished composition, I can see my story in it. But while we were writing it, it was more like two songwriters writing a song, and we got on a good hook, a good story. It's like two writers sitting down and trying to write something, a TV show or anything else. You start with 'Hello' and you end with 'Goodbye,' but what really matters is what's in between."
  • Co-writer Chris Tompkins has written songs for many recording artists, including Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," Jimmy Buffett's "Havana Breeze," and "That's How They Do It In Dixie" for Hank Williams Jr.
  • SugarMoney, the name of Bice's independent label, was originally the name of his back-up band pre-American Idol. "Chris Tompkins and I played in this little band in this old house in Muscle Shoals with Shonna Tucker and Jason Isbell from the Drive-by Truckers, and Garry Nichols." (Read more in our interview with Bo Bice.)

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?