The Ones We Couldn't Be

Album: Dig In Deep (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Bonnie Raitt concludes her Dig in Deep album with this heartbreaking ballad. She sings of a broken relationship accompanied only by her own resigned piano chords and Patrick Warren's synthesizer strings. "I took poetic license to mix up metaphors and meanings," Raitt told Billboard magazine. "One verse refers to a love relationship gone awry. Another is about family misunderstandings. Combine the two and you're left with a feeling of remorse that we can't be what others want and even need us to be. Despite that, I believe that love is always renewable."
  • Raitt told TeamRock about the song. "I'm really glad I was able to get it on the record," she said. "I think everybody understands that with relationships, at the time, it seems like it was the other person's fault, but then you come to a realization – sometimes months or years later – that you had a part in what made the relationship difficult. It's just heartbreaking that you can't make it work at the time.

    Sometimes you have the best intentions – either in your family or in your love relationships – and you wanted it to work, and you tried so hard, but you just weren't the one the other person needed you to be."
  • Raitt explained to American Songwriter why she made this Dig In Deep's closing track. "I still think in terms of a whole album," she admitted, "even though I know people are into downloading individual tracks now. But I'm old-school; I like putting an album together so it tells a story from the beginning to the middle to the end. Finding the right place for a ballad is the hardest, most important decision. That's why sequencing is so crucial. To me the most important song is the last one."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.