Lighten Up

Album: Chickenfoot III (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The genesis of this Chickenfoot III track was a 15-second recording of vocalist Sammy Hagar in an intense mood angrily playing three chords. Guitarist Joe Satriani told MusicRadar.com: "There wasn't a lot to go on, a song written around A, G and E, but there was something about his attitude that was very unique. Basically, I wrote the song around that."
  • The recording went well but when Satriani went to lay down overdubs, he found it hard to tell where the key signature was in the verses. He recalled to MusicRadar.com: "It was very strange. I had a hard time finding my footing. I was like, 'I'm not into this.'" The next day, (co-producer) Mike Fraser must have been reading my mind that it was bugging me, because he suggested we try again. We ended up replacing the live guitar all the way through. Then I did overdubs, and everything just clicked - it sounded fantastic."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."