Songfacts®:

• Chris Pierce, who co-wrote the song Brian Tyree Henry famously sang in This Is Us, celebrates the power of music in "45 Jukebox." The title is a reference to the old-time jukeboxes that provided musical entertainment for decades at bars, pizza places, and many other establishments where folks would gather for a good time. They played 45 RPM records, which you could buy in stores and play at home, but by putting a quarter (or a dime, according to Joan Jett) in the jukebox, everyone else would get to hear it as well.
  
  "This song examines the journey as a songwriter and the internal process of the spirit for the songs to come to surface," Pierce explained. "It's about the rigorous and demanding road of putting the truth on the line and wearing your heart on your sleeve day by day, night after night. There is a road to freedom in songwriting, recording and performing. It's about being vulnerable and standing on the edge with your finger on the pulse, awaiting that drop of a dime and dedicating the soul and spirit to that moment when your song makes its way through the speaker and into the heart."
• The music video, directed by Steve Bays, uses kinetic text and color treatments to bring the song to life even if you can't hear it. Pierce is hearing impaired, so standard subtitles wouldn't cut it.
  
  When he appeared on the Songfacts Podcast, he talked about his battle with deafness. "I got diagnosed with otosclerosis, which is an inner-ear bone deformation which ultimately makes you deaf," he explained. "I was fortunate enough to get a surgery on my right ear and regained 70% of my hearing. They then told me they wanted to wait to do the left ear, which meant I had to learn sounds and play everything correctly with just the one ear, so I had to really pull my boots up in order to get into USC, and I did it. I put my head down and told myself that I wanted to pursue music, and I got in. I was the first vocal jazz major ever accepted."
• Pierce wrote "45 Jukebox" with Sam Hollander, who brings lots of energy and joy to the table. Hollander's other co-writes include "HandClap" by Fitz And The Tantrums and "High Hopes" by Panic! At The Disco.
  
  The song was produced by Niko Bolas and David Resnik.