You Are Your Mother's Child

Album: Upside Down Mountain (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Oberst adopts on this song the perspective of a contrite father, proud of his child's accomplishments despite his own shortcomings as a dad. "I definitely struggled with whether to put that one on the record," Oberst told Billboard magazine. "It has more sentimentality to it than any of the other songs, but I've seen a lot of friends go through that stuff. [Having kids] would be a cool thing to do someday. I don't particularly feel ready for it right now, but I guess no one ever does."
  • The song's music video was filmed on Fire Island, which is the 32-mile-long island that stretches south of New York's Long Island. Popular with the gay community, The Village People paid tribute to the location on their 1977 song "Fire Island."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

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.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.