The Riff

Album: Away From The World (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title of Dave Matthews Band's eighth album comes from a line in this song: "Sitting in a box. Away from the world out there." According to Matthews, it relates to the idea that we are born and die alone and that "our body is our box."
  • Matthews told Rolling Stone in an interview around the time of the release of Away From This World that he finds songwriting gets more difficult, the older he gets. "I'm still desperate to try and make something beautiful and not redo what I've done in the past. It's good work, but it's not easy for me," he said. "Nowadays, I have to dig a lot harder when I'm writing. I'm more critical. There's a freedom to being young that is harder to come by as time goes on. I try to justify what we do with our lives, and that question becomes more difficult to answer. And I don't have enough time to be as drug- and alcohol-soaked as I did 15 years ago."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.