Good at Tonight

Album: Fighter (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Brothers Osborne wrote this seize-the-moment song with Troy Verges and Barry Dean. When the Osbourne siblings pitched the demo, David Nail thought it was so good, he was worried they'd later change their minds about recording it themselves. But he needn't have been concerned. "They were like, nah, man, if you love it, man, do it," Nail recalled. "So I said, I'm gonna do it, but there's one stipulation: you have to sing on it."

    John and T.J. Osborne are credited with "clapping and background vocals" on the song.
  • David Nail recalled the story of the song to The Boot:

    "The glorious thing of being here as long as I have is, I have various friends in the music business, and then they have friends, and then they have friends, who get my email, who, I don't know who they are, but they get my email.

    Very quickly, in a matter of a week, I got this song. We had been on the road with Brothers Osborne, I think the fall before that, and I texted TJ and John and said, 'Hey, I don't know what you're thinking here, but I just got this song pitched to me, and I think it's amazing.' In fact, I could just envision from that moment, opening every show for the next 20 years with that song."
  • It was a few months after the Osborne brothers gave the song to David Nail that the pair realized its true potential.

    "We're like, 'No, no, no, man! It's not a big deal at all. We'd love if you cut it. Please do it.' He got us in there to sing, and it was a blast. We did some big gang vocals — sounded like a bunch of drunk buffoons on it," John Osborne recalled to The Boot. "And then, a couple months later, we saw him perform at Watershed [Country Music Festival], up in Washington State, and it was at that moment, we were like, 'Damn! We should have cut that damn song. It's so good!'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.