Album: The Lion The Beast The Beat (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Grace Potter co-wrote this cut with the Black Keys' frontman Dan Auerbach. Potter told The Boot that the song can be interpreted in a number of different ways. "I was gonna make it about a break-up and keep it a lovelorn, post-relationship kind of thing. But then Dan made the point that the broader you are, the more everybody is going to want to put it on a mixtape," she explained. "My neighbor pointed out that for him, it was about getting sober. It was a good mantra for him for not drinking and not taking pills. Then a divorced woman came up to me and said, 'This song isn't about my ex-husband, it's about the lawyer that I was using who screwed me over.' Everyone has their own take on it."
  • The idea for the bewitching video came from the bad memories that Potter has of summer camp when she was a child. "The day you get dropped off, it's that terrifying feeling of, 'Am I ever going to see my parents again?'" she recalled. "That panic and that fear that a kid gets, whether they're going to the dentist or to summer camp ... As adults, the fear is still there but there are different coping mechanisms. I wanted to peel it all back again with the video. Then the director took it even further out of the box and made it this like Lord of the Flies, Alice in Wonderland. It's spooky."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

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

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."