My Way, Soon

Album: The Battle At Garden's Gate (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • When brothers Josh, Jake and Sam Kiszka started making music with longtime family friend Danny Wagner they were very much American small-town teenagers. After Greta Van Fleet recorded their debut Anthem of the Peaceful Army album, they left their Michigan farming community of Frankenmuth and entered a whole new world.

    This liberating and jubilant track is inspired by the three years of adventures the band experienced while touring their record. It celebrates and reflects the band's personal transformation as they gigged around the world.
  • I've packed my bags and I've got my freedom
    I've sacked the rules so I don't have to heed them
    I'll bet on a chance if I've just got one
    I'll throw out the plans and live with no burden


    Vocalist Josh Kiszka explained how their worldwide touring opened so many doorways and inspired this song. "This is my truth, how I feel about all of our travels, but I know it echoes the experiences and changes of perspectives for about all of our travels," he said. "But I know it echoes the experiences and changes of perspectives for Jake, Sam, and Danny as well."
  • "My Way, Soon" is the lead single from Greta Van Fleet's second album. They explained how seeing different cultures, people, and traditions during their three years of touring affected their writing for the record.

    "We realized that while growing up, we had been shielded by a lot of things, we were unaware of a lot of things," said drummer Danny Wagner. "And then we were thrown out into this huge world, and it was a bit of a culture shock at first."

    "We've seen how people live in different parts of the world," added bassist Sam Kiszka, "and we've developed intrinsic respect for different cultures and people. We've gone from driving down a highway to a show and seeing endless miles of shantytowns in Sao Paulo, to playing some of the richest places on earth."
  • Greta Van Fleet recorded the album with Greg Kurstin in Los Angeles. The superstar producer has worked with Adele, Foo Fighters, Sia and Paul McCartney.
  • The band shot, edited, and directed an on-the-road music video to accompany the song. Sam Kizka explained to ABC Audio that the band did everything for the visual themselves because, "we are extreme control freaks and everything has to be the exact way that we want it to be."
  • The song title is a fun reference to Greta Van Fleet's breakout hit, "Highway Tune." Frontman Josh Kiszka recalled to ABC Audio that the band were wondering what to call the song when someone uttered, "Well, it is a bit funny, and it's gonna act as sort of a vehicle isn't it? So it's kinda like 'Highway Tune,' isn't it?"

    Another band member then suggested "'My Way, Soon" as a pun on "Highway Tune." The band liked that idea, "Yeah, that's campy enough," they said. "We'll do that, it's funny.'"
  • The song climbed to the top of Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, giving Greta Van Fleet their fifth #1 on the tally. The Michigan rockers previously visited the summit with "Highway Tune" (September 2017), "Safari Song" (February 2018), "When The Curtain Falls" (November 2018) and "You're the One" (March 2019).

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.

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

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.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

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

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.