Album: The Past Is Still Alive (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Ogallala" takes a dusty breakup story and splatters it across a canvas of a world teetering on the edge. Alynda Segarra, the main person of Hurray For The Riff Raff, delivers some serious existential dread. It's a sentiment that echoes Phoebe Bridgers' apocalyptic heartbreak anthem "I Know The End."
  • I used to think I was born into the wrong generation
    But now I know I made it right on time
    To watch the world burn


    "As a kid, I was obsessed with the 1950s," Segarra explained to Mojo magazine. "It came from being raised by my aunt and uncle – that was really their era. We listened to a lot of doo wop. I was just so sure I should have been at a sock-hop."

    "I remember going to elementary school, talking about how I love Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, and the other kids being like we love Backstreet Boys," they continued. "Later I learned about Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and was so convinced that was when I should have been around. But now I think we're supposed to be here at this time to do what we can to create some kind of beauty and encourage some kind of empathy."
  • Ogallala is a real place in Nebraska – a slice of rural America. But the opening line, "Hiding from the cops in Ogallala, Nebraska," throws a wrench into that Americana dream. Why exactly were they running? Leaving that detail open-ended adds another layer of mystery to this haunting track.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.