Lottery

Album: Something American (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • British singer-songwriter Jade Bird headed to New York's Catskill Mountains and Woodstock to record her debut release, the five-song EP Something American. This folksy, guitar-helmed track follows a barside conversation between Bird and an ex, which includes elements taken directly from real-life events.

    You used to tell me
    Love is a lottery, but
    You've got your numbers
    And you're betting on me


    Bird explained the story behind the song to The Boot:

    "It came out of a conversation - well, the words to the title came out of a conversation, and what really inspired the concept were those words.

    I had this grand image in my head: I loved the word, and I tried to make the verses super-personal. One of them was based on a cafe in London where me and my ex sat down and actually had that exact same conversation as in the song. That's how it came about."
  • Bird wrote the song alongside producer Simone Felice (formerly of The Felice Brothers). Rolling Stone reports she affectionately calls Felice, "a hippie with a really cool vibe."
  • Released as the lead single from Something American, "Lottery" climbed all the way to #1 on Billboard's Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

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."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."