The Answer

Album: Water For Your Soul (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song features Brazilian, Calypso, Irish fiddle, a funky guitar line, gospel and Joss Stone's trademark soulful vocal. She told OfficialCharts.com: "It's odd, but I love it."

    "The whole point of the song is if you can finally find your own happiness and be who you are in the daylight in front of the world, you'll find the answer to any question you're asking," Stone added. "I don't know if that's true, but I feel like it is! Basically, everyone needs to stop stressing so much."
  • Stone co-wrote the song with legendary reggae musician Dennis Bovell. Speaking about Bovell's qualities, Stone said, "He's like a reggae encyclopedia. And he can really sing. His pitch and range is massive. He's funny too, a great person to work with."
  • Joss Stone (from Billboard magazine): "This song is full of all sorts of influences, with fiddles, gospel choir and different rhythms including baiao and calypso. There are no rules to being happy in this world of music. This song is about letting go of your worries - be free, have a dance, don't waste your days worrying about what might be. Life is what you make it. Goodness is bright!"
  • When Digital Spy asked Stone if the song was inspired by a particular moment in her life, she replied: "I think it's a general conversation I have a lot with people that I love. I do find myself listening to a lot of moaning. I notice that it's our culture to moan."

    Stone added: "So we have big conversations where we're like, 'We should be doing this', 'That's wrong', 'That's wrong', and I think that in my life, it's always me going, 'Actually guys it's not that bad. We live in a fantastic country. We have free healthcare. We are very, very lucky'. These conversations have inspired the song 'The Answer', which is something we're always looking for but are never going to get."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler talks about their first album since 1991 and explains what's really going on in "Pretty In Pink."