The Luxury of Knowing

Album: Get Closer Deluxe Edition (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This bonus track on the deluxe version of Australian Country music artist Keith Urban's seventh studio album was penned by Lori McKenna. The American folk singer-songwriter was inspired by the term "the luxury of knowing," which crops up all the time in politics and sports. She recalled to The Boot: "There was this really funny Saturday Night Live segment when Will Ferrell was on it. He is a spy and sits next to Maya Rudolph in a bar and uses a code word. He says, 'Do you like luxury?' So I was driving and thinking about that and picking apart what the term means. In a love song, it might mean one person understands the love and one doesn't."

    McKenna went on to say that she finds songs sneak up on her. "They can start in one direction and you think they will be one way, and then the song takes over and changes direction," she said. "Those are the songs that work best. My favorite kind of writing is when the words and music come at the same time. I'm not good at taking words and applying them to music or the other way around. That's why this is a lick-based song. I didn't write it the same day I was driving around. I have a little book I write down things in. I can usually tell by the title if I'm better off writing it by myself, if it's too hard to explain to a [co-writer]. The idea for this song came the one day and then [developed] when I had a couple days to think about it and play my guitar."
  • It was Faith Hill who told Urban about this song. McKenna explained to The Boot: "[Keith] had heard the song and liked it and was drawn to the title, but Faith put a bug in his ear and sort of reminded him about it."
  • McKenna gave her thoughts about the Australian country star's rendition: "Keith Urban can really play guitar. He did such a great job on it. I am a very limited guitar player. The way he played it really made it awesome and brought so much to the song. It kind of made me want to cry."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Kevin Godley

Kevin GodleySongwriter Interviews

Kevin Godley talks about directing classic videos for The Police, U2 and Duran Duran, and discusses song and videos he made with 10cc and Godley & Creme.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.