Beautiful & Wild

Album: Horizons (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Kris Allen became a father for the first time on July 30, 2013 when his wife Katy gave birth to their son, Oliver. This song was inspired by impending fatherhood. "He wasn't even born yet, but it was one of those songs where the lyrics just kind of floated into my head," Allen told The Hollywood Reporter.
  • Allen suffered a head-on collision in 2013 in which his wrist was broken. As the American Idol alumnus recovered, he had to adopt a new finger-picking style of guitar playing, which is prominent in the final mixes for Horizons. This was the first song he wrote in that style. "I've been playing with my fingers a lot more because of my wrist," he said. "It's a different way to play and some of those songs were written when my hand was in a cast so all I had was my fingers. I think it made me a bit more melodic than just strumming a bunch of chords."

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."