I'm Not Perfect

Album: You Can't Come Back From Heaven (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Mason Reed is a singer/songwriter from Tucson, Arizona who took off for California to pursue a career in music. He told Songfacts: "This is a song for everyone who has ever been in a troubled relationship. It was meant to be a duet, or to have a female voice for balance. I think men and women are more alike than we are different. Everyone should be able to understand this song.

    We recorded the album over five days. The lyrical inspiration comes from life, and experience and a ton of daydreams. As for recording, we got to use the same preamps that Neil Young used on After The Gold Rush. I was pretty excited about that, he's a huge inspiration for me. I got to work with some of the best players in the world. I was blown away every day with the talent in the room. I feel like a lucky man. That s why I called the record You Can't Come Back From Heaven.

    I was at a party, on a night off between tracking and mixing this record. I was playing guitar for a group of 10 people in a beautiful house, right on the ocean. There were a few movie stars there. Lots of wine and just me and my beat-up guitar. I got done playing and everyone was smiling at me and excited about the songs, and I had to stop for a moment and just kinda soak it all in. There's a big contrast between Tucson and Malibu.

    I told them the same thing I'll tell you: I have a theory that when you die, you don't realize it. Life just continues on another plane, but everything gets a little better. (Or worse, I suppose, if you believe in karma). Needless to say, a lot of times I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. And it's a great feeling to be living your dreams."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

La La Brooks of The Crystals

La La Brooks of The CrystalsSong Writing

The lead singer on "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," La La explains how and why Phil Spector replaced The Crystals with Darlene Love on "He's A Rebel."

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.