Heartbeat

Album: Just Kids (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Mat Kearney told Billboard magazine he was obsessed with the idea of making the song's music video with drone technology. So he shot the entire clip in the Los Angeles River bed in just a single take, "with this crazy helicopter drone flying around our heads."

    The video was shot at the busy 4th Street Bridge in Los Angeles, which famously featured in the Grease movie. "It took a tremendous amount of planning and choreography to make sure everyone was in the right place at the right time," Kearney told Billboard. "After I sang the first verse on the bridge we had to drive like bank robbers to get down to the riverbed in time for me to make the last scene."

    "We thought it would be really cool to shoot the video with a group of dancers almost like an urban 1990's Grease performance," he continued. "Finally when we pulled off a few takes, and I watched the playback I was blow away with how much life and heart the video had."
  • The song merges vintage synths, a slap bass, handclaps, a hip-hop cadence, and uplifting melodies. "I picked up my guitar, and the song basically fell in my lap," Kearney recalled. "It was so simple. I wanted to bring in some 90's influences and make it groovier than people would expect from me. I was inspired by Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time', and it puts a love song in the context of Nashville where I live."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

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.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.