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

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."