Bill Murray

Album: Show Me Your Fangs (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Matt Nathanson got a taste of celebrity when his song "Come On Get Higher" took off in 2007. In this song, he imagines hanging out with the actor Bill Murray, whom he considers an "anti-celebrity," the opposite of the fame-obsessed stars and influencers that dominate the discourse. The famously enigmatic Murray is known to show up unannounced at strangers' weddings and appear in other unpredictable places, and he's almost impossible to contact.

    "He lives his public life in this amazingly unselfconscious, passionate way," Nathanson said. "So I wrote this song about Bill and me hanging out for 100 days, Thelma and Louise-ing our way across the world. In the song, Bill rains down sage advice on me about the world and relationships and love, like I imagine he does with his actual, real-life friends."
  • In the music video, Nathanson has a dream where a version of himself hangs out with Bill Murray - or at least a dreamscape avatar wearing a Bill Murray mask.
  • This isn't the only song titled "Bill Murray." Others are by Phantogram, Gorillaz, and Sweatshop Union.
  • Nathanson wrote this song with Amir Salem and Dennis Herring. Salem also has a credit on the Panic! At The Disco "Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time." Herring is better known as a producer; he's worked with Ben Folds, Counting Crows, and Buddy Guy.

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.