Block Your Number

Album: released as a single (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Maude Latour writes down just about every thought that comes into her head, filling her phone with voice memos and journals with pages of script. She so dedicated to this practice, she even put an argument with a soon-to-be-ex boyfriend on hold so she could record her thoughts right then and there, as they were breaking up. That voice memo became the chorus lyrics to "Block Your Number," a song where she enters that last stage of a relationship - the part where she won't even take his calls.

    "We were breaking up, and I said, 'Hold on, stay right there.,'" Latour said on the Songfacts Podcast. "He was like, 'Oh God, I know this is going to be a song.' I said, 'Yes, it will.'"
  • Latour was just 20 years old and a junior at Columbia University (studying philosophy and business) when she released this song, which explains the dorm room reference:

    If it were perfect, I wouldn't be cryin'
    On the floor of my dorm room, you wait in the lobby


    There aren't many Ivy League students who can claim millions of Spotify streams, but Latour has enough passion for both her music and her studies to straddle both worlds. He management pressured her to drop out of school to focus on music, but she refused on the grounds that she can be fully dedicated to both.
  • Like Taylor Swift in the '10s, Latour developed a reputation for putting her breakups into songs, like she did on this one. "I do feel kind of bad for my ex now," she told Songfacts. "The lyrics are so immortalized and so personal and are of me speaking directly to him. Of course his new girlfriend hates me, but what else can you do? I own my life story and this is my way of getting closure. It's so meaningful for me and I get to write the chapters of my life."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dr. John

Dr. JohnSongwriter Interviews

The good doctor shares some candid insights on recording with Phil Spector and The Black Keys.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Chris Squire of Yes

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.

Gary Louris of The Jayhawks

Gary Louris of The JayhawksSongwriter Interviews

The Jayhawks' song "Big Star" has special meaning to Gary, who explains how longevity and inspiration have trumped adulation.

David Paich of Toto

David Paich of TotoSongwriter Interviews

Toto's keyboard player explains the true meaning of "Africa" and talks about working on the Thriller album.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.