Staircase at the University

Album: World Peace Is None of Your Business (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This satire of academic expectations depicts the suicide of an over-pressured student. Producer Joe Chiccarelli recalled to Radio.com: "I went through that: I got a scholarship, and my parents were like, 'You're not going to coast by, just because you got a scholarship!' I went to Catholic school, so I understand guilt. Who can't relate to this song? Everybody at some point in their life gets that torture from their parents, to different degrees. It's so universal."
  • Chiccarelli found this a difficult track to put together in the studio. "There were those long musical sections that Moz really wanted in there," he explained. "So I had to figure out what to do, to keep your interest. There's one section where the strings are featured more, one section where the guitar is featured more. There were definitely challenges."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

The End Of The Rock Era

The End Of The Rock EraSong Writing

There are no more rock stars - the last one died in 1994.