Album: Tearing at the Seams (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The opening track of Tearing At The Seams finds Nathaniel Rateliff crooning lyrics off the top of his head. He recalled to NPR how his random singing met the approval of producer Richard Swift.

    "The guys just played it a few times and I drunkenly stumbled in and was like, 'Sounds good if you blabbity bloo.' I got a lot of rolling eyes and then I went back into the sound booth and they just did a couple more takes. Then, Richard was like 'Why don't you guys come in here and listen?' And that's what this is."

    Keyboardist Mark Shusterman added: "We didn't think that when we were going to go in and listen that we were like, going to listen to a song that was done for the record. We were like: 'Oh yeah, I mean all of our instruments sound good.' Richard is so good at making things sound good right off the bat. I haven't worked with a ton of producers, but you don't hear that often."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

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.