Instant Pleasure

Album: Big Daddy Soundtrack (1999)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • With the opening lyrics, "I don't want somebody to love me, just give me sex whenever I want it," this song is often assumed to be about casual sex, but according to Seth Swirsky, who wrote the song, there's more to it. Seth told Songfacts: "We're living in an age of instant pleasure. That song - I wrote it very, very spontaneously. I remember thinking, Should I click on the TV or should I go to the computer or should I go to the microwave to get my coffee? And I'm thinking, Wow, I really need it to happen instantly… and then it all came. The whole song wrote itself that moment."
  • Rufus Wainwright recorded this for the Big Daddy soundtrack, but didn't release it as a single. Since you won't find that soundtrack in many record collections and the song is hard to find digitally, it was destined for a niche audience, but Swirsky always like the song and used it as an opportunity to launch a solo career after years working as a staff songwriter. So, in 2004, he released his own version as the title track to his first album. Says Seth: "I thought, 'Well, if I'm recording this, there's a bunch of other songs I'd like to record.' And then I started writing more in that vein. And then I thought, 'Well, he's not coming out with it as a single, the song needs a life.' It needs to have at least a second chance. And I recorded that song, and it led to a whole bunch of writing. I think I was ready to write a bunch of different kinds of songs at that point. Not for other artists - I'd been away from that for a bit. So it was very organic how the artist emerged in me."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he Inspired

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Devo

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.