If You Can't Sleep

Album: Volume 2 (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • She & Him is an American indie folk band consisting of singer and pianist Zooey Deschanel and guitarist and producer M. Ward. Descanel sings this lullaby pretty much a cappella. She explained to Pitchfork Media: "I originally recorded that song with ukulele and a bunch of harmonies and then I just muted the ukulele and was like, 'Oh, that sounds good.' I'll write and make chords with my voice sometimes if I don't have an instrument even though it takes a million times longer [laughs]. Then I sent it to Matt as an a cappella demo and we just did more harmonies. I don't like to plan harmonies too much, because there's something fun that happens when you just sing a pass, then sing another pass, and layer them on top of each other. All of a sudden you've got all these parts. We were talking a lot about the Beach Boys and how they triple their vocals, so I was like, 'Every line has to be tripled.' It was exhausting, but fun."
  • Deschanel told The Sun April 2, 2010: "I wrote it as a lullaby and wanted to make my voice sound as much like a string section as possible. I loved being in a choir growing up, over-dubbing harmonies is so much fun. I loved recording this song although it was hard work. It was a great challenge."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.