Take A Load Off

Album: Stone Temple Pilots (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a track from Stone Temple Pilots' last album with lead singer Scott Weiland. It was their first record in nine years, their previous release being 2001's Shangri-La Dee Da.
  • Guitarist Dean DeLeo told MusicRadar about the song: "To me, there's two types of people: there's thinkers and there's feelers. The thinkers are lawyers and accountants. The feelers are writers and artists. When I hear this song, I'm thinking that everybody can be in that second category. Musically, it gets me off like you wouldn't believe. I love the chord voicings, which are a little Jimmy Pagey, I guess. Plus, the band is really playing balls-out on this song. When we got back together and played live on the road, we had some hot coals in our pants. This song reflects that spirit."
  • For the song's lyrics, singer Scott Weiland listened and studied to more poetical wordsmiths to learn how to free his writing from his autobiographical and "self-obsessed" nature. He told Ted Stryker in an interview on his KROQ-FM show, "There's an art to telling a story, and it can mean anything, or it can mean nothing."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.