Paperback Head

Album: Sainthood (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • After 14 years of making music and six albums together, this is the first true Tegan & Sara collaboration. The pair usually choose to write separately but decided to try to write together for the first time during a trip to New Orleans. This was the only song from the trip to make it onto the record but the pair considered the collaboration a success - even if it was, at times, trying. "It certainly illuminated for me the differences between our writing styles," Sara told The Canadian Press.
  • Sara summed up the process to MTV News with one word: "Awkward. Not just because it was Tegan, [but] I don't think I would project a level of comfort with anyone. It's such an intimate time. I've never approached music as a collaborative effort. It's one part of our career that we actually do alone." Tegan added: "Only one song we collaborated on made the final 13. But we wrote 51 songs, some together, some different. It's exciting to know there's something to look forward to - that there will be more writing and collaboration."
  • Tegan told Billboard magazine that the duo found their writing styles were not particularly compatible, with Sara by far the more "meticulous" of the two. However, with this song the twins, who live on opposite sides of their native Canada, discovered they could work together if they weren't in the same room. "We've been sharing files and sending MP3s back and forth and collaborating that way," she said. "We find it easier. But I'm glad we did try to sit in a room together and do it so we could see how we each worked. I felt proud we were able to do it without being arrested or killing each other."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

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

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.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.