Backslide

Album: Clancy (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Backslide" is the third single from Twenty One Pilots' sixth studio album, Clancy. The track dives deep, with frontman Tyler Joseph baring his soul about fame, career choices, regrets and the creeping anxieties that come with artistic evolution. It's all there in the chorus:

    I don't wanna backslide to where I've started from
    There's no chance I will shake this again
  • "Backslide" is steeped in the lore of Clancy, the fictional world woven throughout various Twenty One Pilots albums. Joseph makes references to previous eras of the band, directly naming "Saturday" from the duo's fifth studio album, Scaled And Icy.

    Bad place, on a hundred-dollar bass
    Kinda wishin' that I never did "Saturday"


    Fans had a field day deciphering it all. "Saturday" might represent a misstep for Clancy, the story's protagonist. A cautionary tale, perhaps, urging him to stay on the straight and narrow.
  • Tyler Joseph wrote "Backslide" himself and co-produced it with Mutemath frontman Paul Meany. Sonically, the song throws it back to Twenty One Pilots' Blurryface era with a gritty, hip-hop-tinged beat reminiscent of "Stressed Out."
  • The music video, directed by Josh Dun in his directorial debut, takes a Groundhog Day turn. We see Tyler stuck on repeat, cruising around town on his signature red and black BMX.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.