Carousel

Album: Rabbits on the Run (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The first single from Vanessa Carlton's fourth album Rabbits on the Run, she told us "Carousel" is "the only song I've ever written in a dream that sounded great in the morning." Apparently, many of the best songs come in the form of dreams, but capturing them before they flutter off is the challenge - perhaps the best example is how Keith Richards managed to get the "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" riff on tape before he fell back to sleep.

    For Carlton, she was enjoying a pleasant dream where the "da na na na na" tune was floating around. To her, it sounded like a musical scale. Said Carlton: "I woke up with a feeling more than the words. But I had the scale and I had the rhythm of the chorus, which is like you're resting on the one note. It was like 3:30, I'd woken up, and I went out to the piano and just recorded it quickly on my garage band, the piano part - I have no idea how I remembered it. So I just played that and then I went back to bed. And now the words started coming, the vibe of the song lyrically, it was all coming. And I wrote it all down in the dark in my Blackberry." (Check out our full interview with Vanessa Carlton.)

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Kiss

KissFact or Fiction

Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.