Sweet Things In Life
by Zada

Album: Water In The Desert (2023)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this alt-R&B ballad from her debut album, Water In The Desert, Zada finds the perfect man - only he's not perfect for her. The pair have different perspectives on life, and the singer doesn't want to give up her ambitions in favor of his outlook. "The sweet things in life, oh, they don't lead to you," she sings. "I'm too starry-eyed, I want a new point of view."

    The Ethiopian-born Vancouverite, who wrote the song with producers Chin Injeti and Brian West and R&B songwriter Kareem James, said it's about "the desire to ride out into dusk and never look back is contrasted with dreams of aspiring to be something more - to find a place of acceptance while confronting your inner wild child. This is a dance, a balancing act, and a metaphor for life."
  • Zada got wind of the track through a text she wasn't supposed to see. Her producer Chin Injeti recorded it with Elisa Thorn, a harpist from Vancouver, and planned to have Zada write lyrics for it as a birthday surprise. When he clued the singer's mother into his plan via text, Zada spotted the message. She told the Songfacts Podcast: "I didn't get to hear the track - he didn't put it in an MP3 or anything like that - he just said he hired this person. I was like, 'I've either got to act really surprised or it's going to be really good.'"

    Thankfully she didn't have to put her acting skills to use. When she finally heard the track, she was "so ecstatic over it."
  • Once the team brought Kareem James into the fold, the lyrics took shape after the songwriter posed a simple question. "It was the four of us in the studio and we kind of just passed the mic around. He came into the session and the first thing he said was, 'Have you ever been in love?'" Zada recalled to Songfacts. When the singer stumbled over her words in response, James knew he struck the right chord.

    "He's like, 'There we go, we're writing about that, because that was not straightforward,'" she continued. "And I was like, 'Okay, let's do it.' And he's like, 'Why this emotion? Why did that all come out of you?' I'm like, 'Because I'm awkward. And then also because it's complicated.'"
  • Zada incorporated her love of horseback riding into the video, which features shots of her petting and riding a horse intercut with scenes of her singing in a barn-like studio. "I got to ride a horse all the way through that. That was a lot of fun! People were saying, 'We're wrapped! You don't have to ride anymore!' And I was saying, 'Can I just keep riding?' I was having such a good time."

    The clip reunited Zada with her "Atlantic Times" directors Blake Jorgenson and Leo Hoorn.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Daryl Hall

Daryl HallSongwriter Interviews

Daryl Hall's TV show is a hit, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - only one of these developments excites him.