“I think it’s universal that we’re trying to save ourselves and our children for generations to come.
“I’m not a preacher or a guy who talks politics or pushes my beliefs on anyone,” says Followill. It gave me a chance to tell a story.”Ī song about the dangers of climate change, “Claire & Eddie” comes off as a compelling love song for the planet. I came back the next day, and I said, ‘I got it.’ I sang all the lines leading into the ‘you do.’ It kind of allowed me to go a little deeper into the story I was wanting to tell about dementia and what it does to people. I had to think about it, and I went home that night. It was almost time to record it, and I was doing a ‘do, do, do.’ (Guitarist) Matthew (Followill) said it would be impactful if I made that a lyric. “As soon as I first played it, the first lyrics of the song were the first things that came out of my mouth,” says Followill when asked about the tune. “100,000 People” starts with a solemn guitar progression and a beefy bass riff before the chords dramatically change. There are few real poets out there who have come and gone. No matter how hard you work, you feel like you never quite get there, so you keep plugging away at it. “It’s guys like that that keep us writing songs,” says Followill when asked about how the two songwriters inspired the song. The narrative-driven tune features a driving guitar riff. Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson inspired “The Bandit,” one of the album's many highlights. When we got into the studio, if we had ideas that we were excited about, I would let us work through them to the point that we had a clear path as to what the arrangement would be and then I would go in there and hammer away at the lyrics and make sure the story was deserving of the music we played.”
That’s usually when the songs start to come to me. “We go out there after the holidays after the dust settles and all the presents have been opened,” he says. The shimmering “When You See Yourself, Are You Far Away,” for example, features an undulating guitar riff as Followill croons “one more night, will you stay here.”įollowill says he started writing the album’s new tunes while out at his farm in the dead of winter. Written before the pandemic, When You See Yourself comes off as a very introspective and contemplative album that’s suited to the tumultuous times. “We were just trying to not get hit with nachos.” “We were slightly prepared but not as prepared as we would be for a real tour,” says Followill.