Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville
Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
THE SONGS, THE STORIES, THE TRACK BY TRACK
ONCE IN A LIFETIME (John Shanks, Keith Urban): You have to write about where you are in life and you need to tell the truth. I don't keep journals, so I tend to write in the moment. Then, once the music comes, the accompanying lyrics seem to flow. This was the case writing "Once In A Lifetime" with John Shanks. When I listened to the music it felt like it was about a guy who wants to state his intentions to his girl, to reaffirm things. It made the lyrics easy to write because it was exactly what I was feeling at that time in my life.
SHINE (Monty Powell, Keith Urban): I'd just gotten my studio set up in Nashville. Monty Powell came over to make sure everything was working properly. The drum machine was set on this particular pattern with a double snare and I just started playing the chords. It was an overcast day and the idea struck us that in every relationship there are dark days. This song is about being there for your partner; being a light, if you will, that shines in a moment of need.
I TOLD YOU SO (Keith Urban): "I Told You So" started out with just a banjo and a drum machine – how traditional is that? The song had this infectious Celtic sound. I'd only written the chorus and couldn't think of anything else so I put it aside. Sometime toward the end of the album I played my little work tape to Dann and he said, "We've got to do that one." So I wrote the rest of the song in the studio. The lyric is real stream of consciousness.
I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU (Billy Nicholls): There is something about this song that just fits the record. I assumed that everyone knew the song. It turns out "I Can't Stop Lovin' You" was more of a hit in Australia and Europe than it was over here. Phil Collins did it a while back, but I always loved Leo Sayer's version and we took a lot of the template from that version.
WON’T LET YOU DOWN (Keith Urban): It was a Sunday afternoon and I was at home. My wife was going out. She said, "What are you going to do today?" I said, "Probably write a song." I was half-joking, but by the time she came home it was finished. That rarely happens to me. They don't always come that way but I'm grateful when they do.
FASTER CAR (Keith Urban): I wrote the song on the bass guitar, and my intention was to record it with drum machine and bass. But by the time it was finished in the studio I had laid down 2 electric guitars, ganjo, a bunch of vocals and a 4-piece horn section miraculously appeared – so much for simplicity. As for the lyrics, frankly, they're just complete sexual innuendo all the way through.
STUPID BOY (Sarah Buxton, Deanna Bryant, Dave Berg): A friend of mine played me this Sarah Buxton song while on my bus and I thought it was amazing. Given that it was already on her album it didn't occur to me that I'd be able to record it. But I loved it so much I figured I'd just ask her anyway. Thankfully she said yes and I'm grateful she did. I can definitely relate to the guy in this song.
USED TO THE PAIN (Darrell Brown, Keith Urban): I wrote "Used To The Pain" with Darrell Brown. We wrote "Live To Love Another Day" together on Be Here and Darrell also co-wrote "You'll Think of Me" and "Raining on Sunday" from Golden Road. I had the music and the groove for this one, but Darrell had this very cool idea for the lyric that made a point about love, pain and getting past the scars we all pick up along the way.
RAISE THE BARN (Monty Powell, Keith Urban): Monty and I wrote this after we'd gone to New Orleans about eight months after Hurricane Katrina. We were shocked at how little had been done. We got home and started thinking about the triumphant spirit of those working to rebuild the city. So we wrote this song about them. I was thrilled that Ronnie (Dunn) wanted to do it as much as I did.
GOD MADE WOMAN (Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson, Steve McEwan): This song had a melody that I found totally infectious and a lyric that I absolutely loved. It started off with a wild electric wah wah riff and I had the idea to juxtapose that with a proper English Choir. I mean, how could you do a song about God making woman without a choir? The end result leaves quite the smile on my face.
TU COMPAÑÍA (Monty Powell, Keith Urban): I thought this song would be a good respite from everything else on the album. It's a back-porch rhythmic jam with a simple lyric about loving your girl's company. I had a quirky idea to have a female voice speaking Spanish over the musical break. I'm not sure what she's saying, but it sounds good to me. The title translates to "your company."
EVERYBODY (Richard Marx, Keith Urban): Richard Marx and I co-wrote "Better Life" on Be Here. Although the phrase "everybody needs somebody sometimes" is far from original, the sentiment is as true today as it ever was. When you hear a song that speaks to you and what you're going through, there's a reassurance in knowing that others have been where you are.
GOT IT RIGHT THIS TIME (Keith Urban): I wrote "Got It Right This Time" in the house one afternoon to a drum machine groove. The 3 minutes 36 seconds that it took to record reflected the simplicity and the honesty of the lyric.