The Readings » love

Third Little Word

thereadings — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:00:26 +0000

Third Little Word
This song addresses those ‘three little words’. It makes a humorous, yet accurate, observation that the most important word in the phrase is the last one. Everyday we all use the first two words in the phrase to describe things we’re fond of…pizza, beer, baseball, etc. It’s the third word, ‘you’, that gives the phrase its real meaning. We happen to have a female version of this song…we were in the studio when Gretchen Wilson, the Redneck Woman, sang the demo a year or two before she hit it big

First to Know

thereadings — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:57:55 +0000

The First to Know
This is a very personal song that came from Eric’s experience as a single person looking for that one special person. Everyone always asks, “Is this the one…what do you think?” Eric’s response has always been the same… “If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you first…She’ll be The First to Know”. This is one of the earliest Nashville compositions written by The Readings, and along with Wanda’s Song, is still considered one of the most honest and real tunes they’ve created.

That’s Gonna Be You

thereadings — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:51:57 +0000

That’s Gonna Be You
Just as She Brings Me Down is a father/daughter song, this is a father/son tune. This song addresses the common experience of most boys. At some point, when they’re young, Dad is Superman. Just a few short years later, he couldn’t be more uncool, or easier to dislike. And then one day, you wake up, and you realize you’ve become him…and the cycle is beginning again. This was a fun one to write. The difficult part was writing a chorus, where the lyrics didn’t change, but the message worked for both the positive image and negative feelings about dad. We think we achieved it, and conveyed a good message, and a relatable story.

She Brings Me Down

thereadings — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:49:57 +0000

The inspiration for this story comes from Chris’ (then three year old) daughter, Bonnie Nicole.

It’s written from the perspective of an everyday, average Dad who sometimes gets lost in his own routine, who from time to time needs a subtle reminder of what’s really important in life. Nicole never seems to care if he’s busy or otherwise occupied; she always wants his time and attention. It’s a needed reminder to stop and be a part of the fleeting moments in her life. She really was three feet high, and definitely is larger than life.

And thank God she’s around–to bring us all down (to earth). Oh, and you can see exactly what we’re talking about in the video we shot for this song. Nicole is the star!

1940

thereadings — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:47:11 +0000

This song is based on a true story—the lives of our co-writer Randy Barber’s grandparents. We did take certain liberties to make the story flow. His grandparents were actually married in the back of a department store on a Friday night, after closing time. That is such a great part of the story that it was tough to lose it, but we had all kinds of trouble getting “Woolworth’s” to fit with our melody, rhymes, and syllable count.

Eventually, we were able to come up with the good image of him walking a long distance to town, then shining his dusty shoes before they got married at the courthouse. But there really is a brother ‘Earl’, and Randy’s grandmother did wear a blue wedding dress. The baby, Randy’s Mom, wasn’t actually born in June (but it rhymes with two, you know), but her Dad did build the house himself—with a little help from friends and family.

This was a nice one to finish, a nice tribute to Randy’s grandparents.

Love’s Gone South

thereadings — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:42:10 +0000

Love’s Gone South
This song started out with Chris’s hook ‘Love’s Gone South’ and his idea that the girl had moved south, leaving her guy behind. The literal and figurative interpretation of “gone south” seemed like a good thing to work with…It took some time to come up with the idea that the couple had taken a trip to Miami together and she had fallen in love with it and left him. But once we had that, the idea for the pictures (the ‘double prints’ line…a JP gem), Raul, the lifeguard, and her belated postcard, all flowed nicely. When we reached that point, the story was basically complete; we just had to fill in the words.

38 Days

thereadings — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:55:28 +0000