Wanda’s Song
This was the first song we wrote when we moved to Nashville. It took a long time to write, many sessions, many hours. We didn’t have a very concrete idea for the story when we started. It started out with the hook “If that is all you see, then you don’t see me”, basically saying that people often look at superficial things, instead of really trying to get to know someone. Initially the story was very complicated. Too complicated. When we finally settled on the taunting/teasing idea, we were able to make it work better. The three of us knew people in our childhood who Wanda represented. And we could relate to the experiences of the main characters. It was cathartic to write this song and make a statement denouncing the kind of behavior that put Wanda in the place she finds herself. We are particularly proud of the bridge to this song—we think it’s one of the strongest we’ve ever written. Also, it’s the most interesting song we have musically, thanks to the acoustic groove John Paul Lourence came up with, with the verses in a minor key, and the chorus in a major key–it gives the song the funky feel it has. Rusty Danmyer and Larry Franklin nailed the dobro and fiddle parts respectively, really enhancing the recording. The process of writing this song was a good reminder that it often helps to have a fairly strong concept of the direction of the song before you begin writing—it usually makes the writing sessions much less frustrating.