Cannonball

Album: Big Mess (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Grouplove guitarist Andrew Wessen wrote this song. The band explained its meaning to iHeartRadio: "It's about stepping up. Life has moments where you can step up, and it's sort of like be a cannonball. Just, make your mark. Do what you gotta do and to not just burn out. Not just stay on your phone all day, except you're probably on the phone watching/reading this, so ... sorry."
  • This was the most difficult Big Mess track to produce. Keyboardist Hannah Hooper recalled to Radio.com.

    "Andrew came in with 'Cannonball' and he wanted me to sing the lyrics and it didn't feel right. I actually re-wrote all the lyrics at one point. I was like, these are Andrew's words and even though we're best friends he's a surfer and lives in Venice and he's a man… ha ha. It just didn't feel like it was me. Whenever I'm singing, I wrote the lyrics to that part.

    That was the first time Andrew and I had a real head-to-head and he's - as all artists are - sensitive about their work. So that was the hardest song for me but I absolutely love the way it turned out. We found an amazing balance of how to share that song vocally."
  • A cannonball is a spherical solid projectile fired from a cannon. During land battles, a cannonball would often plough through many ranks of troops, causing multiple casualties. Grouplove are using the cannonball in this song as a way of illustration how they want to make their mark. Other artists that used the cannonball as a metaphor include The Breeders, Supertramp, Damien Rice and Lea Michele.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.