Skeletons

Album: Skeletons (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Over a foot-stomping melody led by guitarist John Osborne, TJ Osborne sings of his suspicions concerning his lover. Though he's got no hard evidence, he suspects his partner has been unfaithful as they've been creepin' around, talking in their sleep and telling fibs. It's clear his lover has skeletons in their closet, and Osborne has a bone to pick with them.

    TJ Osborne is gay, so though he doesn't specify the gender of his lover in the song, we can assume it's a man.
  • You got skeletons in your closet
    It's written all over your face


    A skeleton in the closet is a discreditable or embarrassing fact that someone conspires to keep secret. Other artists that have used the phrase to highlight someone's shame or worry include:

    Eminem with "Cleanin Out My Closet": ("Ha! I got some skeletons in my closet. And I don't know if no one knows it").

    Green Day with "Coming Clean" ("Secrets collecting dust but never forget. Skeletons come to life in my closet").

    Kenny Chesney with "Demons" ("Skeletons in closets. Ghost underneath the bed").

    Ed Sheeran with "The Man" ("I'm just disgusted with the skeletons you sleep with in your closet to get back at me").

    Drake with "Redemption" ("Just ignore all the skeletons in my closet. I'm a walkin' come-up, I'm a bank deposit").

    All Time Low with "Dirty Laundry" ("Her closet's such a mess. Filled up with all the skeletons she's kept").
  • The Osborne brothers wrote "Skeletons" with their friend Andrew DeRoberts. The Nashville songwriter also co-penned their single "All Night."
  • Jay Joyce produced the track along with the rest of the Skeletons album. Joyce also played the synthesizer and five-string banjo; TJ Osbourne the acoustic guitars; and John Osborne the electric guitar (with Jason Graumlich). The other musicians are:

    Pete Sternberg: bass guitar
    Billy Justineau: Wurlitzer electric piano, keyboards, Hammond B3
    Adam Box: drums
  • "Skeletons" is the title track of Brothers Osborne's third studio album and the first song they recorded for it. "One of the main reasons we named our record Skeletons is we feel that that song defines where we're at in our career sonically and lyrically and defines what our band sounds like," the sibling duo explained. "Just the word, Skeletons, has such a really cool aesthetic and brand to it. We knew we could really have a lot of fun in terms of the art, the album art and production and stuff like that. It's really compelling. It gets your brain going."
  • Brothers Osborne released an animated video for the song that features John and TJ as, yep, skeletons.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Chris Rea

Chris ReaSongwriter Interviews

It took him seven years to recover from his American hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)," but Chris Rea became one of the top singer-songwriters in his native UK.