Al's Coral

Album: World Of Joy (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This track opens Howler's World of Joy album and was one of the first songs they wrote for the record. Frontman Jordan Gatesmith told NME: "It's about some s---ty bar I went to in Minneapolis and wrote an anthem for."

    "I 100 percent ripped off 'Jailbreak' by Thin Lizzy," he added. "I was pretty proud of myself. I hope I don't get sued."
  • Gatesmith told Words For Music the story of the song: "Al's Corral is a bar we visited in St. Paul's and it was a super-American dive bar," he said. "I remember just walking in there and seeing motorcycles, leather jackets – and Thin Lizzy was playing on the jukebox. There was this giant American flag with a gun next to it, and it said 'freedom is never free," which blew my mind – it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen."

    "The song sort of has a classic American vibe to it," he added. "We were inspired by Thin Lizzy playing; even if they are a UK band. But in America they've totally got that cock-rock vibe – 'The Boys Are Back In Town' sounds very American to us. We didn't quite rip it off, but we messed around with the song 'Jailbreak' and turned it into our own song – we wanted our own dive bar song."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

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

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.

Joe Jackson

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.