That Is Why

Album: Bellybutton (1990)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • With a lyric by Jellyfish frontman Andy Sturmer, "That Is Why" is about a guy ready to call off a toxic relationship. He's become dependent on her, which is why it's gone on so long, but now it's time to end it. Sturmer is a fan of Elvis Costello, whose influence is clear on lines like "It's partly cloudy with trouser stains."
  • Jellyfish keyboard player Roger Manning wrote the music. In a Songfacts interview, he explained how it came together: "Andy had the chorus idea, and he didn't know where to take it. But he believed in it and I believed in it when he played it for me. And I got inspired to help create that verse and the bridge and we finished the song structure itself in a 30-minute writing session, because we were both so excited in the core of the idea. And then demoing it and arranging it, that was a whole other can of worms to crack it open."
  • This was Jellyfish's second single, following "The King Is Half-Undressed." It got some airplay on Modern Rock radio and earned some spins on MTV with the Rocky Schenck-directed video, but Jellyfish was pushing against the tides of grunge with their multi-layered pop sound, and they never landed a big hit. The group released just two albums before breaking up in 1994.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Harold Brown of War

Harold Brown of WarSongwriter Interviews

A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?