Down to Zero

Album: Joan Armatrading (1976)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about a woman whose confidence is cut down in a flash when her man runs off with someone else. Suddenly she is "down to zero," an unfamiliar and unexpected place.

    Armatrading wrote the song after speaking with two different women who had essentially the same story. "They both felt they were beautiful women, and they couldn't understand why their men weren't so overwhelmed with their beauty that they didn't even consider glancing at another person, let alone going off with anybody else," she said in her Songfacts interview. "It was just weird for me at the time that these two women were going through the same kind of thing and thinking about themselves in the same way, so I wrote that song about that situation."
  • Four different guitars were used on this track: Armatrading played 6-string, Graham Lyle played 12-string, Jerry Donahue played electric, and B. J. Cole was on pedal steel. Kenney Jones, who would later replace Keith Moon in The Who, was the drummer.

    The album was produced by Glyn Johns, whose previous work includes the first Led Zeppelin album and the Eagles debut.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Al Jourgensen of Ministry

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.

Zakk Wylde

Zakk WyldeSongwriter Interviews

When he was playing Ozzfest with Black Label Society, a kid told Zakk he was the best Ozzy guitarist - Zakk had to correct him.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.

Janet Jackson

Janet JacksonFact or Fiction

Was Janet secretly married at 18? Did she gain 60 pounds for a movie role that went to Mariah Carey? See what you know about Ms. Jackson.

Chris Isaak

Chris IsaakSongwriter Interviews

Chris tells the story of "Wicked Game," talks milkshakes and moonpies at Sun Records, and explains why women always get their way.