Something's Gotta Blow

Album: Into the Blues (2007)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Tensions are rising high in this eight-minute track as hordes of people are jammed together on a subway platform waiting for a delayed train to arrive. Tired and sweaty, their individual problems are amplified as aggression builds and threatens that "something's gotta blow."

    Joan Armatrading wrote from her own experience. "They announced there'd been a suicide so all the lines were being stopped. The platform was seriously packed and hot. People weren't annoyed by the suicide but by the wait and the heat, and before we got to the station the escalator had broken down, so all this was going on. When the train finally came I whipped out my pen and paper and wrote the words, so all of the things that you hear are what happened that day," she told Daniel Rachel for the book The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New York

Barney Hoskyns Explores The Forgotten History Of Woodstock, New YorkSong Writing

Our chat with Barney Hoskyns, who covers the wild years of Woodstock - the town, not the festival - in his book Small Town Talk.

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

The End Of The Rock Era

The End Of The Rock EraSong Writing

There are no more rock stars - the last one died in 1994.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. Televangelists

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. TelevangelistsSong Writing

When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.

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.