What Was It Like

Album: Damned Devotion (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Joan Wasser, AKA Joan as Police Woman, was adopted at birth by her parents, Pauline and Dick. Her research chemist adoptive father was one of the kindest men she's ever known, and here she pays tribute to his calm and generous spirit.

    You said, I could never see what passing judgment
    On anybody else would ever do for me


    Wasser told Uncut magazine: "My father had passed a couple of years before, and I got a quote of his in there, in the chorus, because I wanted to remember it - 'I could never see what passing judgment. On anybody else would ever do for me.' That song is 100 percent about him and how gentle he was as a person."
  • Wasser's crooning of her devotion to a parental figure ties in with Damned Devotion's theme of devoting herself to things obsessively. She told Uncut the record is "about the creative process and also that idea of devotion in general, the fact that when your devoted to something all of your peripheral vision disappears."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Butch Vig

Butch VigSongwriter Interviews

The Garbage drummer/songwriter produced the Nirvana album Nevermind, and Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Siamese Dream.

Adam Young of Owl City

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?

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.

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.