A Certain Light

Album: The Beast In Its Tracks (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Beast in Its Tracks was written following the ending of Josh Ritter's marriage to singer-songwriter Dawn Landes and their subsequent divorce. The line, "She only looks like you in a certain kind of light," also crops up in another track from the album "New Lover."

    Ritter explained why he used the lyric twice to MSN CA: "If you're suddenly on your own and you're looking around at all these people in all these potential people you see in a bar, or girls you talk to. You think, 'Have I learned anything? I've gone down the same road again.' I love that line, because I do feel that, like Mark Twain says, 'It doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.' There are those moments when you feel a little rhyme happening. Or Stephen King talks about that too. I love that line, so I thought I'd write another song about it."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Who Did It First?

Who Did It First?Music Quiz

Do you know who recorded the original versions of these ten hit songs?

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Gary Louris of The Jayhawks

Gary Louris of The JayhawksSongwriter Interviews

The Jayhawks' song "Big Star" has special meaning to Gary, who explains how longevity and inspiration have trumped adulation.