Beautiful War

Album: Mechanical Bull (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This atmospheric ballad about two lovers kissing and making up after falling out was was originally penned by frontman Caleb Followill the same weekend as 2008 hit single "Use Somebody" and recorded by him while drunk in the studio. The vocalist recalled on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio One show that he didn't remember the session, but producer Angelo Petraglia played it back for him the next day and encouraged him to flesh it out.
  • Drummer Nathan Followill recalled to Rolling Stone that once the band had laid this song down, "we thought, 'S--t, we've got our pop song – now let's go have fun.'"
  • The song's music video stars Tron: Legacy actor Garrett Hedlund as a strong-jawed cowboy whose life takes an unfortunate turn, following a bar room brawl. The clip was modeled on 1970s Westerns and was inspired by the '80s John Travolta film Urban Cowboy.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Lajon Witherspoon of Sevendust

Lajon Witherspoon of SevendustSongwriter Interviews

The Sevendust frontman talks about the group's songwriting process, and how trips to the Murder Bar helped forge their latest album.

Zac Hanson

Zac HansonSongwriter Interviews

Zac tells the story of Hanson's massive hit "MMMbop," and talks about how brotherly bonds effect their music.