On The Chin

Album: Mechanical Bull (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Caleb Followill's lyrics for this whiskey-soaked Country number were inspired by the support he's got from his buddy, JD. He explained to Billboard magazine: "We've always been each other's best friends, because that's all we had. We were picking up and moving, every town we went to we knew we weren't gonna be there too long, so we knew, 'don't make too close of friends, and don't fall in love.' Being in Nashville, I finally had a buddy outside of the band, and he was just kind of always, no matter what you need, he's there. He's just a good guy. And that song kind of came at a time when I needed a friend, and I wrote it about him. And he's scared of the water. He's scared of sharks."
  • For bassist Jared Followill, the song can be interpreted as being about the mutual support the family members have for each other. He told HitFix: "So many of our songs can be interpreted in so many different ways. At the time you can actually write something and it can be completely abstract to you at the time and then a year later, something will happen to you and you'll listen back and be like, 'Wow, that song sounds like it was written perfectly for the situation.' But that song, particularly, the way Caleb started writing those lyrics, it was for one of his friends, his buddy, JD. It's actually about that, then you hear it and it can mean so much. It can fit so many different situations. It can be for all of us together, it can be for our wives. I like songs that are open to interpretation."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

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.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"