Red Guitar

Album: Kris Allen (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Allen has a solo writing credit for this sweetly sentimental song, which he penned for his wife, Katy, long before he appeared on American idol. He's the second "Idol" winner to have a sole writing credit on a track from his debut post-"Idol" album following in David Cook's footsteps.
  • The song was inspired by, and written on, a cheap beginner's guitar Kris bought for Katy, which she never learnt to play. However, Allen told Entertainment Weekly shortly after laying down the track, that it's open to interpretation. "I know what it means to me," he said, "but it might mean something else to you. [Mike Flynn] and I were working on the track last night. It was fun to be in the studio and working with a producer who sees your vision for a song you wrote."
  • Unsurprisingly, Katy has said this autobiographical ditty is one of her favorite tracks on the album.
  • Allen told Billboard magazine the story of the song: "I bought a red guitar for my wife for her birthday and she never played it [laughs], so we ended up sticking it on the wall in our house - it was a horrible guitar, just like a $50 guitar - but it was a good house decoration. And one day I picked it up and tuned it and started playing it, and this song just became kind of a metaphor for how I feel about my wife. It was nice to get that one on the album because it was something from before the Idol stuff and I feel like it's an amazing song. It shows who I am as a songwriter and as a musician."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of WayneSongwriter Interviews

The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

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.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."