Buttercup

Album: Blessed (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Blessed was the first album released by Lucinda Williams after her marriage to her manager Tom Overby. Some people were surprised that the newly wed Alternative Country singer-songwriter included this number about love gone sour in the collection. Williams explained in an interview with The Boot that she started on the song several years previously when she was working on her 2008 album Little Honey and was trying to get one last bit of angst about a previous beau out of her system. Said the singer: "'Buttercup' was [begun] about the time I wrote 'Jailhouse Tears,' when I was working on Little Honey. I came up with the idea [for the lyrics] 'you live the life of a little kid with bruises on your knees.' After that line, I knew it was going to be something. It is funny because sometimes I work on them and work on them, and you can't force them. Sometimes you have to put them aside and come back later. I don't write every day. I am always coming up with lines and everything and just keep everything. For that one, I was thinking of one person when I was writing."
  • Lucinda Williams told the A.V. Club this was the only "bad-boy song" on the album and that it was inspired by the same guy she wrote "Jailhouse Tears" about (from her previous album, Little Honey).

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"

Narada Michael Walden - "Freeway of Love"They're Playing My Song

As a songwriter and producer, Narada had hits with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Starship. But what song does he feel had the greatest impact on his career?

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.