Sideways

Album: Unusual (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Marian Hill got a lot of Shazams when their song "Down" was used in an Apple AirPods commercial in 2017. "Sideways" is a track from their second album, Unusual, which was released the following year.

    Vocalist Samantha Gongol plays a sassy vixen on many of their songs, but here she's much more vulnerable as she tries to make sense of this guy she digs who's always looking at her sideways. Her bandmate, Jeremy Lloyd, created the track, keeping it percolating to just under a boil as Gongol's vocals are the focus.
  • There are some lines in this song that ring true for Gongol:

    I'm not the kind of girl that likes to hold hands
    I tend to run from it as fast as I can


    In a Songfacts interview with Marian Hill, the duo had this exchange:

    Samantha: "Jeremy and I had this really long conversation where I said something like, 'I think holding hands is really intimate and it makes me uncomfortable.'"

    Jeremy: "I think you were saying it was more intimate than sex."

    Samantha: "I think I did say that, yeah. It's definitely one of our more sad, reflective pieces, but it wasn't autobiographical other than that line."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Peter Lord

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.

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?

Joan Armatrading

Joan ArmatradingSongwriter Interviews

The revered singer-songwriter talks inspiration and explains why she put a mahout in "Drop the Pilot."

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

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.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?