Amen

Album: iTunes Single (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The idea for this song came to frontman Aswan North when he was walking around Manhattan and constantly hearing New Yorkers use the old phrase "Amen." "So I'm in a room with a writer and we get this little beat going and I get this idea," he recalled to Alternative Addiction. "I'm sitting there and I'm like 'huh, I'm hearing lots of people on this trip who keep going, amen, amen.' I thought that was weird. Were they trying to bring back old school slang? I even heard one dude say, 'that's so righteous.' They were saying all of these cool, uplifting, hopeful spiritual words that were really attached to scripture but served as slang. Amen means - if I looked it up - the definition is "let it be so, or let it be.' A new way of saying it - it is what it is - so I thought, instead I'm just going to say amen. That's a cool word in Manhattan and everybody liked it and thought I was on the right track."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. JonesSongwriter Interviews

The Stax legend on how he cooked up "Green Onions," the first time he and Otis Redding saw hippies, and if he'll ever play a digital organ.

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.