Vampire

Album: released as a single (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Pebe Sebert is Kesha's mom, and often her co-writer. Before she had Kesha, Pebe set her sights on becoming a pop star, but it didn't work out. She was a Nashville songwriter with a #1 Country hit to her credit: "Old Flames (Can't Hold a Candle to You)" by Dolly Parton. In 1984 she put together demos for a recording session that never happened when she fell victim to drug and mental health issues. "Vampire" is a song Sebert wrote for the album with David Vidal; they composed it in Burbank, California, where Sebert was living. They recorded the demo at Criterion Studios in Hollywood with a young studio boffin named Guy Roche producing.

    "Vampire" didn't see the light until decades later when Sebert found the reel-to-reel demo recording in her archives. She reconnected with Roche, who had become a hit-making producer for Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Cher, and many other artists. Roche was able to digitize the tape and clean it up, and on October 22, 2021 (just in time for Halloween), Seibert released it as her first single, 37 years after it was recorded.
  • The song is about an amorous encounter with a vampire. Pebe Sebert has always been in touch with the supernatural, so it's right in her wheelhouse. "I'm into ghosts, spaceships, past lives, astrology," she said in a Songfacts interview. "All the less-than-real things are what I get the most enjoyment out of. I'm not a person who's going to get enjoyment out of a football game.

    So, I've always been fascinated with all of that stuff, and we were talking about vampires, and the whole idea of not being scared of a vampire and looking forward to that.

    Part of it, for me, is that I've always felt out-of-the-loop, like, a little too odd to fit in, so it was almost from the perspective of not finding anyone here I could connect with, so I'm going to connect with this dead vampire. That's going to be my special guy."
  • Kesha recorded this song, but her version was never released. It's original title was "Didn't I Hold You."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

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?

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

Todd Rundgren

Todd RundgrenSongwriter Interviews

Todd Rundgren explains why he avoids "Hello It's Me," and what it was like producing Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album.