Not Like Me

Album: Do You Believe (2011)

Songfacts®:

  • Quarterfly frontman Kip Darby wrote the lyrics to this song after two members of the band - guitarist Jeff Jennings and bass player Tim Morelock - lost their fathers in 2009. Darby told us: "With me and my father, it's the typical story of the musician and the father, the baby boomer who doesn't want the son to be a musician. And that's my story in a roundabout way. And when I saw that they lost their fathers, it was a turning point for me, because I was like, Wow, I've still got my dad. But when we wrote the song, I wanted those guys to know that I realize they missed their fathers. At the same time, I put myself in their shoes, but I also wanted to tell my father he's not like me. I just looked at it as I'm talking through one of those guys who lost their father, if they were able to come back down to earth, then, through my eyes and my father, realize you're not like me."
  • Darby's dad was hoping for a more sensible career for his son, but Kip had his mind on music and his father gave him the motivation he needed. Said Kip, "I have a wonderful family with two kids and a wife, and my dad is a great guy. But who I am today, the tattoos and the long hair and the rock band, he told me when I was in high school, he looked me dead in the eye - and he did it for my own good - he said, 'Learn a trade, because you'll never make it as a musician.' He did me a favor there, because this is record number 5 for me." (Here the full interview with Kip Darby of Quarterfly.)

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