Somebody's Son

Album: 11:59 (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In our interview with Ryan Star, the Long Island-based singer/songwriter told us that this is one of his favorite songs on the album. Said Star: ''It was written as a punk rock song, but we recorded it as a piano, more of a ballad. And I really love it. People keep asking, 'Is it political?' because there's a line where I say, 'Hey, hey, head of state, send me home.' It's really more about a relationship separated by a war, but it's more about longing for that person, and missing them, and what that life is like missing someone so much. Which I know a lot about, being on the road constantly. But it sets up this beautiful scene of bombs dropping over this man, but he's holding a note that his lover left him so he could think of her and remember her and keep him strong when he's awake and with what he has to do."
  • Explaining how this song went from a punk rocker to a piano ballad, Star told us: "We kept trying to find different ways to approach songs on this album. And this one would have been a rocker and fun and everything, and I play it that way live, still. But when we sat down and started stripping it and letting it be softer, I found that the vocals, the story, came out a little more. And a lot of this album is really about the songwriting and about the stories and about the imagery that I created, the movies in my mind that I like to bring out. I always joke around that I'm a lazy filmmaker, because I like to make these movies. I see the characters and everything in my head. I don't have the patience to write a two-hour script, but I have patience for a few minutes of a song."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.

Cy Curnin of The Fixx

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Vince Clarke

Vince ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

An original member of Depeche Mode, Vince went on to form Erasure and Yaz.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.