Earthquake

Album: Road To Rome (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Sarah Potenza wrote this stirring piano ballad in honor of her husband, Ian Crossman - a guitarist who has been writing and playing music with the singer since they were teenagers - when the Road to Rome proved to be a rocky one. While Crossman did play guitar on the album, he didn't have the same artistic control he was used to, which caused friction between the couple until Crossman agreed to follow his wife's lead to fulfill her vision for the album. Meanwhile, Potenza was working with a new collaborator, Justin Wiseman, for the first time, which diminished Crossman's role in the project. On the track, Potenza admits she has an ego and can shake the foundations of their lives like an earthquake, but apologizes for making her husband feel like less than an equal partner.

    "So on a positive note, this song is about a guy who is amazing - a husband and amazing partner and amazing man," Potenza told Billboard. "We're kind of in this time now where there's a lot of negativity going on with #MeToo and everything, so it's nice to put this love song about a modern couple out there. It's such a great, 50/50 relationship, and that's a really positive thing 'cause you don't see a lot of that out there."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.