Before It's Over

Album: Modern Vintage (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • DJ Ashba told Artist Direct this ragtime-themed closing track is one of his favorites on Modern Vintage as he is a lover of the early 20th century genre with a syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. The Sixx: A.M. guitarist told Artist Direct: "A lot of the young kids today haven't even heard ragtime because it's a genre that's been lost and forgotten. You don't hear many ragtime songs these days, especially for a rock band to write a song in that vein. To me, that was a challenge."

    "It was about going back to studying that style of playing and wanting to bring to the table a cool authentic solo," DJ Ashba continued. "I did research on all the ragtime piano riffs. It's really cool. We were able to do it and still make it sound like Sixx:A.M. I used to love listening to Van Halen records as a kid because they would throw in those surprises like 'Ice Cream Man.' 'I'm super proud of this and happy we put it last."
  • Another rock song with ragtime elements is Stone Temple Pilots' breakthrough single, "Plush." The song's chord structure was inspired by bassist Robert DeLeo's love of the "raggedy" turn-of-the-20th-Century style of music.
  • Vocalist and lyricist James Michael explained the song's meaning during a Reddit AMA: "It's about someone who is struggling to deal with the loss of a loved one," he said. "The character in the song is very isolated and lonely even though he is surrounded by people that are trying to help him pick up the pieces and move on."

    "The uplifting ragtime feel of the track represents the world moving on around him and it isolates him even more as he is unable to cope," Michael continued. "The contrast of the 'happy' feeling of the music with his painfully lonely lyric creates the discomfort that he is feeling."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in Rock

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in RockSong Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

Billy Gould of Faith No More

Billy Gould of Faith No MoreSongwriter Interviews

Faith No More's bassist, Billy Gould, chats to us about his two new experimental projects, The Talking Book and House of Hayduk, and also shares some stories from the FNM days.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.