C'mon Let Me Ride

Album: Don't Look Down (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Both the lead single from Skylar Grey's Don't Look Down album and its accompanying video bring a more fun and sarcastic side of the singer-songwriter's personality to the table. "'C'mon Let Me Ride' is sarcastic, because I'm making fun of how the media really over-sexualizes everything. That's where the inspiration comes from," she explained to MTV News. "There's pieces of [the song and video] that are sarcastic, because I'm a very serious person most of the time, but there's also parts of it that show who I really am versus who a lot of other girls are. It shows the contrast."
  • This song features Eminem, who also executive produced the Don't Look Down album. Grey explained to MTV News how the recording process with Slim Shady worked: "With 'C'mon Let Me Ride,' there was a lot of back and forth," she said. "The original version of the song, we all really liked the hook, but he suggested that I go back and revisit my verses, which was good. So I did that and brought it back to him, and he added his part, and then he also suggested that I add a bridge of my own. So we were bouncing it back and forth until we got it right."
  • Grey's relationship with Eminem started when she co-wrote his 2010 hit single "Love The Way You Lie." She also sung the hook on the Dr Dre and Eminem collaboration, "I Need A Doctor."
  • You might recognize Eminem's refrain. It is the hook of Queen's 1978 hit "Bicycle Race." Grey told Rolling Stone: "That was an Eminem move. The first time I heard his verse, he had added that part in as well and it made me laugh, so we kept it."

    Grey went on to explain why she opted to keep Eminem's vocals rather than sampling Freddie Mercury's originals. "I love hearing Marshall change his voice like that and just, like, be a character, play a character, so I thought that was funnier, personally," she said.
  • Eminem also appears in the song's promo. "I hope people enjoy watching this video as much as I enjoyed making it," said Grey. "For anyone who didn't already figure out how sarcastic the song is, the video certainly makes it clear. Em definitely brought his sense of humor to it and so did I. Take a close look at the scene where I'm wearing a very girly sexy polka-dot outfit because it's not likely to happen again."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

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.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.