Written in Reverse

Album: Transference (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This piano-stomper is a single release by American indie rock band Spoon from their 2010 album, Transference. Like many of the songs on the record, lyrically the theme is heartbreak. On this number vocalist Britt Daniel croons, "I wanna show you how I love you/ but there's nothing there."
  • The album cover features the work of a photographer named William Eggleston titled "Sumner, Mississippi, c. 1970."
  • Daniel told The Guardian that this song is an elegy for a relationship that he could see was going to fail, so he penned its epitaph first.

Comments: 1

  • Joe from Washington DcThis song is never discussed as one of Spoon's best but I love some of the lines in this song. "There's only one of us you truly felt" is not only a clever line but spat out out by Britt Daniel brilliantly.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Benny Mardones

Benny MardonesSongwriter Interviews

His song "Into The Night" is one of the most-played of all time. For Benny, it took him to hell and back.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

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.

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.