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

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Gavin Rossdale of BushSongwriter Interviews

On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."