Origins

Album: Young & Old (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The original Tennis duo of Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley decided to expand their core surf pop sound for their sophomore album, Young & Old, by adding drummer James Barone to the band full-time and enlisting Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney to produce the set.

    This was the first song written for the record. Moore found inspiration for it in a poem by William Butler Yeats, A Woman Young and Old in which a woman reflects on a lifetime's worth of memories. After hearing Riley's music for the song, she began to think of personal issues involved in being in a band such as dealing with critics and relationships. "I thought about how the suddenness of becoming a band and spending so much time on the road with others seemed to bring out the best and the worst in me. I thought a lot about human nature – mine, really, and the way it had been portrayed to me in my childhood," she told Rolling Stone. "I felt frustrated with the self-defeating conception of humanity I was presented with."
    "I wouldn't have written a line of ["Origins"] if it hadn't been for Yeats," Moore added.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Women Who Rock

Women Who RockSong Writing

Evelyn McDonnell, editor of the book Women Who Rock, on why the Supremes are just as important as Bob Dylan.