Sinister Kid

Album: Brothers (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach told The Sun May 14, 2010: "It's about feeling like an outcast, a person who lives in the shadows with regret and fear. Living every day like you could be going straight to hell at any moment. Fun stuff!"
  • This was one of 10 songs the band recorded in Sheffield, Alabama at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, where the band had to rough it to record. The studio was beat up and hub of activity in the area was Walmart, so they spent a lot of time experimenting with the vintage gear their producer Mark Neill brought down from this collection. Neill discussed the recording of this song in a track-by-track on The Black Keys Fan Lounge: "I'm playing on one speaker and Dan's on the other. I'm playing the skank part, the scrapes, that's the Rickenbacker. Dan's playing on the other side on the Harmony, which is great – he's playing all the lead and all that stuff. Dan's lead playing is really good on this record by the way. I only fill in little different pieces generally, stuff that was missing. This has me playing all the way through it. He plays through my amps so it's very easy to match the tone where required to fill in. Dan and I do not necessarily play with a pick. We did everything very quickly. When I got home this record was not finished. Anything I added was done with taste and great care to make it invisible." (Here's more on the Muscle Shoals sound and Black Keys visit.
  • This song features backing vocals from American R&B and hip hop singer Nicole Wray, a former Missy Elliott protége who had a #5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998 with "Make it Hot." She also features on "Everlasting Light," and according to co-producer Mark Neill, "I'm Not The One."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The Devil

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The DevilSong Writing

Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.