Never Had To Go

Album: With A Lampshade On (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Musically, "Never Had To Go" is a joyful romp from the eight-piece roots band Dustbowl Revival, but lyrically it's rather sad, with lead singer Liz Beebe admitting guilt for cheating on her man with a guy named Bobby, and wondering what could have been if she didn't make that mistake.

    Zach Lupetin wrote the song in Michigan before moving to Los Angeles and forming the band in 2007. In a Songfacts interview with Lupetin, he said: "I like taking kernels of truth from my past - being cheated on, etcetera, and twisting it around a bit. In this case Bobby was a one-night-stand that our lady singer is saying didn't mean anything, but it did. We've all made mistakes - it's how we proceed after that is interesting."
  • The video stars Dick Van Dyke, who was 89 years old when it was shot. It takes place at his house, where he goofs around, distracting his wife Arlene while she's trying to cook. Finally, she gives in and dances with him, which is what he wanted all along. All the time, the band is performing the song on their patio.

    Zach Lupetin told Songfacts how they pulled it off: "Dick Van Dyke had been following the band a bit for years in LA - he adores old jazz and folk music - and we got super lucky that we were able to contact his lovely wife who set it all in motion. Having a funny viral video did bring some new folks to shows who would never have checked us out. People are still discovering it, which is amazing."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

90s Metal

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

80s Music Quiz 1

80s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.