Today Chris Freeman from Bad Books (the new band featuring Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra) tells us about "You Wouldn't Have To Ask" from their brand new self-titled album. Here is the story:When I was was talking with Kevin Devine about the song, he was telling me how the lyrics were written in a much more frustrated demeanor than the song possibly suggests. Most of the song was put together between a tour he did in Europe and his apartment in Brooklyn. I vaguely remember him bringing the song into the studio; I think it's because we were all just stoked to have Kevin in town. Most of the recording process for Bad Books was kind of a blur to me. He kind of just strummed it out and sang it for Andy in the live-room. I do, however, remember Kevin being hesitant about the song actually being finished. The song was written more out of a feeling that I think all songwriters get, which is that of a notion that one hasn't written anything recently enough to still consider themselves a "songwriter". If you're just playing the songs you've already written all the time you start to feel stagnant. As far as I can tell, "You Wouldn't Have To Ask" was Kevin's response to that self-imposed stagnant feeling.
After Kevin played it for Andy, Andy just said 'That's great but the bridge is weird, so do it like this' ( I'm paraphrasing of course) and then it, you know, "went like that" and it totally worked.
It's definitely a poppier sounding song on the record, but lyrically, and looking at the circumstances around the actual writing process, I think the song is a bit more gloomy. I once heard Kevin describe it as "like watching someone 'get in their own way' and not being able to step in and fix it for them.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album - right here!
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