Behind The Tracks: Talkradio - Down (Single) (2024)

I’ll start by saying that this song was not originally going to be on the album. When the album was about to be finished, “Down” didn’t even exist. I had one song in the original line-up that I wasn’t completely happy with. The chorus needed something else and I didn’t know what it was going to be yet. One day, I was just playing random stuff on the guitar. At one point I hit an interesting chord from a 90’s song I’d recently learnt. Instead of continuing to play that song, I went in a different direction. I immediately got a melody in my head. From there, I could hear where I needed to go next. Before I knew it, I’d finished the whole arrangement. The song was finished that afternoon.

The vibe also dictated what the lyrics were going to be about. The verse and pre-chorus have a mellow, almost “questioning” sort of feel to me. The chorus has a loud, grungy, punky, angry feel. It’s like you put up with something for years, and then suddenly you explode and say “That’s enough!” It made me think of growing up in an environment where music was seen as something a loser would take up. Possibly some kind of degenerate. I spent years practicing drumming on various pieces of furniture when I wasn’t allowed to have a drum kit. When I turned 18, I had to hide the fact that I was singing for my cousin’s cover band in a rehearsal studio.

“Down” is about being allowed the opportunity to try something you’re passionate about. Not being held back. You’ll never know if you’re good at something unless you try. It’s not fair to be forbidden to try certain career paths simply because your parents (and grandparents) don’t like it.

All the songs on this album are lyrically very personal, but unlike the others, this one brings up decades of memories rather than one certain point in time.

“Down” immediately replaced the song that was only 80% finished, and the album was ready for the studio.