Old Songs (Commentary)

We appreciate you checking out Big Machine Radio
And the Eli Young Band 'Fingerprints' album release special
I am Becca, talking to the guys from EYB and
You know, I talked to you before you put out your last album "10,000 Towns"
And you guys told me that you had an intention when you went in to make that album
Of adding more great uptempo songs to your live show, so I'm curious
What was the driving force for the thought process with this new album "Fingerprints"?

I think that with this record, I guess with every record
We really try to make sure that whatever we're doing
Is doing something special for the live show
I mean we can't help but that's kind of just what we think about
And what we strive for, and so

You know, I, we really wanted some drive with this record
It's the moments that can be created, like that have some groove
And you know, "Never Again" on the record has got some groove
And I think it filled that hole, I think, that we wanted to fill in the live show
And "Fingerprints" has got such a driving good fun thing
That has added such a really cool thing to the live show

Yeah, I also feel like with this record
It was really important to us to make a record that we thought our fans would like
Especially fans who've been with us from day one, for a long long time
And so to kind of, to listen to the feedback, that we've had over the years
Of songs that they like the most, of our previous work
And maybe songs that weren't the big radio hits
And some songs that people are always requesting for us to play live
And never get tired of, you can hear it night after night

And I think a lot of that are kind of some slower tempo, more meaningful
Close to the heart songs
And, you know songs like "Old Songs" is a good example of
I think a song that people really gravitate to as well as "Skin & Bones"
Uhm, that are, the fans who've been with us for well over a decade now
Can really find themselves in

Well, you mentioned "Old songs" so I say
Let's go ahead and talk about that one and play it next
There's definitely some nostalgia in this one
And what about the fact that now your songs are becoming those songs
That people associate with their own special memories
I mean that's a pretty big deal
To know that you can have that kind of an impact on somebody's life

The whole idea of "Old Songs" came from the moment that these fans would
Kind of walk up to us and say, you know
"This song means this to me, and I really, I love your old stuff,"
"I like your new stuff too but the old stuff is the really great stuff"
And, that was kind of, you know, that song was kind of my rebuttal to the whole idea
Of competing with the memories that come along with those old songs, you know
You'll never be able to compete with, with memories

Yeah, you know that's kind of maybe the hope or the goal when we're making a record
Is to make these new songs someone's old songs
(Yeah) at one point in time

And it feels good that people, the songs meant that much to them that
You know, 'cause that doesn't happen with
Every song, every hit, every, you know, thing that's on the radio
You know, a moment is created, you know, around that song

You know, I think of "Goodnight Moon", which is a Jack Ingram song
That record was on a record called "Electric"
And that album, I think for me, was, you know, one of those really important albums
Because it, I think I found myself so much in that record that
I believed that we might've found our sound because of listening to that record
And realising what direction we should go

And "Goodnight Moon" was a song on that record that
The first song my wife and I ever danced with each other was to "Goodnight Moon"
And so, to this day, that song is, you know
It's an important song for her and I
It was our first dance at our wedding and now my daughter loves it
And she asked me to sing it to her at night when she goes to bed
So, those kind of songs, you'll never be able to compete with, you know

I love that story
Well, hopefully these songs on your new album
Will become even more a part of the soundtrack of your fans lives
This is called "Old Songs" from Eli Young Band, on Big Machine Radio