Interstate Love Song
Encyclopedia
"Interstate Love Song" is a song by the American
rock
band Stone Temple Pilots
, from their second studio album, Purple
, released in 1994. The song, considered to be one of the band's biggest hits, hit number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
chart on September 17, 1994. The song it replaced at number one was "Vasoline
", also by Stone Temple Pilots. The song stayed at number one for 15 weeks, a record at the time. In 2003, "Interstate Love Song" was featured on the greatest hits compilation Thank You
. In early 2008, "Interstate Love Song" was made available as downloadable content
for the music video game
series Rock Band
and as a playable track in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
. In 2009, it was named the 58th best hard rock song of all time by VH1
.
brought in a song he had been working on when Stone Temple Pilots convened at Cole Rehearsal Studios in Hollywood, California in March 1992. His brother, guitarist Dean DeLeo
, said, "We were in Atlanta touring Core
, and Robert was playing around with the chords and the melody in a hotel room. I had a feeling about that song immediately." Robert DeLeo stated it was originally a bossa nova
song when he began writing it. When he played it for singer Scott Weiland
, the vocalist started humming along and turned what was originally the melody for the song's intro into a chorus melody.
Stone Temple Pilots recorded the song during sessions for Purple at the Southern Tracks studio in Atlanta, Georgia
. Weiland was able to complete his vocals for the song in one or two takes.
Upon its release as a single, "Interstate Love Song" reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay
and number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
chart, where it stayed for fifteen weeks. The song also reached number two on the Modern Rock Tracks
chart and number 22 on the Top 40 Mainstream.
". Overall, the song has a notably country-western or Southern rock
feel to it, reflective of the "leaving on a Southern train" lyrics.
According to Weiland, the song dealt lyrically with a number of themes, particularly "honesty, lack of honesty, my new relationship with heroin." At the time he was having relationship troubles with his girlfriend, as he was using heroin while recording Purple but told her he no longer was.
, has a washed-out color effect throughout the majority of the video and features a long-nosed protagonist escaping from an unseen pursuer. The protagonist's nose grows longer throughout the video (similar to Pinocchio
), to symbolize the theme of lying in the song lyrics. At the beginning of the video, an early 1900s silent film
-esque clip of the pursuer and protagonist is shown.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
, from their second studio album, Purple
Purple (album)
-Notes:The opening of track 3, "Lounge Fly", was used as the theme for MTV News's short MTV News Break segments for several years in the mid-1990s....
, released in 1994. The song, considered to be one of the band's biggest hits, hit number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart on September 17, 1994. The song it replaced at number one was "Vasoline
Vasoline
"Vasoline" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots from their second album, Purple. The song was the second single of the album , reaching #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for two weeks...
", also by Stone Temple Pilots. The song stayed at number one for 15 weeks, a record at the time. In 2003, "Interstate Love Song" was featured on the greatest hits compilation Thank You
Thank You (Stone Temple Pilots album)
-Charts:Album - Billboard Singles - Billboard -References:...
. In early 2008, "Interstate Love Song" was made available as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for the music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
series Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
and as a playable track in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
. In 2009, it was named the 58th best hard rock song of all time by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
Background, recording and release
Bassist Robert DeLeoRobert DeLeo
Robert Emile DeLeo is an American bass player, songwriter, and harmony vocalist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots. He has also played in Talk Show and Army of Anyone...
brought in a song he had been working on when Stone Temple Pilots convened at Cole Rehearsal Studios in Hollywood, California in March 1992. His brother, guitarist Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo is an American guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.He is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone, which featured his younger brother Robert DeLeo, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, and session drummer Ray Luzier...
, said, "We were in Atlanta touring Core
Core (Stone Temple Pilots album)
The album was released on September 29, 1992 on Atlantic, the same day Alice in Chains released Dirt, another important album of the grunge era. Despite high sales, the album received mixed to negative reviews. Critics blasted the band as "rip-offs" of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice in...
, and Robert was playing around with the chords and the melody in a hotel room. I had a feeling about that song immediately." Robert DeLeo stated it was originally a bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
song when he began writing it. When he played it for singer Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
, the vocalist started humming along and turned what was originally the melody for the song's intro into a chorus melody.
Stone Temple Pilots recorded the song during sessions for Purple at the Southern Tracks studio in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Weiland was able to complete his vocals for the song in one or two takes.
Upon its release as a single, "Interstate Love Song" reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...
and number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart, where it stayed for fifteen weeks. The song also reached number two on the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart and number 22 on the Top 40 Mainstream.
Composition
The song features a memorable opening guitar riff, containing a sound very reminiscent of the alternative music scene of the time. The riff has also been said to bear a striking resemblance to a riff in Jim Croce's famous 1970s hit, "I Got a NameI Got a Name
-Songwriting:Croce's wife Ingrid Croce has an autobiographical cookbook, Thyme In A Bottle, in which she writes interesting anecdotes about Jim. What she wrote about "I'll Have To Say 'I Love You' in a Song" is this....
". Overall, the song has a notably country-western or Southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
feel to it, reflective of the "leaving on a Southern train" lyrics.
According to Weiland, the song dealt lyrically with a number of themes, particularly "honesty, lack of honesty, my new relationship with heroin." At the time he was having relationship troubles with his girlfriend, as he was using heroin while recording Purple but told her he no longer was.
Track listing
- "Interstate Love Song"
- "Lounge Fly"
- "VasolineVasoline"Vasoline" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots from their second album, Purple. The song was the second single of the album , reaching #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for two weeks...
" [Live] - "Interstate Love Song" [Live]
Music video
The music video, directed by Kevin KerslakeKevin Kerslake
Kevin Kerslake is an American music video director. He has directed videos for Stone Temple Pilots, Filter, R.E.M., 311, Faith No More, Green Day, The Used, 10 Years, Depeche Mode, The Smashing Pumpkins, Papa Roach, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Rise Against, Insane Clown Posse, The Offspring, and Blue...
, has a washed-out color effect throughout the majority of the video and features a long-nosed protagonist escaping from an unseen pursuer. The protagonist's nose grows longer throughout the video (similar to Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
), to symbolize the theme of lying in the song lyrics. At the beginning of the video, an early 1900s silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
-esque clip of the pursuer and protagonist is shown.