So Alive (Ryan Adams song)
Encyclopedia
"So Alive" is a song by singer-songwriter Ryan Adams
from his 2003 album Rock n Roll. The song was co-written with Johnny T. Yerington and was released as a single in 2004.
In a 2003 interview with VH1, Adams talked about the song's background: "It was the last song [on the album] to have lyrics. It was the last day of making the record. I got up... walked down to Stuyvesant City Cove and watched the boats go by... I wanted to write a song about how romantic I was feeling. [The song] has a super big falsetto
. I don't know where the hell that came from."
, was produced in late 2003. The video features Adams performing the song, as well as wandering through a surreal dreamscape, complete with spider webs, snakes, brush, and scenes of destruction. It was the subject of a behind-the-scenes "Making The Video" special on MTV2
, which documented the video's production at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles
. In the special, Adams refers to the "nightmare scenarios" depicted in the video, while producer/first assistant director Peter Murray calls the video "a journey of the mind". Throughout the shoot, Adams is seen clowning around, cracking jokes with the crew, and generally having a good time.
, including "Ah, Life", "Don't Even Know Her Name", "I'm Coming Over", and "Luxury".
"Ah, Life", "Don't Even Know Her Name", and "I'm Coming Over" were also released on the Moroccan Role EP in 2004.
Additionally, a limited edition 7" vinyl single was released with a 4-track recording of "Come Pick Me Up" as the b-side.
Lost Highway 986 1610
So Alive CD2
Lost Highway 986 1611
So Alive Promo CD
Lost Highway RYANCPD5
7" Vinyl Single
Lost Highway B394947-D1
Limited Edition 7" Vinyl Single
Lost Highway MRNR-02487-7
"Ah, Life" / "Don't Even Know Her Name" / "I'm Coming Over" / "Luxury"
"Come Pick Me Up (Original 4-Track Version, Jacksonville, NC)"
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
from his 2003 album Rock n Roll. The song was co-written with Johnny T. Yerington and was released as a single in 2004.
In a 2003 interview with VH1, Adams talked about the song's background: "It was the last song [on the album] to have lyrics. It was the last day of making the record. I got up... walked down to Stuyvesant City Cove and watched the boats go by... I wanted to write a song about how romantic I was feeling. [The song] has a super big falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
. I don't know where the hell that came from."
Music Video
A music video for "So Alive", shot by Doug AitkenDoug Aitken
-Early life and career:Doug Aitken was born in Redondo Beach, California in 1968. In 1987, he initially studied magazine illustration with Philip Hays at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena before graduating in Fine Arts in 1991. He moved to New York in 1994 where he had his first solo...
, was produced in late 2003. The video features Adams performing the song, as well as wandering through a surreal dreamscape, complete with spider webs, snakes, brush, and scenes of destruction. It was the subject of a behind-the-scenes "Making The Video" special on MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
, which documented the video's production at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In the special, Adams refers to the "nightmare scenarios" depicted in the video, while producer/first assistant director Peter Murray calls the video "a journey of the mind". Throughout the shoot, Adams is seen clowning around, cracking jokes with the crew, and generally having a good time.
B-Sides
The various "So Alive" singles contain several Rock n Roll outtakes as b-sidesB-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
, including "Ah, Life", "Don't Even Know Her Name", "I'm Coming Over", and "Luxury".
"Ah, Life", "Don't Even Know Her Name", and "I'm Coming Over" were also released on the Moroccan Role EP in 2004.
Additionally, a limited edition 7" vinyl single was released with a 4-track recording of "Come Pick Me Up" as the b-side.
Track listings
So Alive CD1Lost Highway 986 1610
- "So Alive" (LP version)
- "Ah, Life" (non-album track)
- "Don't Even Know Her Name" (non-album track)
- "So Alive" (music video)
So Alive CD2
Lost Highway 986 1611
- "So Alive" (LP version)
- "I'm Coming Over" (non-album track)
So Alive Promo CD
Lost Highway RYANCPD5
- "So Alive" (radio edit)
- "So Alive" (LP version)
7" Vinyl Single
Lost Highway B394947-D1
- "So Alive" (LP version)
- "Luxury" (non-album track)
Limited Edition 7" Vinyl Single
Lost Highway MRNR-02487-7
- "So Alive" (LP version)
- "Come Pick Me Up" (original 4-track version)
Personnel & Production Credits
- Ryan AdamsRyan AdamsDavid Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
— guitar, bass, vocals, and almost all instruments - Johnny T. Yerington — drums
- Produced by James Barber
"Ah, Life" / "Don't Even Know Her Name" / "I'm Coming Over" / "Luxury"
- Ryan AdamsRyan AdamsDavid Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
— guitar, vocals - Johnny T. Yerington — drums
- Tony Shanahan — bass guitar
- Produced by Ryan Adams & Eli JanneyEli JanneyEli Janney is an American record producer and engineer born in Washington, D.C.. Janney also plays bass and keyboards, as well as singing backing vocals in indie rock/post-hardcore band Girls Against Boys.-Biography:...
"Come Pick Me Up (Original 4-Track Version, Jacksonville, NC)"
- Produced by Allen Midgett