Start a Band
Encyclopedia
"Start a Band" is the title of a country music
song written by Dallas Davidson
, Ashley Gorley and Kelley Lovelace. It was recorded as a duet between Brad Paisley
and Keith Urban
for Paisley's sixth studio album, Play
. Released as the only single from that album, it is also one of only four non-instrumental tracks on the album. It is Paisley's twenty-second entry on the Billboard
country charts, and Urban's eighteenth.
, Paisley described the song to The Plain Dealer as "probably not what you think, in the sense that it's not a blazing-fast thing…It's more of a rockin' Eagles-style tune, like back when Joe Walsh
and Don Felder
would play those harmony parts."
In the second verse of the song, the two guitarists sample famous guitar licks at the end of each vocal phrase.
"All those girls that were too cool to talk to..." - lick from Smoke on the Water
"They'll be waiting in a line out back..." - lick from Layla
"Might get your picture in the hometown paper..." - (modified, but definitely a motif of the) lick from Sweet Child O' Mine
In the album's liner notes, Paisley writes:
for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards
.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song written by Dallas Davidson
Dallas Davidson
Dallas Davidson is an American country music singer-songwriter.Davidson moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 and joined Broadcast Music Incorporated for performing rights representation and signed a publishing deal with Big Borassa Music, which is administered worldwide by Third Tier Music.Trace...
, Ashley Gorley and Kelley Lovelace. It was recorded as a duet between Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
and Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
for Paisley's sixth studio album, Play
Play (Brad Paisley album)
Play, also known as Play: The Guitar Album, is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on November 4, 2008 . Like all of his previous albums, Play was released on Arista Nashville and produced by Frank Rogers. The album is largely instrumental in...
. Released as the only single from that album, it is also one of only four non-instrumental tracks on the album. It is Paisley's twenty-second entry on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts, and Urban's eighteenth.
Content
"Start a Band" is one of only four non-instrumental tracks on Play. Both Paisley and Urban sing and play guitar on the song, which is a moderate up-tempo in which the narrators decide that they will start a band instead of pursuing more academical ventures. In the chorus, they suggest to others who are "living in a world that they don't understand" that they, too, should "get [themselves] some buddies and start a band". According to Great American CountryGreat American Country
Great American Country , is a Nashville, Tennessee-based country music cable television network.-History:The station launched December 31, 1995 and Garth Brooks' video "The Thunder Rolls" was the first video to air on GAC....
, Paisley described the song to The Plain Dealer as "probably not what you think, in the sense that it's not a blazing-fast thing…It's more of a rockin' Eagles-style tune, like back when Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
and Don Felder
Don Felder
Donald William "Don" Felder is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as lead guitarist for the Eagles from 1974 to 1980 and again from 1994 to 2001.-Early life and influences:...
would play those harmony parts."
In the second verse of the song, the two guitarists sample famous guitar licks at the end of each vocal phrase.
"All those girls that were too cool to talk to..." - lick from Smoke on the Water
"They'll be waiting in a line out back..." - lick from Layla
"Might get your picture in the hometown paper..." - (modified, but definitely a motif of the) lick from Sweet Child O' Mine
In the album's liner notes, Paisley writes:
"People have been asking for years when Keith and I would do something like this. I am so honored to get to finally pick and sing with one of my favorite players in the world. I am so humbled by his talent."
Personnel
- Randle Currie - steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
- Eric Darken - percussion
- Wes Hightower - background vocals
- Gary Hooker - rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- Kenny Lewis - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Brad Paisley - lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, vocals - Ben Sesar - drums
- Keith Urban - lead and rhythm guitar, vocals
- Justin Williamson - fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
Chart performance
The song reached Number One on the chart week of January 24, 2009, becoming Paisley's thirteenth Number One song (and ninth consecutive), as well as Urban's ninth Number One. The song was nominated for a Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
.
| Chart (2008-2009) | Peak Position |
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