Singled Out: Whiskey Wolves Of The West's Lay That Needle Down

Whiskey Wolves Of The West release their brand new "Country Roots" album today (March 2nd) and to celebrate we asked Tim Jones to tell us the story behind the song "Lay That Needle Down". Here is the story:

Ruston Kelly had introduced me to Ward Guenther at a writing session, and I really loved what the three of us had come up with -- a song called "If I Only Knew" about the ability to predict the day of your death. (Might be the only song that has Stonehenge, pyramids, and Goodyear Blimp in the lyrics.)

We three set up another appointment and at the last minute Ruston canceled, so instead of meeting at Music Row, Ward came over to my house because we both lived really close to each other in East Nashville on Eastside Avenue. He had an idea to write a song about how loving someone can be like a drug that you are addicted to. I joked, "Like Kesha's 'Your Love is My Drug'?" He obviously had not yet heard that track.

I said I wanted to write a song where the verse and chorus are the same chords and only the melody changes. He wrote, "Your touch is the needle dropping down on the vinyl on the first side of the record," and then we went with a couple of metaphors about needles.

I played it like that for a year or so with my band Truth & Salvage Co., and then I finally sat down with Leroy and he challenged me and said it wasn't good enough and made the second verse the first: "This heart is like a pair of beat-up blue jeans," which is way easier to hear than the other way. And also, "Faded, but I can't give 'em up." Leroy knows his jeans! Furthermore, he had a nice addition for the second half of the chorus, "Won't you stay, don't make me live without, what I need right now, keep giving all your love to me." I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it before that. Fortunately, Leroy will be the first guy to let you know!
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

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