Behind the Song: “Hey You”

I think this song is, in part, inspired by a Vine… Let me explain.

I originally wrote this song as a response to “Lemon.” For about a month after writing “Lemon,” I struggled to sing the whole song without crying. This had been my first difficult breakup- which is not to discredit the others; they were all hard. This one was just different. That first week or so after it happened felt extremely tasking.

I remember looking at myself in the mirror and trying to convince myself that things were going to be okay, even though I felt so deflated. The only thing that seemed to make me feel better was this Vine:

This song started out as an extremely gentle character. Actually, once I found out that I would be recording with Van and she asked what each song would sound like, I distinctly remember writing that “Hey You” was, in my head, a super simple, quiet song, maybe with some ukulele. 

That wound up not being the case. I kind of forget how it happened, but Van mentioned something about how, when she first read the words, it had reminded her of the Beatles.

We sat down at the piano and went through how the voice memo recording I sent her would sound, and then Van’s eyes lit up and she said “Okay… What if we did a key change?”

Suddenly, this super quiet song turned into an upbeat, triumphant anthem-like tune. Up until this point, I had never vocally experimented with key changes (at least not consciously) and we were building this song on the fly. We just kept asking “Okay, what if…?” 

I am so grateful for the key change in this song.

I had a complete breakdown trying to record it. It was the last song I recorded with Van during my first studio session in Lakeland (this was back when we didn’t know the record was going to be a full length), and the weight of all of the emotions came crashing in on me while trying to figure this one out.

This song challenged me in ways that I had never experienced.

And because of this song and Van’s guidance, I am now writing songs with key changes, and pushing myself lyrically and vocally to do things that scare me.

Eventually, when I returned for my second session, we re-recorded this song to get the take you hear today when you listen to the record. The second recording is much better, because the song wasn’t scary anymore, and I could really go for it.   

This song is easily one of the coolest ones on the record.

Making music, at least in my experience, has always been about collaboration, and I think this song perfectly embodies that. Music is bigger than just one person, and the feelings of this song are bigger than just one person. Mya Byrne’s guitar on this song is mostly one take, and one of the most meaningful contributions to the record as a whole, because you can hear her emotion in her playing. She actually texted Van to say that the song made her cry and that while she was recording her take, she found herself playing and crying at the same time. To capture that feeling in a guitar take is just absolute insanity, and I feel so especially grateful for it. In the essence of music being bigger than just one person, the chorus and the bridge with Adeem the Artist, Will Payne Harrison, Van Plating, and her husband Jack furthers that concept. Their willingness to be a part of this project, and this song specifically, has brought meaning and life to this tune. It turned this little ditty into an experience and a community.

That’s what makes this song so special and to know that others sense that when they hear it means the world.

If you’re having a hard time, I promise you, it will get better.

Love you,

P.S... More Behind the Song

Lyrics/Credits Liner Notes