Saturday Song Stories - "Everybody Hurtin'"

Everybody Hurtin' is a song that I think most people can relate to. The song is written in C6 tuning, which is actually a Led Zeppelin tuning...they used it in Bron Yr Aur (I think that's how it's spelled) and when I tried it, it seemed to work very well for blues and slide.

The version of Everybody Hurtin' that is on the album is not the original. That is the second version that is floating around...the first being a full on rock-blues tune with a bit of a Colin James feel to it, that was recorded for "One of a Kind", a songwriting competition and compilation album that I was a part of last year. This version that is on "Hope" has more of a delta blues sort of feel to it.

After I had come up with what I thought was a pretty cool lick, I began to think about lyrics. My origianl idea was to write something that was so stereotypically blues that it would almost be satire. But what came out was a song that dealt with the idea that there is a spot in each of us that is empty, hence the fact that on some level we all are hurting. I think that most of the vices in which we find ourselves snagged have such a hold because of the fact that we are trying to fill a void.

This one was recorded without a click track. Here's a secret...the tempo changes slightly throughout, but that doesn't bother me because I like it when songs have that human quality. And besides, you can make a game of it...see if you can count how many times the tempo fluctuates! It will be sure to add some life to your next party!