Song Roulette
A Vulture series in which artists share the stories and strategy behind their lead singles.
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It wasnt sexy for the radio to be playing artists that were on Radio Disney, AJ now explains.
So they made a strategic decision to pivot their next album,Insomniatic,and embrace a poppier sound.
But its been almost 20 years since the original.
The hope is their old fans will keep coming along for the ride.
A lot of that was because of growing up in the public eye at a young age.
Rush,IntotheRush(2005)
.The Song
.
We didnt want songs delivered to us by a group of songwriters.
They had to be written solely by us or in a collaboration with others.
We were sitting at a piano.
Dan started playing this beautiful line, and Aly and I hummed along.
All of a sudden, the verses took form.
We felt like,Were young teens in a world where some people dont feel like they belong.
How do we write a song that makes them feel like theyre seen and heard?
AJ:We got really lucky with Hollywood Records.
They trusted us because they knew we were writing all of our material.
.The Payoff
Aly:We were hoping this would chart.
It was definitely something that mattered to us.
AJ:It was an exciting time because thats where Aly and I got recognized for our music.
We had a cool encounter with H.E.R.
where she said Rush was where she got her excitement toward electric guitar.
Beach Bunny decided to start a band because ofInto the Rush.
We hadnt dated much.
We were still under the age of 20.
AJ:The beauty behind Potential Breakup Song is that its not about someone.
We wouldve already revealed who it is.
AJ:You lose your autonomy a little bit on the second record.
It was actually a bit of a battle with what we wanted to do creatively.
Aly:You taste a form of success and you want to maintain that.
So the label starts getting their hands involved in a way they didnt the first time around.
AJ: It did feel obvious that Potential Breakup Song was incredibly hooky.
Aly: I wanted Bullseye.
AJ: The head of the label told us Potential Breakup Song would bring us the most success.
Im glad it turned out that way.
But it makes you wonder what wouldve happened if we chose a rockier song.
Would it have done as well and steered our career in more of the authentic direction we were wanting?
The growing pains around that were being felt, which were exacerbated by Potential Breakup Song.
But the label was happy.
We also didnt like that the second single was Like Whoa.
We werent a big fan of the song when it was finished.
AJ:Potential Breakup Song got some interesting accolades from adult-friendly publications.
Aly and I were like,What the hell?
It was faster and it was very 80s.
At the beginning, I wasnt a big fan.
AJ:The reason she wasnt a fan was because of that demo.
It would have felt so inappropriate if we released that vibe in the heart of the pandemic.
It felt like a risk for us to take.
Aly: We agreed because of the message behind Slow Dancing.
It spoke to what was happening in the country at the time.
But if the pandemic hadnt happened, it wouldnt have been the lead single.
We probably wouldve chosen Pretty Places.
AJ: It totally wouldve been Pretty Places.
Here we were as an indie act being able to make these decisions on our own.
We werent in a pretty place at the time.
It was a special message to our fans who had stuck with us for so long.
Aly and I have lived our lives on tour.
We didnt go to regular school.
Its our version of a journey song.
Aly:Theres one line, I told you that Id change, but I guess I never did.
Sometimes you do, and other times you dont.
AJ: With Love Fromgave us something beautiful with our touring career.
It brought in new audience members.
We sold out the Greek Theatre and the Ryman Auditorium.
I credit the record and With Love From for reigniting it all.
Weve all seen that since the election.
Its relevant to all womens lives.
What It Feels Like is about embracing growing older and womanhood in whatever way that might mean to someone.
All these things I thought had remained the same and were going to continue were actually different.
Theres nothing wrong with that.
So how do we embrace that as women?
Its a song that feels more time-capsuled than others weve written, to be honest.
We want to bring on the excitement of what the future holds.
AJ: Were able to make our own decisions independently.
It was a comfortable place to land as our lead single.
Aly: Were no longer concerned with the charts.
And we know the magic of the music is because of our relationship as sisters.
But were not going anywhere.
I dont see us doing solo music in the future.
It always felt like its supposed to be us together.
AJ: I couldnt agree more.
I would never want to do this alone.
