He was also the lead singer for the power pop group The Semantics and was the guitarist for Amy Grant's band from 1994 to 2010.
It seems like such a phony platitude that doing things the hard way is the most rewarding. Of course, anyone with a shred of sense, or anyone who has done something the hard way can tell you that the spoils are greater, and so is the sense of accomplishment. But it’d be nice if things came more easily.
For singer-songwriter-rocker Owsley, it’s been a pretty easy ride. Music came to him naturally through a richly musical family. Now that’s typical for most talented folks—that the music comes easy—the hard part is getting folks to listen. That’s what he’s talking about on his new album, The Hard Way, even though the Anniston, Alabama native will tell you, “It’s about a lot of things.”
So is Owsley. As a youngster, he played guitar along to the radio bands like Wings, KISS, and The Cars, matching licks with his older brother, Bud. This morphed into writing songs of his own, 4-track bedroom recording sessions (his penchant for multi-tracking vocals explains the plethora of big choruses on The Hard Way), underage bar gigs with cover bands—he’d do anything to scratch the musical itch.
Eventually he made the pros: his guitar prowess landed him a gig with funk-pop pioneer Judson Spence with whom Owsley played around the world and appeared on MTV in Spence's videos. Subsequently, a pre-fame Ben Folds introduced him to Millard Powers, and the two would form the legendary power-pop trio The Semantics with Zak Starkey (their lone album, Powerbill, released only in Japan, is now hot property). This led to Owsley joining Amy Grant’s touring band in 1994, a gig he holds today. Playing with Grant enabled Owsley to create a musical playground/home studio, not to mention spend time off writing and recording his own music. In 1999, he released Owsley on Giant Records, garnering raves for the anthemic power-pop songs (“I’m Alright” was a minor hit) and a Grammy™ nomination for his engineering efforts.
Owsley next crossed paths with his musical hero, legendary producer Mutt Lange. Lange, equally enamored with Owsley, hired him to play guitar and sing the duet, “No One Needs to Know” with Lange’s wife, Shania Twain live on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Today Show,” “Regis & Kathy Lee” and “The American Country Music Awards.”
Then came the hard part: Giant fell victim to corporate mergers and boarded up the windows within a year of Owsley hitting shelves. Rather than be swept up in the swirling flush, Owsley began writing and recording another album, The Hard Way.
Again produced and performed almost entirely by Owsley in his home studio, The Hard Way continues Owsley’s fascination with perfect pop tunes—big choruses and big words set to lush, exhilarating arrangements. “I’m a sucker for an anthem,” says Owsley, explaining how the lead track “Be With You” is a love song to “God and woman, not just to woman,” and an expression of a yearning to for spiritual, interpersonal and terrestrial connections. You can’t help but ache with him when he sings:
“I wanna know how it feels to believe in something/ride on the heels of a good thing comin’/run to the one thing I know is something true…/I wanna live my life like I know the meaning/deep inside my soul I hear the music screamin’/eyes wide open so I’m awake and dreaming, too.”
“Undone” and “She’s The One” are likewise transcendent, explosive examples of songs you sing in the car or the shower, but also out loud at inopportune times because you just can’t help it. But Owsley is also a first-rate balladeer, able to convey as much sorrow in a sad song as he does joy in a fist-pumping anthem. “Matriarch,” written for Owsley’s departed grandmother, is a piano ballad in the great AM-radio style of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, with nods to Todd Rundgren and Jeff Lynne on the FM side. And like those songwriters, you feel every word and every note in your blood.
He’s also a startling analyst, able to extract the most significance from his surroundings and his and others’ situations, and pair it with vivid detail. For instance, the folksy title track, where he draws parallels between a gambling addict and his life in music.
“I hate casinos,” Owsley opines. “They’re gross, to me. You know, no clocks, drinks for free, pumpin' in oxygen through the air vents, no windows, call girls, smell of cigarettes.” Like the losers at the tables, Owsley is begging for a lesson—“Let me learn the hard way.” He explains, “I guess the message is I’ll never learn. I keep getting hit in the face, and keep getting back up to get it again.”
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In making The Hard Way, Owsley has experienced a lesson he skipped by performing side and session gigs and writing in the wings. He’s learned that he must be a master of the results. “I guess,” he says, “in a world of pretenders, I’m a contender. Sorry if that sounds egotistical; I still have so much to learn, but most of the people on the radio today probably started playing guitar last week. And I’ve been doing this and preparing for today since birth—no kidding. It’s all I ever wanted, to be a legitimate player, writer, producer, and performer.”
All this… on his terms. He says, “it feels good to make music again, and for the right reasons. I’m optimistic about the future but most importantly want to be loyal to the fans that have stuck by me through thick and thin. This record is really for them.”
Not that he’s opposed to doing it again, or consigned to indie life. He’s learned some lessons, but he’d still take another shot at the spoils. “The final chapter has not been written. Who knows what will happen? Right now, all that matters is we’re taking control and doing it our way. The Hard Way.”
Sadly, Will Owsley died on April 30, 2010 at the age of 44 of what the Tennessean reported to be "an apparent suicide". He is survived by 2 sons, his ex-wife and his wonderful music.
Class Clown
Owsley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It tells me to keep my head
When all those around me are
Losing theirs instead
You know me well
I do it all on my own
I wanted to turn around
For the king and the queen
(And live in never, neverland)
I know they're waiting for me
(But the hourglass is out of sand)
To be the class clown
When I was a younger man
Got used to taking it on the chin
I fight when I'm falling down
Get back up again
The time has come
To put away childish things
And fly like a mockingbird
Angels spread their wings
You're wearing the frown
Feeling so down
And still, you paint the town red
You're waking the dead
Making you bed to lie next to me
There's a place to go when I'm feelin' low
That nobody else will ever know
When you're on the ropes in the final round
That's how it feels to be the class clown
Will it ever go away?
The song "Class Clown" by Owsley begins with the lines "Love is a friend of mine, It tells me to keep my head, When all those around me are, Losing theirs instead". Here, the songwriter talks about how love has been a constant companion for him and how it has helped him keep his sanity in a world where everyone else seems to be losing their minds. He further speaks about how he has always tried to do things on his own, but somewhere deep down, he longs for a home where the king and the queen await him. But he knows that the hourglass is out of sand, hinting at the fact that he may have missed his chance.
The chorus of this song revolves around the phrase "To be the class clown". As a younger man, the songwriter got used to taking things in stride and fighting back when he fell down. But now, he feels it's time to put away childish things and move on. The final verse talks about finding solace in a place where nobody else will ever go, and how it feels to be on the ropes in the final round. The song ends with the question, "Will it ever go away?", which could be interpreted as a reference to the feeling of being the class clown.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is a friend of mine
Love is something I cherish
It tells me to keep my head
Love guides me to remain calm
When all those around me are
Despite others being
Losing theirs instead
Feeling upset and frustrated
You know me well
You understand me thoroughly
I do it all on my own
I handle everything independently
I wanted to turn around
I desired to make a change
And make my house a home
To create a comfortable and secure dwelling
For the king and the queen
For those in power
(And live in never, neverland)
(A place of fantasy)
I know they're waiting for me
I feel their anticipation
(But the hourglass is out of sand)
(But time is running out)
To be the class clown
To play the fool
When I was a younger man
When I was immature
Got used to taking it on the chin
I became accustomed to criticism
I fight when I'm falling down
I resist when things get tough
Get back up again
I recover from setbacks
The time has come
It is now necessary
To put away childish things
To give up childish tendencies
And fly like a mockingbird
And soar like a bird
Angels spread their wings
Good fortune arrives
You're wearing the frown
You're unhappy
Feeling so down
Feeling miserable
And still, you paint the town red
Despite all of that, you still have fun
You're waking the dead
You're entertaining even the uninterested
Making your bed to lie next to me
Preparing your resting place next to me
There's a place to go when I'm feelin' low
There is a safe haven for me when I feel bad
That nobody else will ever know
That no one else will ever find
When you're on the ropes in the final round
When you're in trouble towards the end
That's how it feels to be the class clown
That's how it feels to play the fool
Will it ever go away?
Will the urge to fool around ever stop?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILL OWSLEY, WILLIAM REESE III OWSLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind