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.
Good Old Days
Owsley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To see some old friends that I used to know
It was strange to see that all has changed
Just like me my hometown had to grow
On lazy Sunday afternoons
We used to drive around the neighborhood
But as I looked around I see
There's a parking lot where the church used to be
And the old town drunk changed his ways
Still my mind goes wandering down memory lane
Looking out for the good old days
My high school sweetheart's married off
With two kids and another on the way
And the coach I hardly recognized
His thick black hair has slowly turned to grey
All the debutantes and the homecoming queens
Have taken kids on to raise
Still my mind goes wandering down memory lane
Looking out for the good old days
When I find myself romancing now
The way that it used to be
I can't help thinking someday
That it's coming back to me
And I never was the kind
To see the forest forming trees
Looking back on yesterday
Never was my favorite thing to do
But that's okay it's just as well
It seems there's less to hold on to
There's a parking lot where the church used to be
And the old town drunk changed his ways
Still my mind goes wandering down memory lane
Well I hope it's a passing phase
Oh yeah
Looking back at the good old days
Owsley's song Good Old Days is a nostalgic reflection on how things have changed since the singer's youth. He returns home to see old friends, only to find that everything he once knew has changed. The town has grown and people have moved on, including his high school sweetheart who is now married with children. The singer even sees that the old town drunk has changed his ways, further cementing the notion that time changes all things. As he looks around his hometown, he realizes that there is less and less to hold on to and that looking back on yesterday was never his favorite thing to do.
This song perfectly captures the feeling of nostalgia that many people experience when they return home to places they once knew. Owsley's lyrics are a reminder that even though things change, memories can still bring joy and comfort. The song's emotional depth and wistful tone make it a standout track on the album.
Line by Line Meaning
I went back home the other day
Recently, I visited my hometown
To see some old friends that I used to know
I wanted to catch up with some buddies
It was strange to see that all has changed
I felt weird seeing everything so different
Just like me my hometown had to grow
Like I've matured into an adult, my town has evolved
On lazy Sunday afternoons
Back in the day, we would go for drives on Sundays
We used to drive around the neighborhood
We would roam around our community
But as I looked around I see
However, recently, things looked different than before
Nothing really looks the way it should
Nothing appears as it used to
There's a parking lot where the church used to be
The church has been replaced by a parking lot
And the old town drunk changed his ways
Even the town drunk's improved his behavior
Still my mind goes wandering down memory lane
Despite changes, I still reminisce about the past
Looking out for the good old days
I miss the times that used to be
My high school sweetheart's married off
My former partner from school is hitched
With two kids and another on the way
They have two children and one more is forthcoming
And the coach I hardly recognized
The coach appeared unfamiliar to me
His thick black hair has slowly turned to grey
The coach's hair has turned grey due to aging
All the debutantes and the homecoming queens
All the females that used to be popular in school
Have taken kids on to raise
Have started families and are now parents
When I find myself romancing now
Nowadays, when I have a romantic interest
The way that it used to be
I can't help but compare it to my past experiences
I can't help thinking someday
I can't shake the idea that it might happen again
That it's coming back to me
That I might get what I had before
And I never was the kind
I've never been the type
To see the forest forming trees
To understand the big picture
Looking back on yesterday
Reflecting on the past
Never was my favorite thing to do
It's not something I enjoy doing
But that's okay it's just as well
But I've made peace with that
It seems there's less to hold on to
There's not much from the past that I can cling to
Well I hope it's a passing phase
I'm optimistic that my current feelings won't last
Oh yeah
Affirmative
Looking back at the good old days
Nostalgically reflecting on better times
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILL OWSLEY, WILLIAM REESE III OWSLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind