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.
Oh No The Radio
Owsley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has got me by the ears and won't let go
Oh no the radio
Is playing that song again
Oh no no no no the radio
Follows me everywhere I go
Oh no the radio
Is playing that song again
I wish I could forget the day when
We heard our record playing
We sang the words into your hairbrush
And gave Donnie and Marie the bum's rush
When the fat lady started singing
It was over and my ears were ringing
Our song, a favorite dedication
Is going number one across the nation
Oh no the radio
Another hit and run in stereo
Oh no the radio
Is playing that song again
Oh no no no no the radio
Follows me everywhere I go
Oh no the radio
Is playing that song again
I'd settle for a bad reception
Than have to listen to the next selection
You know I'm rockin' in a hard place
When I hear it all I see is your face
Goin' out to the one you1re lovin'
When the pushin' really comes to shovin'
True love is givin' and a takin'
Not a record that I feel like breakin'
Just when I thought I would never
Get over the thought of you leaving
The sky opens up and the sunshine's
Giving me more to believe in
Then I hear it once again
No! No! No!
I pull into a drive-in movie
Where the radio will not get to me
Roll down the window for the talk back
Our song's in the movie soundtrack
Hope the story has a happy ending
'Cause my heart could really use the mending
Oh girl, I meant it when I said it
The radio makes me regret it
The song "Oh No The Radio" by Owsley is about the frustration and annoyance of constantly hearing a particular song on the radio that brings back memories of a past relationship. The singer expresses his feelings of being trapped and unable to escape the song, and how it makes him reminisce on the time he spent with his ex-partner. The lyrics begin with the singer being upset that the radio won't let him go, as the song he associates with his past relationship is played repeatedly. The chorus emphasizes his inability to escape the song, as it follows him everywhere he goes. He wishes to forget the day when he heard his record playing and sang along with his ex-partner. Despite their fond memories, their relationship ended badly, and whenever he hears the song, he is reminded of what went wrong. The song plays everywhere, and he wishes for bad reception just to avoid it. He goes to a drive-in movie theater to escape the repetitive song, but it turns out the song is on the movie's soundtrack, showing his desperation to escape it.
The lyrics also express a sense of regret and longing for his ex-partner. The line "When the pushin' really comes to shovin'/True love is givin' and a takin'/Not a record that I feel like breakin'" suggests that he wishes that his previous relationship was based more on compromise and communication instead of the superficial things that they shared, like their favorite song. Additionally, he mentions that hearing the song again makes him feel as if he has lost his chance at reconciling with his ex-partner, adding to the feeling of regret that permeates the song. Overall, the song portrays the frustration and bittersweet memories that arise when someone is haunted by a particular song that reminds them of a past relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh no the radio
The singer feels trapped by the radio's hold on them
Has got me by the ears and won't let go
The radio is dominating the singer's attention
Is playing that song again
The radio is continuously playing a particular song
Oh no no no no the radio
The artist is frustrated and wishes the radio would stop following them
Follows me everywhere I go
The artist cannot escape the radio's influence
I wish I could forget the day when
The singer has a regret about a particular memory
We heard our record playing
The singer has a nostalgic connection with a particular song
We sang the words into your hairbrush
The artist has fond memories of sharing the experience of the song with someone else
And gave Donnie and Marie the bum's rush
The artist celebrated their own musical tastes over the mainstream
When the fat lady started singing
The artist experienced a clear end to their enjoyable experience
It was over and my ears were ringing
The singer felt overwhelmed by the experience
Our song, a favorite dedication
The artist has a strong sentimental attachment to a particular song
Is going number one across the nation
The singer's formerly niche attachment is now widely popular
Another hit and run in stereo
The singer feels that the radio is insincere and fickle
I'd settle for a bad reception
The singer desires to escape the radio's influence entirely
Than have to listen to the next selection
The artist dreads the potential song that the radio may play
You know I'm rockin' in a hard place
The artist feels trapped and stuck
When I hear it all I see is your face
The song reminds the singer of someone they have lost
Goin' out to the one you1re lovin'
The song has themes of love and dedication
When the pushin' really comes to shovin'
The artist alludes to the song's message of resilience and commitment
True love is givin' and a takin'
The artist emphasizes the importance of reciprocity in relationships
Not a record that I feel like breakin'
The artist still values the song despite their negative association with it
Just when I thought I would never
The singer believes they have moved on from their prior attachment
Get over the thought of you leaving
The artist has experienced the loss of someone important
The sky opens up and the sunshine's
The singer experiences hope and positivity
Giving me more to believe in
The singer feels reinvigorated by the positive experience
Then I hear it once again
The singer's negative attachment to the song returns
I pull into a drive-in movie
The artist seeks an escape from the radio's influence
Where the radio will not get to me
The artist seeks a space free from the radio's presence
Roll down the window for the talk back
The singer values the opportunity to communicate with others over the radio's influence
Our song's in the movie soundtrack
The singer has a connection to the song that goes beyond the radio's influence
Hope the story has a happy ending
The artist seeks positive closure in their personal life
'Cause my heart could really use the mending
The artist relates to the theme of healing and rejuvenation in music
Oh girl, I meant it when I said it
The artist addresses someone with whom they have a personal connection
The radio makes me regret it
The singer resents the radio's influence disrupting their personal life
Contributed by Maria J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fred Yardley
I gave Will his first guitar lesson when he was about 10 or 11. He was so excited about music that I could YARDLEY keep him in his chair. He was a close friend over the years to my wife, Barbara, and me . We were so excited when this album came out. I was speechless when I found out about his sad passing. Still don’t like to talk about it much.
Fred Yardley
That’s hardly not YARDLEY. How I hate spell check.
Zen Zep
Thank you for sharing this memory, Fred.
Fred Yardley
People ask me about Will’s influences. They changed over the years. Here are the ones that I remember. Of course, The Beatles, The Producers, Mr. Mister, 10cc, Robben Ford, and Toy Matinee. There were many others but these are the ones we used to talk in length about.
Zen Zep
@Fred Yardley Oh I can totally hear those in his music. Thank you very much for the insight, Fred.
Tommy Varekai
Just discovered his music, after being hit with inspiration as a 24 year old musician i decided to look further into his catalog only to find out of his passing which was quite saddening.
Henry Mena
I did my small part: when the album came out I worked at Tower Records and there was a copy in a box of promos. I took it home fell in love with it. Hard. Almost everyone in my circle of friends who are musicians and power pop fans love it, thanks to my badgering. Actually, it didn't take much: from the first listen they all got into it and went out and bought their own copies.
Matt Harvey Music Inc.
Will Owsley was a treasure full of talent and pure genius. He could play anything, sang very well, wrote amazing lyrics and accompanied them so well with melodic instrumentation. He was also a huge talent engineering and producing. When I got this album, I thought it was great, and I found out that he was from Anniston, AL where I work (live in Gadsden, AL). I had no idea what a body of work he had put out there, or any knowledge of just how much he accomplished in his way too short life. I hope that all of you (for your sake) will check out all his music whether it be his solo work, or the Semantics, or his 14 years of work with Amy Grant, as well as so many other huge folks he worked with. RIP brother, wish I had met you in person.
Scott Hogue
Matt, I met him a couple of times and he was a sweetheart of a human being.
You might be the only person that appreciates this story. Back in 91 I'm playing in Murfreesboro, a town halfway between Bonnaroo and Nashville. The Semantics showed up and had just gotten signed to Sony Publishing and wanted to work out these songs. Ben Folds was playing keys. I thought it was a great idea. They kicked my ass from the first down beat. It was remarkable, dude. Ben wasn't in that band long and I'm convinced it is what he is talking about in "Army." The bass player has been with Counting Crows for a long time. Fantastic band.
Matt Harvey Music Inc.
I have heard that.