Hilton moved to Los Angeles to launch himself as a musician. After releasing a self-titled independent CD, he signed to Warner Bros. imprint Maverick Records, which released his major-label debut The Tracks of Tyler Hilton the same year that Hilton made his acting debut starring as the musically talented but totally arrogant Chris Keller on the second season of One Tree Hill. Other roles followed, including playing Elvis Presley in the critically acclaimed Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, co-starring in the indie film Charlie Bartlett with Robert Downey Jr., and returning to One Tree Hill for its final season in 2012.
Yet while his cover songs appeared on the Grammy Award-winning Walk the
Line soundtrack and his Americana-flavored originals were featured on each
of One Tree Hill’s popular soundtracks, Hilton had yet to release another full- length album of his own. He recorded one, The Storms We Share, in the fall of 2010, but its release was thwarted by a shake-up in leadership at Warner Bros. “So much had gone down at the label and I just wasn’t up for going another round with them,” Hilton says. In December, he was released from his contract, with the label retaining the rights to The Storms We Share. “At that point, I was really down on the music industry,” he says. “I wasn’t even sure I wanted to make another album.”
But, being an artist, Hilton did what artists do and channeled all of his frustrated emotions into a batch of songs, the bulk of which make up his new album Forget the Storm, which Hilton has released on his own label, Hooptie Tune Records. “It was the first time in nine years that I was in a position to make music without asking anyone’s permission,” he says. The result is a spirited and engaging collection that finds Hilton finally representing who he truly is both personally and artistically.
What inspired Hilton to begin writing again was the sheer thrill of playing live. “I was booked to play a residency at the Hotel Cafe´ not long after leaving the label and I was not looking forward to it,” Hilton admits. “I thought, ‘I don't care if anyone comes, I’m only going to play music that I want to play, and if people don't like it, I've got one foot out the door anyway.’" He asked two of his friends, musician/songwriters Dave Hodges and Steve Miller, to join him. “I said, ‘I'm not going to pay anything, but if you guys want to have some drinks and mess around on stage, let's do it. I want to do a lot of covers; I want to do some blues songs."
The Hotel Cafe´ shows were packed each night. “We were doing Stones, Dylan, and Ryan Adams covers and lots of blues, and at the end of it I remembered that I love playing music,” Hilton says. “I thought if I’m ever going to do another record, it should have this vibe. What’s the worst that could happen? I had been playing by the rules and it hadn’t worked.”
Hilton began writing with Hodges (a songwriter who has worked with Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, and Christina Perri) and his guitarist Steve Miller, and over the course of a few months, came up with the songs on Forget the Storm — a title he calls “a direct reference to throwing away my last record and starting over, and also because it’s an album about leaving s**t behind.”
Lyrically, the album is an unflinchingly honest piece of work that finds Hilton reflecting on his relationship with himself, with his loved ones, and even with music — reveling in the good, owning up to the bad, and examining everything in between. “You could probably learn more about me by listening to this album than you could by talking to me for an hour,” he says. “It’s very personal and much closer to who I really am than what I’ve revealed in the past, but it's easier to write from that place when you have nothing left to lose.”
Fittingly, Forget the Storm opens with a song inspired by his heartbreak over the music industry: “Kicking My Heels,” which his fans went crazy over when he premiered it on an episode of One Tree Hill. “That song is the darkest part of the album for me because it’s reminder of how a lot of bad can come out of having time on your hands and not being sure of what you're going to go next. During the months before I started writing I had no focus. I felt rudder-less. The one good thing was having someone I loved in my life, which is what the song is about.” The album’s first single “Prince of Nothing Charming” finds Hilton trying to get to the heart of who he is in a relationship. “Sometimes I don't have it all together,” he admits. “I space out on things, I drink too much. There are a lot of things you could take aim at me for. But I’m drawn to the idea of a couple who really love one another despite all the cracks and flaws.” “Jenny” and “Can’t Stop
Now” also offer a realistic look at love and the compromises one makes, while “I Belong” is the antidote, describing how it feels to be in a relationship that truly works.
Though fans of Hilton’s strummy pop songs will find plenty to like on Forget the Storm, the album also charts new territory with two songs, the rockabilly- flavored, sexually charged “Loaded Gun” (which he wrote with country artist Deana Carter) and the untamed stomper “Ain’t No Foolin’ Me,” both of which Hilton is looking forward to playing live when he hits the road this year. “There are times when you just want to rock out onstage,” says Hilton, who has entertained audiences across the country both as a headliner and with such artists as Taylor Swift, Gavin DeGraw, and Goo Goo Dolls. “I play all kinds of styles of music in my show and the audiences seem to really love the rock and roll moments.”
Most of all, Hilton is excited to finally have a new full-length album for his fans who’ve stuck with him for so many years. “I kept giving them what I called half- assed EPs that were the best I could do in the situation I was at with Warner Bros.,” he says. “But with an album, you have a chance to change direction and try something new rather than perpetuating the sound you already have. This record was the first opportunity I had to say something different. It's a clean slate.”
MILK COW BLUES
Tyler Hilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looked outdoors
I can tell my milk cow
I can tell by the way she loathes
If you see my milk cow
Please drive her on home
'Cause I ain't had no milk and butter
Since that cow's been gone
Well you gotta treat me right honey
Day by day
Get out your little prayer book
Get down upon your knees and pray
'Cause you're going to need me
You're gonna need my help someday
Lord you're going to be sorry
You treated me this way
Oh now take it away boys
Sail on, Sail on, Sail on little gal, Sail on
Sail on, Sail on, Sail on little gal, Sail on
You're gonna keep right on to sailing
Till you lose your happy home
Well good evening
Don't that sun look good going down
I said well good evening
Don't that sun look good going down
Don't that ol' army cobb look lonely
When your lover ain't no place around
Well I tried everything baby
To get along with you
Now I'm gonna tell you
What I'm gonna do
I'm gonna stop my cryin'
Gonna leave you alone
And if you don't think I'm leavin' big momma
Just count the days I'm gone
You ain't gonna see me
You ain't gonna see my sweet face no more
Lord you gonna be wondering honey
Where in this world I've gone
Milk cow blues
The lyrics of Tyler Hilton's song "Milk Cow Blues" are about a man who wakes up one morning to discover that his milk cow is missing. He expresses his concern about not having any milk and butter since the cow is gone. He implores anyone who finds his cow to return it to him. The second verse is about a lover who mistreated him and how he wants her to treat him right. He tells her that she will need him someday and that she will be sorry for treating him the way she did. The last verse indicates that he has had enough and is leaving her. The phrase "Milk cow blues" is repeated throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I woke up this mornin'
The singer woke up feeling aware of his surroundings
Looked outdoors
The singer looked outside
I can tell my milk cow
The singer believes he can recognize his milk cow
I can tell by the way she loathes
The artist can sense something off about his milk cow's behavior
If you see my milk cow
The artist is addressing anyone who may come across his milk cow
Please drive her on home
The singer is asking for his milk cow to be returned to his property
'Cause I ain't had no milk and butter
The singer has not had any milk or butter since his milk cow has been gone
Since that cow's been gone
The artist has been without milk or butter since the milk cow went missing
Well you gotta treat me right honey
The artist is addressing someone he wants to be treated kindly by
Day by day
The artist wants to be treated with kindness every day
Get out your little prayer book
The singer is telling the other person to go and get a prayer book
Get down upon your knees and pray
The artist is suggesting that the other person prays for guidance
'Cause you're going to need me
The singer believes that he will be needed by the other person someday
You're gonna need my help someday
The singer believes that the other person will need his help someday
Lord you're going to be sorry
The singer believes that the other person will regret treating him poorly
You treated me this way
The artist feels he has been mistreated by the other person in the past
Sail on, Sail on, Sail on little gal, Sail on
The artist is saying farewell to another person
You're gonna keep right on to sailing
The singer believes the other person will keep moving forward
Till you lose your happy home
The singer believes the other person will only realize the consequences of their actions when it's too late
Well good evening
The artist is greeting someone
Don't that sun look good going down
The artist is commenting on the beauty of the sunset
Don't that ol' army cobb look lonely
The artist is commenting on the loneliness he feels without his lover
When your lover ain't no place around
The singer's lover is not present and he is feeling lonely
Well I tried everything baby
The artist tried everything to make his relationship work
To get along with you
The singer tried to make things work with the other person
Now I'm gonna tell you
The singer is now going to be honest with the other person
What I'm gonna do
The singer is going to tell the other person what he is planning to do
I'm gonna stop my cryin'
The artist is going to stop feeling sorry for himself
Gonna leave you alone
The artist is going to leave the other person alone
And if you don't think I'm leavin' big momma
The singer is saying that he is truly leaving
Just count the days I'm gone
The other person can know how long he'll be gone for, just by counting the days
You ain't gonna see me
The other person is not going to see the artist anymore
You ain't gonna see my sweet face no more
The other person is not going to see the artist's face anymore
Lord you gonna be wondering honey
The artist believes that the other person will always wonder about what happened
Where in this world I've gone
The other person is going to wonder where he went
Milk cow blues
The artist is feeling the blues due to the loss of his milk cow
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KOKOMO ARNOLD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind