Video: Duffy Plays Acoustic Set at 'Rolling Stone'

British singer Duffy recently played an intimate acoustic set at the Rolling Stone's office, showcasing songs from her just-released second album Endlessly.

During the session, she talks about how she wrote nearly all of the songs on the album with Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.'s 66-year-old father Albert Sr., who has written or co-written hits like the Hollies' "Air That I Breathe," Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and Leo Sayer's "When I Need You." Duffy then performs the ballad "Don't Forsake Me."

Next, she explains how her collaboration came about with the Roots on the album version of "Well, Well, Well," and then plays the song with her touring band. During that performance, you'll also see the integral role that an empty beer bottle plays in the song's arrangement.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

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