Pat Green on Selling Out, Moving Forward and Going ‘Home’
“Girls From Texas,” the project’s first single, is a loping lullaby that, once again, speaks directly to his original fans. It recently spent 10 weeks at Number One on the Texas Music Chart. Co-written by Shane McAnally and Jon Randall, the song touches on things that make women around the country unique, while insisting that the ones from the Lone Star State are just a little bit better than the rest. As an added bonus, Green recorded it as a duet with one of his favorite Texas artists, Lyle Lovett.
“He’s very precise,” Green remembers. “I’ve never seen anybody who has a delivery as precise as [Lovett’s] is. He’s really thoughtful. I mean, I’m thoughtful, but he takes it to a whole other level. . .We went to this guy’s house — it was like a house studio with a couple of microphones set up — and the two of us sang it looking at each other. That was a moment I’ll never forget.”
Heading off in a different direction is Green’s current single, “While I Was Away,” a lump-in-your-throat emotional rollercoaster dedicated to parents whose careers force them to spend time away from their families.
“That song makes me cry,” Green says of the track, written by Zane Williams. “It’s supposed to be a tearjerker, but also, the best part about missing somebody is seeing them again. I think that’s the hope of the song. It’s like, ‘You might have grown up while I was away, but at the same time, so did I.’ At least that’s what I hope my kids get out of it — and my life. There was no shortage of love, just a shortage of time.”
Admittedly, getting back to this point wasn’t easy, and the singer-songwriter says he needed time to recover from the strain of the country music machine.
“I was really burnt out,” he admits. “From Three Days to Wave on Wave to Lucky Ones to Cannonball and What I’m For, those five albums came out within a year or so of each other, and I was smoked. It seemed like I was promoting one record, and I would leave the promotion and drive to the studio to record the next one. I’m not saying I’m too old for that shit or anything like that — but I’m too old for that shit.”
Now that Green’s back on his own, though, he feels like he can take the time to do things right. He’s excited again, insisting that Home is just the first step back toward wherever he’s meant to be.
“I’m starting to write now [for the next album],” he says. “I don’t wanna say it’s a comeback, but I think I should do two records back-to-back, maybe even three, then breathe for a minute. I’m still feeling the itch.”
Maybe he’s not too old for this shit after all.