So Alive (Ryan Adams song)

"So Alive"
Single by Ryan Adams
from the album Rock n Roll
Released 2004
Format CD Single, 7" vinyl
Genre Rock
Label Lost Highway Records
Writer(s) Ryan Adams / Johnny T. Yerington
Producer(s) James Barber
Ryan Adams singles chronology
"Nuclear"
(2002)		 So Alive
(2004)		 "This Is It"
(2004)
Music video
"So Alive" on YouTube

"So Alive" is a song by singer-songwriter Ryan Adams from his 2003 album Rock n Roll. The song was co-written with Johnny T. Yerington[1] and was released as a single in 2004.[2]

In a 2003 interview with VH1, Adams talked about the song's background: "It was the last song [on the album] to have lyrics. It was the last day of making the record. I got up... walked down to Stuyvesant City Cove and watched the boats go by... I wanted to write a song about how romantic I was feeling. [The song] has a super big falsetto. I don't know where the hell that came from."[3]

Music Video

A music video for "So Alive", shot by Doug Aitken, was produced in late 2003.[4] The video features Adams performing the song as he wanders through a surreal desert dreamscape characterized by snakes, giant spider webs, scraggly bushes and overall desolation. It was the subject of a behind-the-scenes "Making The Video" special on MTV2, shot at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles. In the special, Adams refers to the "nightmare scenarios" depicted in the video, while producer/first assistant director Peter Murray calls it "a journey of the mind". Throughout the shoot Adams is seen clowning around, cracking jokes with the crew and generally having a good time.[5]

B-Sides

The various "So Alive" singles contain several Rock n Roll outtakes as b-sides, including "Ah, Life", "Don't Even Know Her Name", "I'm Coming Over", and "Luxury".[6]

"Ah, Life", "Don't Even Know Her Name", and "I'm Coming Over" were also released on the Moroccan Role EP in 2004.[7]

Additionally, a limited edition 7" vinyl single was released with a 4-track recording of "Come Pick Me Up" as the b-side.[8]

Track listings

So Alive CD1
Lost Highway 986 1610

  1. "So Alive" (LP version)
  2. "Ah, Life" (non-album track)
  3. "Don't Even Know Her Name" (non-album track)
  4. "So Alive" (music video)

So Alive CD2
Lost Highway 986 1611

  1. "So Alive" (LP version)
  2. "I'm Coming Over" (non-album track)

So Alive Promo CD
Lost Highway RYANCPD5

  1. "So Alive" (radio edit)
  2. "So Alive" (LP version)

7" Vinyl Single
Lost Highway B394947-D1

  1. "So Alive" (LP version)
  2. "Luxury" (non-album track)

Limited Edition 7" Vinyl Single
Lost Highway MRNR-02487-7

  1. "So Alive" (LP version)
  2. "Come Pick Me Up" (original 4-track version)

Personnel & Production Credits

"Ah, Life" / "Don't Even Know Her Name" / "I'm Coming Over" / "Luxury"

"Come Pick Me Up (Original 4-Track Version, Jacksonville, NC)"

References

  1. ↑ Rock n Roll (Media notes). Ryan Adams. Universal City, CA: UMG Recordings, Inc. 2003. B0001376-02.
  2. ↑ "So Alive (Canada CD) - Ryan Adams: Allmusic". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  3. ↑ Ives, Brian; Bottomley, C. (2003-10-30). "VH1.com: Ryan Adams: Spouting Off About Rock 'n' Roll". VH1.com. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  4. ↑ Team Retail (2003). "Retail: Points of Impact". CMJ New Music Report (College Media, Inc.) 78 (841): 36. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  5. ↑ Making The Video: Ryan Adams: So Alive (Television Special). MTV Productions. 2003.
  6. ↑ "The Rock N Roll Sessions". AnsweringBell.com. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  7. ↑ "Lost Highway Records: Ryan Adams". Lost Highway Records. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  8. ↑ So Alive (Media notes). Ryan Adams. Nashville, TN: Lost Highway Records. MRNR-02487-7.

External links