About That Song: Jill Andrews
About That Song #84
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
For our 84th edition, I was excited to connect with Jill Andrews, a deeply affecting and empathetic lyricist and singer, to talk about the song that inspired her creative beginnings as well as the inspiration for some of her own songs.
Jill Andrews. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Sarah: Hi, Jill Andrews! A dear friend of mine introduced me to your music a few years back (via your album Thirties) and I’ve been a fan ever since. Your songs have found homes on TV shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy, This Is Us, and Nashville. In addition to your solo work, you’ve had successful collaborations with the duo Hush Kids and the everybodyfields. You recently released an EP, Big Feelings, which has been keeping me company in my minivan this summer. You’re about to head to the Midwest for a string of shows, and it feels like a wonderful opportunity to learn a bit more about you and the songs that have shaped your musical journey.
Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Jill: It was “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell. I loved how it sounded. It was like I was eavesdropping on an intimate conversation that she was having with her partner. Her melodies on that song are also so unique and beautiful.
Sarah: Oh yes, Joni Mitchell’s writing has a way of hitting that spot of intimacy like no other writer. “A Case of You” might be the finest example. Something about the hyperspecificity of some lyrics (the O Canada moment) contrasted with the big feelings of “I could drink a case of you.” So brilliant.
Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it myself—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment?
Jill: No, I didn’t. I wrote for fun and played around a lot with the craft of it before I felt like I was any good. The first song that I really liked was “The Red Rose.” I wrote that one for the first everybodyfields album. It’s about a woman whose husband left her and how she coped with her despair by trying to drink it away.
Sarah: The title track of your current EP, Big Feelings, hit me right in my heart, both as a mother to someone with Big Feelings, as well as being someone with Big Feelings of my own. I internally cheered the first time I heard the chorus—it felt like a beautifully bold declaration, an embrace of the idea that we have these feelings and it’s OK…in a world where maybe those feelings are seen by some as inconvenient (that’s me, sometimes, too!) Can you tell us about that song?
Jill: I am a pretty big empath and I feel everything deeply. My daughter is the same way. It can be hard for other people sometimes. When I was a little girl, I would get my feelings hurt easily. It’s gotten better but it’s still something that I have to work through.
Jill Andrews. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Sarah: As a listener, let me say thank you for doing some of that work via songwriting.
“Some people got it easy, some people got it hard, some people bury wounds under old scars.” This lyric, from the song “Old Scars,” offers such a sweet knowing, an I-see-you compassion to the listener. Can you tell us about that song?
Jill: I wrote this song after meeting a man at a venue. He was taking out the trash and we started talking. He asked me what kind of music I play. When I told him, he responded by saying, “I came to Nashville to be a musician too.” I asked him how it was going and he said “It didn’t work out for me.” Later that evening I found out that he was homeless and was earning some extra money cleaning at the venue. I was inspired by him to write this song.
Sarah: Oh, wow. It could happen anywhere, I suppose, but there’s a particularly good chance in Nashville that someone you meet has a story where they came there for a thing and it did or did not work out. You’ve captured that poignancy so well.
The EP ends in the gorgeous “God At Your Bedside.” Again, this one met me in my parent-heart, and also, as someone still in need of that comfort myself. Can you tell us about that song?
Jill: As much as it sometimes feels like we are alone in this world, I still think we have somebody watching out for us. I wrote this one for my daughter. Her name isn’t Lucy, but that’s the name that came out when I first sat down at the piano to write it. And I know a Lucy that also fits perfectly in the song, too.
Sarah: We can all be Lucy when we listen then, maybe? Thank you so much for chatting with me About That Song, Jill. Do you have any upcoming Midwest shows where we might hear you sing some of these gems?
Jill: Yes! I’ll be playing at The Aster Cafe in Minneapolis on August 6th.
Sarah: Wonderful! Past ATS guest Annie Fitzgerald is also on the bill. I have no doubt it will be a magical evening. All the best to you!
Get your table reservation at the Aster Cafe to see Jill Andrews and Annie Fitzgerald on Wednesday, August 6! Music starts at 8pm.
Listen to “God At Your Bedside”
Big Feelings Album Credits
Written by: Jill Andrews and Dustin Christensen
Produced by: Mark Campbell and Peter Groenwald
Players: Mark Campbell (bass and guitars), Peter Groenwald (all things keys), Timmy Jones (all things drums)
Mixed by: Mark Campbell
Mastered by: Joe Causey at Voyager Sound
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
