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  "Each song coincides with the album, and that's why I say none of this album would happen if all of these particular songs weren't on there. Some might call some of them fillers or whatever but honestly, the album wouldn't be complete without each song. Taking a song away would take away from the album's entire theme."
With the release date of Hayden's new album, 'Sh*t Happens' creeping up on everyone, Hayden decided to give an in-depth analysis of the album; the themes, the messages, and the idea behind the album itself. He even goes as far as to analyze all 12 songs in hopes of the album being understood in full capacity.
"I started recording the album in late June of last year and the first song I recorded was 'Piece Of Mind'. At the time, I didn't know what sound I was going for or what the album was going to be about. I just had that song stuck in my head for a while so I released it as a single with Jen and it just sort of took off. I didn't expect anyone to really care since I had been away from music for a while. I'm glad someone did at least (laughs).
The album itself, it's just an entire idea, one idea, about life. It's [the album] supposed to be sort of....thought provoking but mainly a way to just accept things. With the way things are, people just haven't really learned that shit happens in life and sometimes there's not a damn thing we can do about it, accept it. Now the album cover, it's all cartoon like and it almost looks like a meme which I wanted it to. It's like the album is a big meme saying, 'Shit happens, get over it' and you know each song is kinda like that. Shit happened in the story of the song and now you move on to the next song and the next until the end. All this shit has happened and what are you gonna do about it? Probably listen to the album again and move on with your life. (chuckles)"
Hayden decided to reach out to fellow musician and songwriter, Phil N., who also worked with him on his first album, 'Perception.'
"Phil is always going to have a part of my albums with him because, honestly, you can't get any better in terms of producing an album and getting that sound or thought you want across. He's always done an amazing job, listening, you know, taking direction as well as giving it. He's not just a producer who comes in and says, 'Okay, this is what's gonna happen, this is what you're gonna sing, song's done' no, he likes input and people like me have a lot of input. He gets you to think and not just write lyrics. He gets you to feel. If you're not feeling what you're singing or if you don't really put yourself in the song, listen, I've seen him just leave because you'd be wasting his time and yours. He wants you to feel what you say and not be a hollow singer.
I, for the most part, stuck to Rock in the album. It's a big turn from my last album, which I'll admit I don't really care for now. I mean it's a good album but this one is definitely better. I, um, I took influences from a lot of my favorite artists. I mean, I don't really care for most music these days but I also don't just listen to my own. There's a lot of Motown going on, there's a lot of soul, a lot of rock, I mean it's a wonderful blend.
Each song is its own little story. There's no link to them, they are just all separate stories of having to accept something and move on. I was inspired by events of my own life and others around me so no, not every song is completely about me."
Dancing Shoes
"What's funny about this song is that it was the last song I recorded and it's basically one of my favorites. Actually, I love each song. I put it as the first track because it's sort of the album opener and it catches you off guard from the start. It's just boom, in your face soul music with hints of Jazz. It's an insane track. It's one of those fun tracks that has a great sense of humor to it. It's the 'preparing you for the rest of the album' track."
Side Note: The track was originally called, 'Move.'
Hide
"You can definitely hear the Motown, Marvin Gaye, Temptations influence going on here. My father was a huge fan of Motown and he played their records all day long, all the time. This song is about an unexpected pregnancy in an already dying relationship. She basically isn't very welcomed and she just happens to come around with a pregnancy and he just wishes she was better at hiding, so to speak, staying away. I love this song because of the guitar solo in it, which was added last minute. It really adds something to the track in my eyes. That and the 'shoo wop shoo wops.' You're not hearing these types of songs on the radio anymore and you probably won't, unless you're listening to a good radio station."
Side Note: Originally, there was no guitar solo or backing vocals. The song was also the first to make it onto the album.
Mad
"It's the 'coming to be a man' song. The song was influenced by my father when I was growing up. You know he'd tell me that there's a lot more to being a man than what people think. It has nothing to do with attraction, it has nothing to do with how many women you're with at all. It's about taking responsibility and being able to do things and make choices that are hard. I feel like I've become a man with a lot of choices I've had to make and it nearly drove me insane. I wanted to be my father, when I was younger. After he died, I felt a sense of having to become the man of the house and I liked it but it was a challenge. He was the wise one and he knew everything and so me having to figure it all out with growing up was challenging."
Side Note: This track was originally called, 'Only God Can Save You' but was changed to 'Mad' so it would sound more prompt and less capable of sounding religious or anything of that nature. While recording, Hayden was sick so his voice was cracking in a few places but he opted not to edit it out.
Piece Of Mind Ft. Jennifer Armstrong
"Ahh yes, this song was romantic and R&B inspired. I wrote my parts and I wanted someone on it so I called Jen. She has a great voice that suited the track and the right attitude. She's always got that spunk in her and it shows on this record as well. Originally, it was just going to be me but I thought it sounded boring with just my voice so I added some flavor to it, Jen, and now it sounds amazing. The piano is all me and at first it was just the violins with the kick drum then I went back and recorded a few piano notes for it. It's forbidden love but having that piece of mind that even though you can't have something, it's still there and you get to see it. It sucks but...you know."
Side Note: Originally called 'Forbidden' Hayden changed the song after talking about the song with Armstrong. He said he, 'got a great understanding of the lyrics after she wrote her part.' The track is also the only one without guitar.
Is There More?
"This, and 'Take Your Place' are probably the most indie folk driven songs on the album. It's really.....thunderous and upbeat but the lyrics are the opposite. I almost felt like I was performing in the back roads of Texas or something, it was great. It was the first time I've use a mandolin in a song I believe, and a banjo. I wrote the song in a few minutes and we kept recording it and recording it and recording it because I thought I wanted a rock sound but it wasn't working. We experimented with a banjo and Phil just started playing with the idea of adding a mandolin and giving it that folk sound to it. I had the lyrics but didn't have a beat so I called my good friend, Bianca, and we just sort of had a jam session. She had her mandolin, I had my guitar and we played together. It came out great in my opinion. Relationships crumble sometimes and you find yourself asking, 'Is there more to this? Is there anything else I can get from this?' and then you decide if you should weather the storm or just leave, is the message of the song."
Side Note: The banjo and mandolin were added in last minute, giving the song a whole new direction. The backup vocals for the track are provided by Bianca Moretti, although uncredited.
Guiltiest Man
"Another strong folk song on here, this one came completely out of nowhere. Phil and I were playing around with sounds and we just got this really.....I guess you can call it twangy guitar type with some really slamming beats and it almost kind of blows your mind. I've never done a record like it. This was going to be saved for another album but I decided to put it on here because the performance of it, it's going to be crazy. I originally wrote it with the intent of being a duet but then I decided this one would be fine with just me alone. This song represents hopelessness. That's why in the lyrics, I say, 'Try my luck turnin' water to wine' that's basically sarcastic way of saying I've got no chance. It's just sometimes you lose hope, everyone does. But you know, you can find it again."
Side Note: The song was originally a duet with Hayden and Jennifer Armstrong. Instead, he decided to put her on 'Piece Of Mind.' Bianca Moretti also is featured in the song as backup vocals.
She Just Looked Better To Me But You're Alright
"This song, it's just classic Hayden as one would say. It's a comedic song for all purposes of being funny. Where to start....well the instrumentation is pretty simple. It's got that R&B mixed with rock feel to it, almost reminds you of maybe...say...Snoop Dogg? A little West coast feel to it. It's what I really wanted, something I didn't hear from most artists when it came to rock music, it was just straight hardcore or alternative but I think with the fusion of the R&B, it really makes it better. It's a story which most can relate to, a guy in a bar somewhere and he's pursuing a beautiful girl but there's another who's not as aesthetically pleasing as the other so you try to be nice without completely blowing her off, but it's kind of hard, right? All through the song, I'm trying to apologize for seemingly being shallow with caring about looks but you know sometimes a man can't help himself. A man likes what he likes. It has a coolness to the song that hopefully fans appreciate, it's all about being cool while rejecting the woman."
Side Note: Hayden named the song, 'She Just Looked Better To Me But You're Alright' simply because he 'wanted a long title for a song.' He also wanted to capture the whole theme of the song and said the title does that.
Take Your Place Ft. Allison Cooper
"This record is another folk inspired song with horns and all the elements to also make it a rock song. I wrote this, almost instantly, and it's pretty easy to find out who the song is about but it's got a dark twist to it. It's ultimately about death, and being okay with it. Maybe a Romeo ad Juliet type thing where they are both preparing to die together and he's trying to calm her down as she's freaking out about it. I just thought it was a clever story to come up with and not your typical love song. I asked Allison to assist with the song because I knew it would fit her perfectly; her voice, her style, and her whole fascination with some weird things. She loved it and we recorded it about two days tops and then we finished. I chose this as the third single because I felt like it would be nice to hear on the radio or wherever. I knew it would be a collaboration because just me wouldn't have been enough on the track, and I can accept that. It's upbeat but really plays with the dark theme of the song. It's back and forth in the way it's sung and it's just a great record."
Side Note: Hayden initially wanted to have Yasmine as the collaborator but instead chose Allision Cooper.
Consolation Prize
"This has a sort of classic sound to it and it doesn't sound real current, if you understand. I believe this one is a great rock record and I got to really have fun playing my guitar here. It's got a simple drum and guitar, maybe something you'd hear with teens in a garage or something similar. It's a fairly simple song, just the metaphor of the heart being a consolation prize for someone instead of being the only heart. It's just a heartbreak song and something people deal with all the time. In the end, the mistake was that it was all being taken as a game in the first place instead of actual love and that screwed everything up, on both sides."
Side Note: The song was extended after Hayden added in his extra guitar solos and parts where it's an instrumental break.
How To Get On By
"Clearly, the song is filled with angst and anger but it's got a very soulful beat to it. It's another genre I've come to love and that's breakbeat. I love the whole movement and dances to it. This generation, it's all about dance songs and you know, other great music isn't being appreciated like it should be. The song was just, about the whole summary of the album. It's how to get past something, even as complicated as a break up. People teach you along the way and you don't realize it until they've hurt you, they've taught you how to become independent and move on. It's a great upbeat record that I always enjoy playing live. I added in the horns because I felt that was like the really big picture, the horns. Without it, the song would've sounded bland and just okay but now? It sounds phenomenal."
Side Note: In the original version of the song, instead of singing 'How to get on by,' Hayden sang, 'I can surely fly.'
False and Fibs Ft. Sammy Griffin
"I've always admired Sammy Griffin so when I asked to do a song with him and he said yes, I was glad. The song was written by Phil and I, we sent it to Sammy and he loved it. We recorded it and made the decision to just have a really acoustic track and make it a stripped back record. The song is completely live, no editing or anything so I was pretty happy we got it done in like one take. The title of the song, 'False and Fibs' represents the whole song. People go through life wanting to expect the best but only get bad news and you sort of just keep trudging along but at what point does it not make any sense to keep doing that? So, the girl is just having a hard time in life and she always has. She wants better but there's nothing for her and she's stuck in her situation. To others, when she speaks, it sounds like nonsense but she really believes in herself. Sometimes that's all you need, is your strong beliefs."
Side Note: Hayden and Phil N. wrote the song in a hour.
LSD
"The final track on the album, I'm not going to lie it's probably my favorite song on here. Believe it or not, I was inspired by a friend of mine. There's just that simple rhythm and drum kick going, and here I am singing about being high on acid, great right? I mean I've never personally been on an acid trip but I wanted to know what it was like and this was probably as close to a description as I got. The whole 'purple fields await' was what was described to me when I asked what people saw most of the time. They saw bright colors and just the craziest shit. I didn't want to over complicate the song because I felt the lyrics went perfectly with the beat and the 60's kind of rock vibe with the psychedelic vibe to it, its great. I was just having a jam session with it and it came out like this. I even got a special guitar for it, the synth like sound with the whole 'trippy' vibe you get, it's just amazing beyond words. I'm really proud of this record and I'll probably release it as a single, I don't know. But if you've ever wanted to sort of hear what LSD sounds like, this might be close."
Side Note: 'LSD' was written after Hayden talked to a homeless woman who did acid regularly. He asked him to describe what it was like and Hayden wrote about it. |
