When I joined the Broken Hearts, I was a big fan of the UK band Rockpile, which featured Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe. This song became an attempt to capture the vibe of Rockpile bashing through a vintage-sounding rock ’n' roll tune. There was another side of this song, though, where I envisioned more of a New Orleans funky rock vibe, which is where the call-and-response vocals came from. In the end, we settled on the straight-ahead rock ’n' roll rave-up that’s on the record - with the answering vocals.
The lyrics are a tongue-in-cheek reflection on an on-again, off-again relationship I was going through at the time. My lead vocal has a rockabilly-style slapback echo and is double-tracked on the bridge. Jamie, Michael and Pat sing the answering vocals and Jamie harmonizes with me at the end. I had several versions of segments of the lead guitar break prepared before going into the studio to record the part.
What wound up on the master is the first and only take, which felt a little loose to me, but the engineer declared it to be a “thing of beauty.”
In hindsight, he might have been impatient to wrap up the session, but we left the lead guitar as it stands. Michael often played colorful inversions of guitar chords, which became part of the band’s unique sound and feature strongly on this song. Pat’s drumming and Jamie’s bass are relentless, powering through to wind up the LP with a bang.
- Tom Bittel -
lyrics
I'M THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU
(Thomas J. Bittel)
Why do you say all those things that you say?
Why do you pick me up and push me away?
When I'm the one who loves you
I'm the one who loves you
Why do you hang around with all of those boys?
I'm getting sick and tired of all of this noise
When I'm the one who loves you
I'm the one who loves you
If you'd take a look I know you'd see, that you still love me
I call your number on the telephone
But every time I do, you're never alone
But I'm the one who loves you
I'm the one who loves you
I see your car coming down the street
With someone different in the driver's seat
But I'm the one who loves you
I'm the one who loves you
If you'd take a look I know you'd see, that you still love me
You treat me bad, yeah you treat me unkind
Some day you're gonna drive me out of my mind
I look at you and I just gotta say
What makes me want to stay around this way?
Don't be a fool, with your foolin' around
Cuz' what you want, you know you've already found
Cuz' I'm the one who loves you
I'm the one who loves you
If you'd take a look I know you'd see, that you still love me
Jody Stephens of Big Star and Luther Russell of the Freewheelers team for a radiant LP packed full of slide guitar and pop smarts. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 11, 2019
Dreamy, intricate guitar pop from Oakland's Absent City; splashes of accordion, sitar, lap steel, and mandolin add textural richness. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 26, 2020