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Song by Song"Mrs. Steven Rudy" (Mark McGuinn/Shane Decker)The melody for this song had absolutely driven me crazy. The title I had at first, did not sing well. So, Shane and I kept working at it until we arrived at "Mrs. Steven Rudy." It is a light-hearted song about a regular guy who wants to help out a beautiful woman. "Heaven Must Be Missin' You" (Mark McGuinn/Trey Matthews) This is a love song pure and simple. It's a reflection of how I was feeling about a special someone at the time; and still do! Growing up, I was a big Journey fan and I think you may hear their influence on this track. Troy Lancaster laid down a lead guitar part that is truly memorable, a la Neal Schon. I miss the days of these kinds of guitar riffs and leads that are just as memorable as the song. "No Way" (Mark McGuinn/Trey Matthews) Trey and I had been out the night before we wrote this, and ended up staying out really early. We were supposed to write the next day but neither of us was up for writing. We kept the appointment anyway, and I started playing this riff while humming the melody. Trey sat up and said, "play that again." We were done in 45 minutes. We went to play it for my publisher, Jeff Moseley, and he loved it. "But," he said, "I think it needs a bridge." As soon as he spoke, the bridge just came to me. Thus, "No Way" was born. Moral of the story; stay out late, laugh a lot, write when you don't want to, a song may be waiting! "That's A Plan" (Bobby E. Boyd/David Leone) This is the only song on the album that I did not co-write. It's a song I had heard a few years back that I always loved. It has an addictive melody. The first time I played it for my co-producer, Shane Decker, we immediately agreed that with a different production it would be a great addition to the album. I'm really proud of the way it turned out and I think we captured the essence of the song, which is constant motion. "If The World Was Mine" (Mark McGuinn/Shane Decker) Shane was out in San Francisco when he called and sang this idea on my answering machine. The Tuesday after he returned to Nashville (we always write on Tuesdays, although he claims I always cancel), we proceeded to finish the song sitting on his picnic table under a beautiful blue sky. "One Of Their Own" (Mark McGuinn/Bobby E. Boyd) This song was written on piano and is one of my favorites on the record. This is one I never get tired of listening to, and that's strange for me! Most songwriters are ready to immediately move on to the next song and that holds true 99 percent of the time. "One Of Their Own" is the exception to the rule. It is reminiscent of Don Henley's "The Boy Of Summer." It just drives! "She Doesn't Dance" (Mark McGuinn/Don Pfrimmer/Shane Decker) This one was written on piano as well. I don't want to say that it was easy to write, but the story was already there. It is, for the most part, the true story of my old roommate who had told me of his experience prior to the song being written. Much to his chagrin it is now on an album. (Sorry, buddy. I'll buy ya a beer.) You might hear Billy Joel or Mike Reid influences. It reminds me of something they might write. "Silver Platter" (Mark McGuinn/Trey Matthews) This is an example of a song that was written from the first line forward. All we had was the line, "everybody wants to make it up to heaven, but they don't want to die." The title just fell out of the air when we got to that point in the song. I love the message in this song. "All About The Ride" (Mark McGuinn/Billy Davidson/Bobby E. Boyd) My girlfriend was having a bad day, so I thought to cheer her up we would get out of town. I'm not the best when it comes to directions, so we ended up lost a long, long way from our destination. I was mad and frustrated but she just looked over at me and said, " Thank you, I feel so much better now, and I'm ready to go home." I said, "what?" And she responded, "you don't get it, just spending some time with you was all I needed." And then she said what was to be the title, "It's all about the ride." It was easy from there. What the song fails to mention is that she slept the whole way back home. Moral of this story: get lost close to home! "Love Don't Float" (Mark McGuinn/Jim Foster) This song reminds me of Jimmy Buffet and early George Strait. There is an openness that is nice to hear. It has a watery feel like you are floating along. I like the melancholy feel. This is a lover's lament. "Busy Signal" (Mark McGuinn/Trey Matthews) I think we've all been through this ordeal at one time or another, pardon the pun, "when the connection is lost." Trey and I actually wrote two songs the day we wrote "Busy Signal." Shane Decker and I could not resist making the vocals sound as if the guy in the song is talking on the telephone. We knew it was the obvious thing to do, but, hey, sometimes the obvious works. "Done It Right" (Mark McGuinn/Shane Decker/Don Pfrimmer) I love the message in this song. Old idea, new interpretation. What it's really saying is that there is no right way to do something. Everyone has their own path, their own destiny. Somebody's wrong, may be somebody's right. It has kind of a Springsteen feel. I always wanted to hear John Anderson sing this song, but I guess I'll have to do! Check out the wild solo at the end. Played as only Ray Flack could!
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