Griffins’ songs do tend to pull on the heartstrings. He is a master of the love (or love lost) song, whether it be the beautiful opening track, the acoustic “Better Than Love,” the faster tune “The Lonely One,” or another standout track, “Let Me In” when he proclaims:
“She’s out of my league and that’s the kind of girl I need
I am the underdog & I’m about to take the lead…”
Griffin attributes the preponderance of “relationship” tunes on the disc to a serious relationship that ended about the time the songs were written. Included is the common “it’s not you, it’s me” theme and the self-reflection of “The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind:”
“You don’t have to change a thing about you babe, I’m tellin’ you from where I sit you’re one of a kind
Relationships I don’t know why they never work out, they make you cry
The guy that says goodbye to you is out of his mind…â€
Like many of the finer songwriters that have come before him he is not afraid to comment on and question both government and religion. He gets at both on “I Remember (It’s Happening Again),” which he has said is his favorite song he has written. Tales told of war by relatives, including one on the Arizona in Pearl Harbor fight against wondering if the retaliation of the Atomic Bomb is justified and how among all of this “I heard some Christians say ‘What would Jesus do?’ What if you were on the wrong side would he point the gun at you?” As time marches on to the present, history seems to repeat itself and he realizes “I Remember, when I was a younger man, we were soldiers fighting in a foreign land; now we’re older, and It’s Happening Again.” The musicians on the disc were assembled by producer Jeff Trott (Sheryl Crow), including a pair of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers; keyboard player Benmont Tench and guitarist Mike Campbell. Others joining in include Beck’s longtime bass player, Justin Mendal-Johnson, violinist Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) and drummer Victor Indrizzo (Macy Gray, Aimee Mann, Daniel Lanois). Flying Upside Down is full of well written songs by a young songwriter who likely has a great deal more to say in the future!
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