Come Along for the Ride
from the album of the same name.
I brought this seed to our songwriting trio. It was my line, concept and emotional connection. The trio consisted of Mike Butterworth of The Nadas and
of The Damnwells (our friend and record producer). It is a literal song of asking someone to go on a road trip as well as a metaphor for a significant other to accompany you on life’s adventures. The song ended up being the title track on our latest record. The album art itself deserves its own Substack article. In fact, just thinking out loud here, I will discuss it in depth another time. I will place it here though to entice you to subscribe if you haven’t already so you don’t miss it.
At the time we started writing this record,
and I were in the midst of our 3 year #illplayanywhereman tour. We were traveling in a Storyteller Overland camper van and we were receiving tour support, moral support and emotional support from the company. They were making it possible to travel all over the country, play shows anywhere and explore places we hadn’t seen before. It was a dream come true. I was so happy to be doing this with Emma, our two and eventually three dogs, that I felt I had reached the pinnacle of my career. Jeffrey Hunter from Storyteller encouraged me to record some of my solo songs and even booked the studio time and played tasty licks on guitar and keyboards. To this day, it is still the single largest show of support anyone or any entity has provided and it was like creative rocket fuel. This is also a story for another time. I am just telling you a little to set the mood for the inspiration of the song, “Come Along for the Ride.”At this point, I had already done at least a million miles in band vans, RVs and Tour Buses. Throw in some occasional boats, trains, limos and planes, I had plenty of experience traveling to give me fodder for song lyrics. One thing I know is that I like traveling solo, but it is even better when you have someone compatible to share it with. A good traveling companion is my perfect match. Emma and I have it dialed in. I shared some of these thoughts and ideas with Mike and Alex and the song wrote itself. Give it a listen and then I will break down the lyrics.
Come Along for The Ride by The Nadas
or check out the video here:
“Come along for the ride” by The Nadas
V1 - Buckle up this road could get bumpy. You just gotta hold on.
On my own I’m known to get jumpy, every time your gone.
Chorus - Come along for the ride, with you by my side. Because with you the miles just fly by, Come along for the ride.
The footage in the video is from some of Emma and my van life experience and some of the friends we have made along the way. Some of the people travel as a couple, but there are a lot of solo travelers as well. I like to think that the song applies to those solo travelers because as you can see we meet up and have a lot of adventures together. There is nothing like sitting around a campfire in a circle of vans swapping stories and songs.
V2 - I can drive if you’re riding shotgun, baby climb on board. Play it through the aux cause I got one, turn it up a little more.
This line could have easily been, “you can drive and I’ll ride shotgun." In my world we share the driving. Play it through the aux cause I got one, is my attempt at keeping up with the vernacular of the time. I was thinking about a mix tape, I tried using the word playlist but even that seemed dated. I thought about driving my teenage son and his friends around before he got his drivers license and someone was always yelling “I got aux” or “give me the aux” which meant they wanted the cord to plug into their phone to play the tunes. Everything is better with a soundtrack.
V-3 - The best part of this drive is you with me. Straight into the sun. Don’t worry, soon it will be setting, loving you on the run.
When we are out on the road it seems like we are always chasing sunsets. Also, as you grow old with a partner you are together into your sunset years. This is a line about commitment. Commitment to the moment and the long haul.
The song ends with another chorus inviting the listener to “Come along for the Ride.” As musicians and songwriters, that’s all we want you to do. We want our audience to join us on this adventure for the three minutes of a song or the 90 minutes of a show. Come along for the ride for a 45 minute album or a 30 year career. Or even come along for the ride on a Substack channel that just tells stories about songs and travels.
As I write this piece, Emma is driving on her own from Iowa to Arizona for a van gathering at Overland Expo West. She is traveling solo and I wish I was along for the ride.
Please check out my son Mitchell’s new substack called “The Mitch”
I’m a proud member of the Iowa Writer’s Collaborative. It is a collection of writers and journalists from around the state or with some connection to Iowa. It is a smorgasbord of topics both inspiring and informative. I highly request you check out the link above as well as a few of these writers I am enjoying myself.
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shifting Gears, Detroit, MI
Peter Hedges: New York, NY
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis
Also, here is the Zoom link for this month’s Office Lounge for paid subscribers to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. It’s a lively conversation always held on the last Friday of the month at noon, except for November and December, and hosted by Robert Leonard.
Hello Jason and Emma—when Mark and I married 25 years ago, we didn't write a prenup, but we agreed verbally, jokily, on several "no"s: no knickknacks, no casinos, no camping, no RV. I'm sticking to that, but your adventures and the amazing beauty and style of the Storyteller line redefines what a "recreational vehicle" can be. Great song, too.