Love and romance are easily the most common of songwriting themes, but the idea of redemption within that same context is often untapped territory. Songwriter Andrew Weiss took a lens to the concept and dove deeper into an idea so relatable but rarely adopted for songwriting. Fifty songs later, he found what he was looking for and wrote “Everybody Loves a Comeback.”
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“I love songwriting, and I immerse myself in the craft. I get really excited at the beginning of an album cycle about what shape the songs will take,” explained Weiss. “That’s the beauty of songwriting, a song can appear from thin air, where before there was nothing. When we were finishing up our first album The Honeymoon Suite, I started writing again for the next album, I wrote around fifty songs during the process, and “Everybody Loves a Comeback” was one of the first songs written. For some reason, the topic of redemption was on my mind and I was trying to present a convincing argument for why people who mess up deserve a second chance. I put this idea through the lens of a romantic relationship. It’s not always easy to believe that argument, but redemption is always an interesting topic to explore.”
“Everybody Loves a Comeback” is a peak at Weiss’ upcoming album The Golden Age of Love and Chemistry, scheduled for release in March. The pop-focused single is heavy on string arrangements and charming piano accents which really match the secondary theme of romanticism, with guiding lyrics that clearly divulge the song’s concept of second chances.
“When it came time to record the song, I wanted it to sound romantic, so I decided to write a string arrangement that embodied this feeling,” said Weiss. “Some of my favorite string arrangers are George Martin, Owen Pallett, and Lenny Kravitz. I love the way that each of them makes the string arrangements inseparable from the song. The song’s place in the middle of the album is important to me because after a few songs about love and the current state of the world comes a song about redemption. I’m an optimist, and I’m glad that in the world this album presents, this song gives some indication that maybe everything could be okay.”
The Golden Age of Love and Chemistry was recorded on analog tape in Long Island, New York at Sabella Studios, using the console on which John Lennon mixed his 1980 record Double Fantasy, one of Weiss’ favorite records. The album was mixed by studio engineer Howie Weinberg, who has worked with Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cheap Trick.
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