k.d. lang, “Constant Craving”

Over the past three decades, Canada’s k.d. lang (she spells it lower case) has performed with an evocative and joyful style that has made her a favorite in both pop and country, though these days she may be considered something closer to Americana with the evolution of that wide-ranging genre. Though she’s hardly been a typical mainstream artist and her days as a chart-topper are probably behind her, she continues to record, most recently as one-third of the critically-acclaimed trio, case/lang/veirs with singers Neko Case and Laura Veirs.    

“Constant Craving,” from lang’s 1992 Ingénue album, was written by lang and collaborator Ben Mink, and was her most commercially successful single, doing well in both the U.S. and the UK. A song about the struggles of life and the resiliency of the human spirit, “Constant Craving” is a great example of how a lot can be said with a concise lyric, and is notable for its short verses:

Even through the darkest phase
Be it thick or thin
Always someone marches brave
Here beneath my skin

and

Maybe a great magnet pulls
All souls towards truth
Or maybe it is life itself
That feeds wisdom to its youth

And that’s it. That’s both verses of the song. While the premise isn’t entirely unique, the lyrics of “Constant Craving” illustrate that, when the right words are used, less really is more, or is at least just the right amount.

And then there’s the chorus, which is only five words:

Constant craving
Has always been.

Of course, the melody and lang’s delivery, with the syllables drawn out, determine how many beats the words take up within a measure. The song is so expertly written that the few words of the chorus fit perfectly, and say exactly what needs to be said.

Author and American Songwriter Senior Editor Paul Zollo discussed “Constant Craving” with lang in his excellent book, Songwriters on Songwriting. “’Constant Craving,’ as a matter of fact, wasn’t finished until a week before we actually finished [Ingénue],” lang said. “I wasn’t happy. I was fighting with the structure of the song right up to the last minute and finally I decided to take a verse out and put a guitar solo in … It was a real tough tooth to pull, that one. It was really hard.”

Of crafting the song’s lyrics, lang told Zollo, “See, I struggle with tiny little words like ‘here beneath my skin’ or ‘just beneath my skin.’ Every little word. I take hours sometimes on one word.”

“Constant Craving” is outstanding work, and shows just how great a song can turn out to be when painstaking consideration is given to every word. The song went on to receive Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and lang won a Grammy for Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Read the lyrics.