On his new album Live a Little (due out December 5th), acclaimed Nashville indie-rock singer-songwriter Tommy Womack reminds us that every moment is precious.
“I could have called it Life Goes On, but that would have been a little maudlin and a little too obvious,” Womack says. “The flip side of the death that runs though the record is life is fleeting, and don’t let it pass you by. Life goes on, yes, and you should live a little as long as you are here.”
Womack explores both dying and living on the album. He’s a deep thinker. The son of a preacher, he is comfortable writing about uncomfortable subjects — from the embarrassing to the fatal. Life isn’t fair, as he notes several times, and while “God answers every prayer, sometimes the answer’s no.”
Womack first made his mark as a member of Government Cheese, the punk-influenced band out of Bowling Green, Kentucky, that achieved regional fame in the Southeast in the late ’80s and early ’90s and who still make records and occasionally perform live. Several of the songs on the new record revisit Government Cheese’s early days, including “Speed, Weed and Alcohol,” “Hoboken” and “Underneath the Water Tower Again.” On the latter, he updates with new lyrics the song “Underneath the Water Tower,” which appeared on the Cheese’s 1987 EP, C’mon Back To Bowling Green … And Marry Me.
The entire album is written from the perspective of an older, wiser guy; someone who has lived and learned and grown as a person and as an artist. Producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel calls it a “reflective record,” and while Womack may be in a reflective mood, it doesn’t blunt his artistic edge, which is honed with irony and humor.
Today, Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of the standout tune “Waiting for the Punchline,” a jangly tune that falls somewhere between power pop and pub rock. The catchy chorus (and song title) captures Womack’s penchant for writing lyrics that resonate and linger long after listening. These seemingly simple yet poignant lyrics are backed by a nicely rocking soundtrack and some vocal harmonies to complement Womack’s singing. If this tune is any indication, then we are in for another fine collection of tunes from this talented singer-songwriter.
Womack explains the inspiration behind the song:
“Two funny people meet. She’s pretty and funny, he’s funny and handsome. They end up living together, having marital notions, and always cracking each other up. But a relationship based on one-liners is seed on rocky soil. It leads one day to her telling him she’s leaving and he keeps waiting for the punchline, not hip to how this time it’s a gut-punchline, and love has no laugh track.”
LISTEN:
