This song isn’t really about “Peter and the Twins” breaking up, because we never did.  Andy and Roger are two of my best friends, and whenever we’re in the same place in the future I am sure we will play again. I had half of the song written after an old band fight, and decided to complete it when I realized that it would be a great intro for a solo tour set.  Nick Searle and Kristen Benko contributed back-up vocals.

Breaking up the Band

There was probably some sort of strange cocktail of Queen and Ben Folds playing in my head when I came up with the melody for this one.  The basic message behind the song is that you can't recognize the good without experiencing the bad.

I'll Never Say that Rain is Wrong

This song was an attempt at writing radio-friendly pop.  It was inspired by people at home, and out of state.  I tried to leave the message open for interpretation in three different ways (ending a relationship,  giving up on “the one that got away,” or  the death of a friend). When I wrote the line “I learned how to dream” I was referring to lucid dreaming. I threw in a couple of Beatles references for good measure (lyrics from John Lennon’s “Across the Universe,” and George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass”). Kristen Benko provided backup vocals

I Learned How

Sometimes during some of the most natural song writing experiences, lines just sort of pop in, in these cases I usually don’t try to over-analyze them. This song is full of that sort of thing.

I'll be Fine

I woke up one morning and felt inexplicably good. I sat down at the Purple Rain Bar (the bar we built in our former apartment) and wrote down this song in about a half an hour, over a bowl of oatmeal. Since there aren’t lyrics included with this CD, I’ll note that in the last verse, the line is “when the world has a million I’s,” not “eyes.”

I guess it's Alright

I don’t have a lot to say about this song. It’s about missing someone. Andrew Canton provided the bass track.

Studying your Moves

A bit of a personal failure, about keeping somebody on the hook. I wrote these words from the other person’s perspective. It wasn’t too much of a stretch, because of course I’ve been there too.  Backup vocals provided by Sara Sorensen.

Lonely Night Blues

I don’t really have much of an explanation for this song; the story just sort of popped out one day.  I guess it’s what my experiences in Chicago sound like to me.

Chicago is Warmer on the Run

Peter and the Twins played this song on tour but never had the chance to record it properly.  I set out with the lofty goal of writing the most thoughtful ode to sexting in recorded history. As far as I know, I don’t have much competition… Roger Whittet of “Peter and the Twins” recorded the bass track.

Provocative Thoughts

Studying Your Moves

This one is a melancholy, soft post break-up song.  We've all gone through it-going over how it all went wrong when it was once so right, torturing ourselves with the thought of letting go and moving on. Here, I include some of the good times within the relationship to paint the picture of what the heartbreak means to the boy, as well as the idea that the "party's over," leaving listeners with this eerie sad realization that the relationship is truly over.

Peter Stewart

Popular tracks