Singer/songwriter Brandy Clark is up for six Grammy Awards, five from her recently released self-titled album and the other for the musical Shucked. Brandy Clark is packed with vulnerable and personal songs, the fruits of Clark’s exemplary songwriting. More importantly, it features the kind of songs that resonate deeply with listeners and keep them coming back for more. Recently, she spoke about a couple of the tracks from the album.
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[RELATED: Brandy Clark Talks Grammy Nominations, ‘Shucked,’ and Why 2023 Was Her Best Year Yet]
“Ain’t Enough Rocks”
Clark didn’t shy away from heavy topics on her self-titled album. The song “Ain’t Enough Rocks” is a murder ballad about a young lady who kills her father after he molests her younger sister. In an interview with CMT, Clark said the song was hard for her to write because it wasn’t autobiographical. “It’s not my story,” she clarified. “I wouldn’t want to make light of somebody else’s story. But, I’m very much an eye-for-an-eye kind of person, so that’s what the song is. I loved that part of writing it.”
“Dear Insecurity”
“Dear Insecurity,” the song Clark wrote with Michael Pollack and performed with Brandi Carlile, is about the way one’s insecurities can ruin parts of their life.
Carlile produced the album and had no plans to sing on the record. Originally, Lucinda Williams was slated to be Clark’s duet partner on the track; however, Carlile and Clark sang the song together and Clark fell in love with the demo recording.
“Brandi and I are from the same part of the country. We’re around the same age and we’re both gay,” Clark noted. “We have similar insecurities, so it felt real to me. I really tossed and turned about ‘How do I ask her to do it?’”
The next day, Clark told her collaborator that she’d like to have her on the final recording. “Oh buddy, all you had to do was ask,” Carlile told her.
About the idea behind the song, Clark said, “Usually, when somebody hurts you, it’s their own insecurities. I was trying to remind myself of that.”
Shucked brought Clark the Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. “Buried” brought her the nominations for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song. “Dear Insecurity” is up for Best Americana Performance and Best American Roots Song. Additionally, Brandy Clark is up for Best Americana Album.
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Americana Music Association
