The inimitable Leonard Cohen once said it best: “If I knew where great songs came from, I’d go there more often.”
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It’s true—great songs can come from almost anywhere. Sometimes, it’s a story or a memory from your past; other times, it’s an emotion that’s so strong, a song just has to come out. Yet, every once in a while, it can be as simple as the perfect word hitting you right at the perfect time, instantly flooding your mind with inspiration. For rising country singer-songwriter Carter Faith, that happened when she thought about the word “joyride.”
“The idea for this song really came from that word—I thought that it just made such perfect sense in terms of a young and exciting relationship,” she said. The song—itself titled “Joyride”—dropped as a single on June 10, coming ahead of Faith’s introductory EP, Let Love Be Love, which is due on August 20.
“To me, ‘Joyride’ is about that love that we all wish for, see in movies and hear about in songs… but it isn’t just there, it can be so real,” Faith continued. “When love is a ‘joyride for the soul’ all that means is that it is easy, fresh, exciting, and real. I wanted this song to be an easy listen and a summer jam but also get that point across, that the best type of love is fun and easy.”
With a laid-back, modern country feel akin to a lighter-hearted Kacey Musgraves, “Joyride” and its summer-y atmosphere verge on “anthemic.” Coming out of a classic guitar solo and building into the song’s climax on the bridge—complete with the lyrics You only live once—it’s the kind of thing that was hand-crafted for rolling down the windows, turning up the speaker, and letting your cares wash away. For her part, Faith agrees.
“I just love the feel of this song,” Faith said, “especially on the hook line: Joyride for the soul. It really feels like an ‘80s Mercedes convertible just going 90 mph on an open road.”
Carter Faith’s introductory EP Let Love Be Love is out August 20—listen to the single “Joyride” below:
