Sometimes, a songwriter just needs a plot to get started on what could be an outstanding song. That’s certainly how it worked for Tony Scalzo of Fastball when he penned the band’s signature 1998 single “The Way.”
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It helped them secure their place in the industry after a rocky start. Without it, Fastball might have crumbled early on in their journey, instead of setting off on a successful career that is still thriving three decades down the line.
A Songwriter in Need of a Topic
Formed in 1992 in Austin, Texas, Fastball, consisting of Tony Scalzo, Miles Zuniga, and Joey Shuffield, worked their way through the Southwest scene and earned a record deal. Alas, their 1996 debut album Make Your Mama Proud mostly came and went without a trace.
In many cases, a band whose first album sinks like that finds their record deal is in jeopardy. Luckily for Fastball, there was some corporate rearranging going on at Hollywood Records around that time. That allowed them to fly below the radar, which meant they were able to record a sophomore album.
By that time, the band better understood their strengths. Instead of going for the punk sound that adorned their debut, Fastball instead cultivated an approach that was built on the classic songwriting of pop tunesmiths ranging from The Beatles to Elvis Costello. The only problem was that chief songwriter Scalzo couldn’t figure out what he should be writing.
A Will and a “Way”
An A&R man suggested to Scalzo he try an old Beatles technique: Pick up a newspaper and see if anything inspired. Scalzo agreed to attempt it, and he almost immediately settled upon a story about an elderly Texas couple who had gone on a trip and not reached their intended destination, causing great concern in their kids.
Scalzo let his imagination run with the tale, wondering why two people might choose to try to escape from society. He completed “The Way” before the sad ending to the story was discovered. The couple was eventually found dead two weeks after their disappearance, far from where they were supposed to have been traveling.
Fastball devised a nifty arrangement for the song, with a little bit of a Latin-flavored rhythm and some cool production touches, such as a looped keyboard part and some radio static that preceded the beginning of the melody. “The Way” became a breakthrough alternative hit for the band upon its release, setting the table for their long career to come.
Behind the Lyrics of “The Way”
“The Way” asks a question specific to the true-life situation that inspired Scalzo: But where were they going without ever knowing the way? It’s the kind of query that’s relevant to any number of lives, as many of us face the choice between taking the safe road and rolling the dice on an alternative destination in life.
An exit to eternal summer slacking is how Scalzo describes their sudden turn off the beaten path. He imagines how they came to that eureka moment: They drank up the wine and they got to talking / But now had more important things to say. In the final verse, the narrator mentions the befuddled children left behind.
In the chorus, Scalzo suggests bliss awaits them, even if the rest of the world sees it as tragedy: You can see their shadows wandering off somewhere / They won’t make it home but they really don’t care. Fastball found “The Way” to success with this memorable track by daring to follow their own untested artistic avenue.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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