Craig: In it I mention “that American sadness.” I read David Foster Wallace talk about this particular American sadness where, no matter what, through drugs or alcohol, especially consumer goods, we can’t seem to fill this void inside of us. The song is really about consumerism and people screwing other people over to get ahead, to get more stuff. Also, it’s really heavy and I like that. At 42 years old and on our sixth record, I was proud to make a heavy record this time around.
Tad: I think that song is a great example of the interplay between Steve [Selvide, the band's new second guitar player] and I on the record. We both have really similar influences and we come from a really similar place — we were even born on the same day, just a few hours apart. But stylistically, as guitar players, we’re very, very different. I think that song is a really nice snapshot of that. Craig had a tough time finding where the words were going to fit because it’s dense and there’s a lot of guitars, and I remember rehearsing it and just being able to barely hear the lyrics, and then we’d get to the chorus: “On the carpet, on the mattress, waking up with American sadness.” When we finished and I said, “Are you saying 'American sadness'?” And he’s like, “Yeah.” And I’m like, “That’s fucking awesome. That’s perfect.”
Craig: In it I mention “that American sadness.” I read David Foster Wallace talk about this particular American sadness where, no matter what, through drugs or alcohol, especially consumer goods, we can’t seem to fill this void inside of us. The song is really about consumerism and people screwing other people over to get ahead, to get more stuff. Also, it’s really heavy and I like that. At 42 years old and on our sixth record, I was proud to make a heavy record this time around.
Tad: I think that song is a great example of the interplay between Steve [Selvide, the band's new second guitar player] and I on the record. We both have really similar influences and we come from a really similar place — we were even born on the same day, just a few hours apart. But stylistically, as guitar players, we’re very, very different. I think that song is a really nice snapshot of that. Craig had a tough time finding where the words were going to fit because it’s dense and there’s a lot of guitars, and I remember rehearsing it and just being able to barely hear the lyrics, and then we’d get to the chorus: “On the carpet, on the mattress, waking up with American sadness.” When we finished and I said, “Are you saying 'American sadness'?” And he’s like, “Yeah.” And I’m like, “That’s fucking awesome. That’s perfect.”
http://www.vulture.com/2014/04/hold-steady-craig-finn-tad-kubler-pick-best-songs.html