Sam Smith’s album In The lonely Hour has sold record units. The British star shares how his mother wept over the phone after listening to his trackNot In That Way
I’m not the only one
It was one of the last tunes we actually did. When we did Stay with Me, we had the feeling of the drum just coming through, which gave such an authentic feel to the song. That’s when we went to write I’m Not The Only One and just played the piano. It just felt right to have that drum behind and it really linked with me like a twin. The song is from the perspective of someone who is married and their partners are cheating on them and they know it. I think when people will first hear this song, it would sounds like I am being horrible or mean to the person who is cheating. I want to make clear that when we were writing, we were actually looking at the person who was staying as a bit of the muck.
I’ve Told You Now
We had such a battle for this tune, with my label for various versions. Because the demo was so amazing, we didn’t want to take that away from it. We tried so many different things, we tried more productions. In the end we really simplified it and I am really happy with the outcome. The song is like probably like the other four or five songs in the album which are about a certain person who I loved and who didn’t love me back. And it captures the moment when you let it slip...that you love them.
like I Can
I love it. For me it’s just like a really big pop song, which I hope everyone can sing and will enjoy singing. The idea behind this is almost pure jealousy. You are looking at someone you love and they’re getting along with everyone except you. You are just thinking saying ‘Why, why are you just doing that and nobody will love you the way I will’. It’s sad, but the sound of this song has got attitude and is very hopeful as a song. I have been a very big fan of Oleta Adams’ Get Here — the way she lists all the ways her lover should get to her.
life support
I guess this one shows my growth as a song writer. Because I don’t think I would have come up with those melodies at the start of the process. This song, to me, feels like an experiment. It feels brave melodically and I am going to go into sessions with my next album, just like I went into that one. I would also try some different things on it.
Not in that way
It’s the saddest song I’ve ever done. When we released the teaser, my mother rang me and said that she loved it but it made her feel sad. I apologise if it makes you sad, too but it had to go into the album. I have spent my whole life in finding that one song that describes unrequited love. And I think I Can’t Make You love Me, definitely did it for me. Whenever I feel sad, I listen to that tune. I am really sorry if it makes people cry too much.
lay Me Down
It’s such an incredible song. lay Me Down is a song which changed all of our lives. The song is about death. I was thinking about my grandmother who died. It’s got a morbid, a really morbid tone to it. We also tried to make it sound like a love song. I was not even sure of the song because it was so different from something I have ever done. But I am overwhelmed by the reaction and feedback I have received on social media.
Restart
Each track has a theme and they are about loneliness, primarily inspired by my situation when I was in love. But Restart for me is a breath of fresh air after listening to what is quite an intense album. I panic at times because it may be too depressing but it is what it is.
Restart for me was the end of that relationship. Just let me restart and recharge my batteries because it feels so good to be finished — basically. I wrote this song with a writer, who is very surreal. He is such an incredibly talented songwriter and producer. He came to me with the track and when I heard it, it reminded me of my family.