Back Back Back: Behind the Song

"Back Back Back" is the title track of the Ollella debut album, released in 2023. It was the song on the album I worked on for the longest, and the song I finished last. I knew I wanted the album to be named after the song – and the album's sentiment to be reflected in the song's lyrics – so there was extra pressure. I wanted it to be good.

I find that when I want something to be good, my expectations often get in the way of actually making something good. I get in my head about it. I often start writing a song with an element that I like: maybe a chord progression or lyrics. Then I play around with it: change the groove, the lyrics, the hook, the phrasings. Sometimes it’s a productive practice. Other times (ie. when I care too much) I get to a point when I can no longer hear the song. “Is this any good at all?? Why did I even like this in the first place??” Which is usually then followed by a downward spiral of “Everything I make sucks! GAH!!”

This is a tell-tale sign that it’s time to step away for a while. Work on some other stuff and come back in a couple months with fresh ears.

“Back Back Back” very much followed this progression. In this collection are a handful of audio sketches from the progression of me working out the song. The first one, dated July 26th, 2022, is the first time I had an idea for the bones of the song. The last one, dated almost exactly a year later on July 24th, 2023, is the full Ollella band rehearsing the finished song as it appears on the album. In the moments between, I'm experimenting with new melodies, lyrics, instruments, phrasings. There’s even a sleepy recounting of a dream.

My goal with this collection is to lift the veil on the creative process of songwriting. The recorded version of “Back Back Back” is only two minutes and 16 seconds long, but behind that is an entire year of writing, rewriting, rehearsing and recording.