Trisha Yearwood is enjoying her biggest hit in years with the lead single and title track from her new album, Every Girl, recently debuting at Number 21 on the country airplay chart. But theres another song on the album, out Friday, that proves Yearwoods creative instincts are still just as keen as her ability to deliver a hit song.
Written by Gretchen Peters (Independence Day), The Matador paints a picture of a woman forced to share her love for a bullfighter with the adoring crowd and the pull of the arena. Though she took some artistic license interpreting the lyrics, Yearwood says The Matador serves as a metaphor for her own relationship as the spouse of one of country musics greatest showmen, Garth Brooks.
Every Girl is Yearwoods first proper country studio album since 2007s Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love. Featured among the 14 tracks is a collaboration with Brooks, as well as guest vocal appearances from Kelly Clarkson, Don Henley, and Patty Loveless on a cover of Ashley McBrydes Bible and a .44.
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In this conversation, Yearwood opens up about the role The Matador plays in realizing her creative vision, reveals Brooks reaction to the song, and vows to never again let 12 years pass between album releases.
The Matador creates such an intriguing, cinematic picture. What is it about this song that haunted you and made you want to record it?
Everybody has their own interpretation, but for me, the whole metaphor of The Matador is about music. And I kept thinking of Garth and myself with lines in the song Hes only alive when hes in the ring. You take your own life, and you always dramatize it for music, you know? And for me, it was like, Man, I could make the story fit. I can make this work in a very dramatic fashion. But I love the mysterious melody and the weirdness of some of the lyrics where youre like, I dont even understand what that means. I dont know what snakes and snails and alcohol refers to, but it makes me scared and I like it.
I was drawn to the line, Hes beautiful when hes in the ring/The devil howls, the angel sings/Sparks fly from his fingertips and words like birds fly from his lips. To me, that captures the electricity of a Garth Brooks show.
Amen. Its like that line, Hes not alive without the thrill, without the dance, without the kill. I mean, there are all kinds of ways I could go there. This woman in the song is saying, I love him. Hes complicated. And its this dance we do. That line, I knew it when I threw the rose, is like, I knew what I was getting into. I just think thats so powerful.
Did Garth see himself in the lyrics?
No. [Laughs] Im like, The songs about you. Hes like, No, it is not. But I dont know if hes listened to it in a way that I have, and thats what music is. Its all open to its own interpretation.
The Matador introduces a different soundscape to the record. I understand you were very specific with how you wanted the horns to sound?
I wanted that traditional mariachi sound, and I kept hearing a mariachi band in the distance. So, you really do have to think restaurant mariachi versus something that youre going to make up in your head. I wanted what everyone expects to hear, and then its just ghosted way back in the distance so it sounds like the band is playing a street over from the bull ring, you know? It was a little bit of a process to get to that, but I think those horns just make the song. It makes you feel like you can almost taste the dust on the street.
Did you specifically want to dip into Latin sounds on this album?
I think the song just lent itself to it. I guess I know what my vocal strengths are. I feel like if youre a singer, you have the license to dabble in whatever your voice will work in, and thats why Ive done other kinds of musical projects. I dont think this is some kind of wild departure. Thank God vinyls coming back. People are listening to full albums, which is awesome because a single, or two singles, are awesome, but they only tell part of the story. And an album gives you the chance to tell the whole story. It gives you the chance to have a song like The Matador included as a special element.
And you couldnt say the word whore in a radio single.
I will say that I never thought I would say the word whore in a song, but if I would have thought about it, I probably wouldnt have thought that I would use it in this way. But when youre talking about the mother and the whore, its all very Oedipal and very biblical, so its OK. [Laughs]
As for the rest of Every Girl, you really tapped into material from some of Nashvilles new crop of female singer-songwriters, including Ashley McBryde, Caitlyn Smith (Every Girl in This Town), and Lucie Silvas (What Gave Me Away).
I just went down the Lucie Silvas rabbit hole and found every song of hers I could find on YouTube once I discovered her music. Theres so many of her songs that I didnt record that I want to. It was really cool for me to get a chance to hear whats out there and realize that theres a lot of really amazing female talent in this town.
This album was a long time coming. Where are you in planning your next project?
Ive already got a couple of songs on the list for the next album. Im done stopping.
Im done stopping sounds like a pledge.
Youve got it in writing. You can quote me on that.