MUC Interview: Nashville Singer-Songwriter Mark Elliott Releases His New Single Drunk for Nothin'

Get to know Nashville singer-songwriter & author, Mark Elliott and his new single Drunk for Nothin' in this exclusive interview here at Music Update Central. Drunk for Nothin' is available on all streaming & download services. Click here to listen.

What was the story behind your new song 'Drunk for Nothin'?

My good friend and producer of these last few singles, Gabe Burdulis and I have a standing writing appointment every Tuesday night at midnight (or should I say, Wednesday morning). We have been known to have a few cocktails during our writing sessions, so I suppose you could say that this song title leapt out of the moment.

What do you want the song to convey to your audience?

Most drinking songs focus on the need to drink in order to celebrate a success or to drown your sorrows. We tried to convey the fun, kick your heels up and let life be what it will be, side of getting' drunk. We were going for well written meets low brow.

What was your idea of the song before you started the writing process?

Sometimes we come into our regular writing sessions with a list of titles and ideas, or short voice messages of melodic hooks. But this song, like most of our songs, came from talking about life. Cliché subjects are OK if they are not brimming over with cliché lines. Telling stories and trying to search for new angles among old ideas is a fun challenge and can lead to some special songs. And sometimes, changing just one word in a title or a hook, can reveal where the song is supposed to go.

Was putting the guitar solo around the 3 minute mark intentional? What do you think it added to your song?

Arranging and producing a song is as important as writing it. One would think that a great song would shine irrespective of production, but that is far from true. An inspired production cannot make up for an uninspired song, but a great production can make a well-written song memorable, and one that listeners turn to again and again.

I have been lucky to not only write with my pal Gabe, but to also take advantage of his great guitar playing and fresh production ideas. He has done a wonderful job on my last few singles. I think the idea of putting the solo farther down in the song was to establish that hooky chorus a few times in the listeners ears, and then crescendo the party with a blazing solo.

As a book and blog writer, do you think that helps you have an easier time portraying your messages through your music?

Not really. Maybe because songwriting came first, or maybe because book authoring is so different from commercial songwriting – neither seem to inform the other much. If anything, the skill of brevity and hook writing in songs may help keep my long form writing on message, but I

don't recognize obvious similarities between the two skill sets. The one common piece bridging them together is a blank sheet of paper. That’s where they both start.

Connect with Mark Elliott: https://markelliottcreative.com/