Americana Highways presents this premiere of Run Katie Run’s song “I’ve Been Called Worse” from their forthcoming album Cowboy Boot with Fishnet Tights, due to be released on April 28. It was tracked and mastered by Corey Coleman and mixed by Ian Pendlington. This song will be available on March 31.
“Ive Been Called Worse” was written by Kate Coleman, Kira Annalise, and Hailey Fletcher. Musicians on this recording of the song are Kate Coleman on lead vocals and guitar; Corey Coleman on lead guitar and vocals; Adam Pendlington on banjo and vocals; Ian Pendlington on drums, keys, and vocals; Stephen Quinn on bass and vocals;
Americana Highways had a chance to sit down with Kate Coleman, lead singer of Run Katie Run, to discuss the song. The premiere appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: What prompted you to write this song? What inspired it? What is its message?
Katie Coleman: I’m pretty certain it was one of the co-writers, Hailey Fletcher, who had the idea, “I’ve been called worse by better,” as an idea/phrase to write around. The scene we were trying to capture is that we were playing in a smoky bar and while we were on stage, we noticed someone in the audience talking about us; something all three of us have experienced. We loved the Dolly quote, “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap,” so that was a big inspiration for this song, too. For me, the message is let other people’s snotty comments roll off you like a drop of rain. Do you like your crazy outfits? Do you think what you’re doing is worthwhile? Then that’s all that matters.
AH: How did this song come together when you wrote it? What was the songwriting process like?
KC: I had been meeting up with Kira Annalise and Hailey Fletcher for co-writes for a few weeks before we got this one written, so we were very comfortable with each other. Hailey was setting the scene and describing how she loved wearing fishnets with jean shorts, Kira was jotting down different lyric ideas and rhymes, and I was pulling together melodies, harmonies, and chords, and before you knew it, we had the song. I’m a big believer in editing, so I continued thinking about the song and making little changes here and there for weeks after, but the meat of the song was written all together at my kitchen table.
AH: What kind of a vibe were you going for on this song? How does the final version differ from what you imagined it might be before you went into the studio?
KC: I wanted it to sound like a big party, and I think we definitely captured that in the studio, especially when you get to the a cappella part at 1:56.
AH: What do you hope listeners get from hearing the song? What message do you hope it conveys?
KC: The message is: don’t give any energy to what other people think or say about you; the only person’s opinion you should care about is your own. Also, I hope this song inspires people to have a somewhat snarky, confident reply to any naysayers, ha ha!
AH: Do you find songwriting to be cathartic – a way to work through things, confront things, unpack things? How did this song serve you in that way?
KC: I definitely feel that way most of the time – especially when I write alone – but I actually just had fun writing this one. Hailey and Kira are so fun and funny, and it’s nice to be reminded that songwriting doesn’t always have to be this heavy, emotional process; I’m SO grateful that they reminded me of that.
AH: What is coming up next for Run Katie Run?
KC: We have a music video for this song coming out next month, our full-length album, Cowboy Boots with Fishnet Tights, coming out on April 28th, with our album release party that evening at Red Light Cafe in Atlanta. Then we’re hitting the road as much as possible from May to November! My favorite thing in the world is playing live, so I’m so looking forward to touring with my four favorite people.
Check out this song of intrigue with a heavy hitting sassy, uptempo country rock vibe. Run Katie Run chooses a humorous way of dealing with competition and matters of the heart in this one. “I’ve been called worse by a whole lot better.” Yes indeed.
Pre-save the music here : https://show.co/CT7b1Iv