Brock Davis – “It Just Takes One”
Americana Highways presents this video premiere of Brock Davis’ song “It Just Takes One,” his latest single and part of his new album Everyday Miracle (released July 26 on Raintown Records).
“It Just Takes One” was produced by Brock and Grammy award-winning engineer and producer Zach Allen (Keb’ Mo’) and features Marcus Finnie (Taj Mahal) on drums, Duncan Mullins (Luke Bryan) on bass, Rob McNelly (Bob Seger) on electric guitar, Pat McGrath (Jake Owen) on acoustic guitar, Michael Rojas (Stevie Nicks) on B3 organ and Russ Pahl (Kacey Musgraves) on Pedal Steel. Background vocals were sung by Kyla Jade, Devonne Fowkles and Maureen Murphy and were arranged by Michael B. Hicks.
We had a chance to chat with Brock about the album. The video appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: Can you tell us what inspired you to write this song “It Just Takes One” and what it’s about?
Brock: The song has a funny origin story. It began life as a challenge from a publisher who mentioned that Carrie Underwood was looking for a new “revenge song” similar to some of her hits like “Blown Away” or “Two Black Cadillacs.” But I thought, you can only kill off so many guys in one concert! Maybe a story about justice being served where the come-uppance didn’t result in death might be a good idea. And I wasn’t aware of many songs about sexual harassment, so maybe it was time for one. I knew immediately that I needed a female perspective to help write this – so I sat down with my wife and her real-life experiences formed the basis of the story. And I loved the resulting song so much I decided to record it myself. But I’m still open to the idea if Carrie decides she wants to cut it!
AH: What do you hope listeners get from hearing the song?
Brock: What I always hope for with every song I write is that it will make people feel something. In this case, I’m hoping they feel empowered and encouraged to stand up for change. My wife, like so many women, experienced multiple instances of sexual harassment as well as the dismissive “boys will be boys” attitude that permit it to go unchecked. But I believe that, just as every fire starts with a single spark, all change starts with one decision, one voice speaking out. And that’s what I hope people get when they hear this song: encouragement to make positive change. As the chorus states:
It just takes one voice to speak out – someone to stand up
It just takes one tiny seed of truth to turn everything around
It just takes one light to shine on – show the world what’s gone wrong
It just takes one spark to start a fire and burn it to the ground
And change will come – it just takes one
AH: What kind of a vibe were you going for when recording this song? How does the final version differ from what you imagined it might be before you went into the studio?
Brock: The final track is so much different from my original acoustic demo. And it all started with a conversation I was having with Marcus Finnie, who played drums on the album, as we were setting up in the studio. We were talking about how Stewart Copeland (drummer for The Police) was so masterful at creating interesting half-time, Reggae-ish grooves in the verses, and then switching to a double-time straight rock beat in the choruses. There’s a lot of Police songs that use that arrangement technique so effectively to make the choruses stand out. So we decided to use that as inspiration with this track. Marcus threw in some Copeland-esque side stick, and the rest of the band immediately responded to that cue which resulted in a track that blends country-rock with a little bit of The Police. Which sounds weird, yet somehow really works.
AH: How does this song fit in among the others on the album? How is it similar and/or how does it stand out as different?
Brock: Most of the songs on the album are about love in all of its infinite variations. And I don’t just mean boy-meets-girl type of songs, although there’s one of those too, but more complex, real-world love stories, such as “Make A Family,” which is about a couple that can’t have kids, at least biologically, or “I’ll Always Be Your Dad,” which is about a father reassuring his daughter that he will always be there for her, even though the family situation is changing. So to provide a little contrast and counterpoint to those types of songs, I like to include one or two songs on every album that are more social justice songs, for want of a better description. “It Just Takes One” is that song for this album.
AH: Tell us about the video. Who directed the video and where did you film it?
Brock: The video was directed and produced by Karl Weidmann from Southern Cabin Films and features the band in action at the Backstage Studio in Nashville as they record the song.
AH: What’s next for Brock Davis this fall?
Brock: Playing some shows and promoting the record, of course. We also have 10 more songs already mixed and in the can that were recorded at the same time as Everyday Miracle. Which is why the record is subtitled: The Backstage Sessions, Part 1. We’ll be recording a handful more songs to round out the collection and then releasing The Backstage Sessions, Part 2 in 2025. Stay tuned!
Thanks very music for chatting with us, Brock Davis. The song is essentially a protest song, but catchy with powerful harmonies and focused on the heart of the matter: “Gradually the other women started coming forward… and it just takes one voice to speak out, someone to stand up, it just takes one tiny seed of truth to turn everything around … it just takes one light to shine on.”
Find more information on Brock Davis here on his website: https://brockdavismusic.com/home
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Brock Davis “A Song Waiting to be Sun”