Eleyet McConnell “Bed of Roses”
Americana Highways is hosting this video premiere of duo Eleyet McConnell’s song “Bed of Roses,” which was written by Angie McConnell and JD Harris and will be available on April 18. “Bed of Roses” was part of their recent album Crazy World. The album was produced and mixed by JD Harris and mastered by Maor Appelbaum Mastering.
“Bed of Roses” is Angie McConnell on lead vocals; Chris McConnell on bass; Elton Clifton on electric guitar; Rob Olsen on electric guitar; JD Harris on keys and B3 organ; and Ken Barnett on drums.
The video was created by Angie and Chris McConnell. Americana Highways had a chance to chat with Angie and Chris McConnell about the song and video. The premiere appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: What is the core message of “Bed of Roses”?
Angie McConnell: “Bed of Roses” openly talks about the uncertain times in even the strongest relationships. Sometimes you need to get out of your own head, trust, and acknowledge the comfortable surroundings right in front of you.
AH: “Bed of Roses” is such a powerful anthem of resilience and love. What inspired the lyrics and message behind the song? Was it drawn from a personal experience or something more universal?
Angie: Almost all of our lyrics come from personal experience. The hope is always to write the story in a way that relates to everyone because let’s face it, we all deal with relationships. Whether it’s heartbreak, happiness, insecurities, or arguments—everyone of us has an experience that can correlate to this song. This one in particular was one of my moments of insecurity and doubt.
AH: Angie, your vocals on this track are deeply emotional and raw—what was going through your mind during the recording process? How did you channel that intensity into the performance?
Angie: I do the same thing when I sing live or in the studio. I try and channel the emotion and frame of mind I was in when I wrote the story the first time. While sometimes difficult, I take myself back to that moment when the emotions were the rawest. My intent is to take whoever is listening on the journey with me. There are times when I have to balance getting too emotional to sing the song, but there is no better compliment to me as a songwriter than to see someone in the crowd feeling the message.
The studio makes this harder because it can get so mechanical sometimes, but I didn’t have issue with that on this song. If memory serves me well, I only had two takes because we always like two takes in case there is something that sounds better on one versus the other.
AH: Chris, your guitar work on “Bed of Roses” brings a rich, nostalgic 70s rock feel. Can you walk us through your creative process for crafting the instrumental arrangement?
Chris McConnell: Well for starters I play the bass on this number which is pushed more out front than other recordings. To be perfectly honest, the cord arrangement on this song took me a little while to fall into and I wasn’t the only one having that problem at first. Lol.
Angie’s arrangement has this pattern that would reverse the previous pattern then go where you wouldn’t feel or expect it to go. It took a bit of time to lock into it, so I just stay steady at the beginning and moved more at the end with the emotion and energy of the song. I guarantee that when the whole band gets together on this one to rehearse, it will take a few run through’s before we are comfortable.
AH: The video feels incredibly personal and intimate, featuring home scenes and real-life moments. How important was it to visually reflect your actual relationship and life together in this video?
Chris: Angie and I are very out in the open with our feelings for each other. It’s very common to have people come and talk with us after a show or when we are out and about in our hometown and comment on the dynamics between us. We have certainly gone through a lot together, both good and difficult, we are passionate about letting that show through our music. We are real. We want people to know us as we are in real life, not some fake persona that sometimes forms in this business. That gets tough sometimes when you try and maintain a little privacy but for me, it’s what I love most about our songs.
AH: You’ve mentioned artists like Beth Hart and Fleetwood Mac as influences. How did those inspirations shape the sound or emotional landscape of “Bed of Roses”?
Angie: Oh wow….never really thought about that in this way. If you take Beth Hart, for example, her song lyrics are raw and unapologetic. She deals with some intense emotional battles, and she is an open book about her journey. When she conveys those messages in song, man you can feel it from anywhere in the venue. I remember the first time I heard the song, “Sister Heroine” at one of her concerts. I could not stop myself from crying and it was the first time I heard the song at all. Few people move me like that, and she is definitely one of them. So powerful. If I can come close to doing that with folks while performing, then I’ve done something right.
On the other hand, Stevie Nicks is a flat-out amazing poet. Her lyrics are poignant, direct, and dreamy at the same time. Few people can take telling a story about being tired from working incredibly hard every day and struggling with an intimate relationship then turn it into the lyrics of a song like “Landslide.” I think I will always be a humble student of people with that ability.
AH: Being a married couple creating music together is a unique dynamic. How does your personal relationship influence the songwriting and studio process—especially for such a heartfelt track?
Chris: I think being married and in tune with each other’s feelings and emotions gives us an upper hand. I’ve been in this business for many decades and never once thought about collaborations with anyone let alone a wife. (That one still startles people that know me. lol). As Angie has stated before we write about our personal experiences. Some come from heartbreak, some from worry. In this case I just had a quite moment and she took it wrong but what a song that came from it. We write about a lot of things so much that I doubt we live long enough to record them all. We have a really good understanding of each other in the studio and with the help of our producer JD Harris who gives us great pointers and ideas with arrangements we rarely argue about anything in the studio. I leave that for home…… lol.
AH: This single has already hit #26 on the UK iTunes Country Songs chart. How does it feel to see your music resonate internationally, and what do you think connects people to this particular song?
Angie: Still pinching myself on the daily. It’s crazy! This is beyond all my dreams coming true. Chris and I have always believed that we have something special both together and with our music. We just needed a vehicle to get it out to the masses. We’ve always believed in our music, but Chris is most formidable here. I have a ton of passion for it, but he shows a level of perseverance that drives me even more. Chris is unwavering in following this dream. It’s one of the things I love the most about him. When others quit or switch priorities for other things, he holds true. It’s why we are here—no question.
Chris: We live in a very small community out in the middle of corn and bean fields (Kingscreek Ohio). Recently we won “ALBUM of the YEAR” for country and southern rock at the Josie awards in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry house. Just the fact that we stood in that circle, on that stage where so many famous stars and legends stood still gets to me on occasions. My father who passed years ago would say to me many times, “Son you need to go country.” I was always the rock ‘n roller. He would be so proud today.
I believe the reason people relate not just to this song but to many of our songs is because we are real, our songs are real. We’ve never tried to be anyone else but us. Our number one priority to us is us. We are just lucky that the music falls in there as well.
AH: Looking ahead, how does “Bed of Roses” fit into the larger story you’re telling with your music? Is it part of an upcoming project, or more of a standalone moment in your musical journey?
Angie: If you have access to all of our music and you play the songs in the order they were written, then you have the story of us from start to present. Obviously not all of them are recorded and released yet but each song is part of the larger story. There are some that are funny, some that come after an argument or a near break-up. Stay tuned because there is a whole lot of stuff yet to come.
Chris: I can safely say that “breaking up” is not part of the “stuff yet to come”. Lol. “Bed of Roses” is just one piece of our puzzle. I would say that this song is part of on-going projects. Heading back to the studio has excited us. We are the face of Eleyet McConnell. We write and record the songs. We are the Genesis of this machine. That being said there are so many people involved in the background that make this possible for us. We don’t forget who they are and feel so fortunate to have so many talented people in different disciplines working with us. We will be approaching the studio with a different mind set than with the first album. We’ve learned a lot this past year and for me the biggest thing I learned was that an album can mature over time once released. It takes on a life. Like a child moving out of your house, you get to see what it can do on its own.
This song is uplifting with a powerhouse crescendo that showcases what the duo can do. It’ll immediately stop you from spiraling and overthinking and get you on the good foot again. Give it a listen and see.
Find more details and information here on their website: http://www.eleyetmcconnell.com
