Nashville-based singer-songwriter Dan Harrison has released his new single “Can’t Take You Anywhere.” The feel-good, radio friendly track has the singer crooning about a girlfriend he can’t seem to take anywhere without craving some one-on-one time together. Written in April, Harrison discusses the decision to release new music in a pandemic and what Zoom co-writes are really like.
“I pitched the idea early on in quarantine to some good buddies, and we quickly realized we needed to put a positive spin on it as an antidote to this year’s negativity,” Harrison tells You Sing I Write.
Listen to “Can’t Take You Anywhere” below and learn more about the song with You Sing I Write’s Q&A with Harrison.
Tell me about writing “Can’t Take You Anywhere.” How did the idea for the song come together?
It was an idea I’d had for a while but wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Once the shutdown hit, and we literally couldn’t go anywhere, it took on a whole new meaning. I pitched the idea early on in quarantine to some good buddies, and we quickly realized we needed to put a positive spin on it as an antidote to this year’s negativity. We knew we had something special pretty soon after.
The song is very descriptive. Is there one line you’re particularly proud of?
I’m proud of the whole song, but I particularly like the shoulder strap line in the second verse. We had a different second verse originally, but after I made the demo we felt it wasn’t strong/visual enough. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.
Has the song changed at all in meaning since writing it?
It resonated with me right away because it’s definitely how I feel about my girlfriend. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see her since the pandemic started (that will be changing very soon), so when I finally do see her I would love just some one-on-one time, we don’t need to go anywhere. I think it’s sort of grown to remind me of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” and Thomas Rhett’s “Die A Happy Man,” which are two of my favorite songs. It’s that simple truth that there may be experiences/things I want, but I really don’t need anything else, just her.
How has your writing changed during the pandemic?
Writing has changed a lot in many ways, and in some ways not at all. I’ve been doing the vast majority of my writes virtually, which was not new to me as I write with friends who live in Canada/other parts of the country, however the balance shift to almost exclusively Zoom did take some getting used to.
On one level, it’s nice to not commute and I think it forces you to kind of get down to business quicker, and I’ve written some of my favorite songs over Zoom. But when your Internet is being wonky or you’re just not vibing, there’s really no substitute for the kind of energy that being in the room with people can create. Also, Zoom makes track writes much, much harder.
The song has a radio friendly vibe. Why the decision to release it now right before the holidays?
It was sort of just the timetable that materialized. I wanted to get something out this year, and this felt relevant, but it’s taken some time to get everything together with everything else going on in my life/the world. I feel like I’ve heard in the past anyway that a summer radio hit is often released in the winter, and it can take them until summer to really reach a bigger audience. Fingers crossed haha.
When can we expect new music from you?
I have a lot of plans in the pipeline that this song is just the beginning of. I’m working on an EP that I hope to release sometime in the summer of 2021, I haven’t announced anything yet but there’ll be more coming soon.
How have you navigated songwriting and being an independent musician in 2020?
I don’t think it’s been easy for anyone at any level of the industry, but it’s been especially challenging trying to stay afloat as an independent artist when you can’t make a living off of what you normally do every day, and there’s no real passive income yet. So trying to balance survival with keeping the momentum for your career goals. I’ve been fortunate to have some socially distant/safe gigging opportunities, and doing demo work for various clients, but it’s been inconsistent even for an industry already known for its lack of stability.
This business is all about weathering the storm, and 2020 has just been a very big test of that. But I really believe in the music I’m creating and what I need to say as an artist; I think there’s a space in country music that hasn’t been addressed yet, and I want to be the one to do it. So whatever obstacles have come/are coming, I’ll get around them.