Nils Lofgren opened up about the passing away of The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts in a recent interview with American Songwriter. While discussing his latest album’ Mountains,’ Lofgren was asked about the track ‘Won’t Cry No More’ he wrote for the drummer. The musician recalled Watts’ passing away and shared:
“That was devastating. I really expected Charlie Watts to stick around longer. It’s funny and sad, but on the last Tom Petty tour, Tom didn’t have a Phoenix date, so we treated ourselves and went to Red Rocks in Colorado and saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — top band for me and Amy [Aiello Lofgren]. It never entered our mind that it would be the last time we would see him.”
The musician was blindsided by not only Watts’ but Petty’s passing away as well. He continued:
“For weeks after Tom passed, we were cursing loudly in the house for weeks. It’s the same thing with Charlie. I was just not prepared for that.”
Lofgren named some of the artists he was influenced by:
“Without The Beatles and The Stones or Hendrix, I wouldn’t be here. There are many components of that, but those are the top groups.”
He then briefly shared how he wrote the song and expressed his frustration:
“So I started writing this one riff and saying ‘Won’t cry no more,’ and of course, later in the song, I’m crying again. It was just like an expression of rage. Why do we have to keep losing people like that?”
The guitarist released the song in June as a memorial tribute to the late drummer, which he said is about ‘loss and perseverance.’ The rocker also revealed turning to Watts’ music to have a connection and inspiration when he passed away.
The album was released last month and contains collaborations with many names, including Neil Young, Ringo Starr, and the late David Crosby. Listen to ‘Won’t Cry No More’ down below.
Source: rockcelebrities.net