'Bomber' was the first song I wrote about war.
I don't set out to write a political song. I am not one of those that feels compelled to write about what's going on.
'Sam Stone' is a song about futility.
And I'm not trying to write heavy songs.
'Ain't It Fun,' which is about entering the real world, is bouncy and shows off Paramore's lighter side, to the dismay of some of the band's fans, who are used to the punk-rock sound.
With 'Get Hurt,' we wanted to see where else we could go with the band. We thought it was time to change things up a bit. The song itself is similar to the feeling of a wreck you see coming, but long past the point you can avoid it.
A lot of people felt that I was just tying that into the "I Want Your Sex" theme because of the AIDS thing and the prospect of the song's being banned. I thought it was a relevant point to make because of the AIDS thing. I wanted to write a song which sounded dirty but which was applicable to someone that I really cared about. That was my point.
What I love about 'Culpables' is that it's a completely clean song. We do not speak ill of women or men. The song is clean. It does not have bad words.
'Money Changes Everything' is this terribly despairing, heartbreaking song.
With 'All Is Song,' I tried to construct a very traditional narrative that pulls no tricks.
With our first record, we wrote concept songs but not a concept record.
