We sat down with Carolee Beck to talk about her new release "I Don't Wanna Be Friends," and try to understand the origin of the song and some behind-the-scenes info about production.
Where did the idea for this song come from?
One day, I was talking to my little sister about her dating life and how things were going. She told me about this guy that she really liked but just wasn't sure what he was thinking. It was a classic instance of the question that seems to plague our society in dating: what are we? From that question, the idea for I Don’t Wanna Be Friends was formed. The very first line in the song was actually the first idea that came to me and drove the rest of the lyrics: what are we doing here? Raise your hand if you have ever felt that way! Unsurprisingly, I think most of us would have our hands raised. I wrote this song for all those people out there who have ever been stuck in a friend zone or who have had a giant question mark over their “relationship”.
The title of the song is a fun play-on-words, it feels almost like the opposite of what you are actually saying. What was your inspiration behind that?
I wanted the title and main chorus lyric for this song to be deceiving if you heard it all on its own. I Don’t Wanna Be Friends sounds like you are ending a friendship/relationship because you don’t like them. But in this case, it’s because you like them a lot. You want MORE than just a friendship and are telling them in a very direct way.
The vibe of this song is so cool and different from your previous releases. What were some of the things that lead to going in this different direction?
This song was originally written as a duet for my little sister and I to sing together. I wanted to write something that was a little outside of the genres I normally write in and sound more current because of that. "I Don’t Wanna Be Friends" has a synth-pop vibe that perfectly meshes with a more modern drum beat. It was fun to explore a different writing style and come up with a catchy hook. The line "I don’t wanna be friends with you," is constantly stuck in my head, and I hope it is stuck in your head too!
Did the song end up like how you originally heard it in your head or did it progress as production went on?
This song has been one of my favorites to work on and would not be what it is without the Mighty Happy Crew members Patrick Coffin and Tyler Coffin of TealMist. These guys really took my ideas to the next level. If you are looking for a catchy tune to describe a lot of peoples dating life, I Don’t Wanna Be Friends is the song for you. Extra points for the people who catch The Office reference. Also, if you are curious to know how things are going with my sister… she married that guy. Keep your head up, my confused friends!