We Will Still Need A Song

The first song on Hawksley Workman's fourth album, the critically acclaimed Lover/Fighter, starts with the controversial line, "F--k you, you're drunk and acting tough." Workman told us in our interview that he was drinking a lot of whiskey at the time and talking tough. "I think I was addressing myself at that moment," he said. "But it's so appropriate because everybody talks tough when they're drunk. It feels like somewhat of a universal thought and it's funny to have those be the first words on the record." He went on to explain that a lot of the lyrics on Lover/Fighter got written in that headspace because he would sit on a chair near the fireplace at his old studio and just drink.

Workman's label at the time, Universal Music Canada, was not thrilled about "f--k" being the first word on his album, since record companies back then were focused on getting an artist's album sold at Starbucks. Workman did record a version for radio, changing "f--k" to "baby."