Episode Eight of The Story Behind The Song!
Get in the damn van.
This song, Econoline Van, pretty much wrote itself except for one part. The prompt in my songwriting group was ‘econoline van,’ and I was off and running from the get go. Really I just listed out a bunch of musician stories, and wrote a chorus. The ford E350 was a staple of the music world for a really long time. Basically a can with a motor, it was cheap, reliable (sort of), simple, and functional. It was not unusual to have six or seven people, as well as all the gear, in a single vehicle. And that V8 could pull a trailer when the gear got too much.
Sadly, the E350 was discontinued. Replaced by the Transit Van. Which is less utilitarian, more expensive, and not nearly as cool.
So I had three verses and a chorus, but somehow it didn't feel finished. So I put the song in a drawer for a few years. As I was gathering songs for this record, I went back through the folder just to see what grabbed me. I pulled out a bunch of songs and played them just to see how they felt. This one definitely had sparks. But it still felt unfinished, so I let it sit on my desk for a week or two. I couldn't figure out why it felt unfinished, but it did. I don't automatically put a bridge in things, and this song had a chorus that felt pretty good, so I wasn't sure what to do.
After a week or two of picking up the song and putting it down, the bridge idea sort of landed. I just made a list of other van names, and there ya go. It turns out its one of the most fun parts of the song for us and I think the listener. So sometimes you just have to wait.
Part 2 of the story of this song is the video. I don't have a Ford van, and they are getting hard to find. But my friends Sean and Julie have a Ford van, and I asked if we could use it for the shoot. They were all in- they were even okay with me driving it around! Sean did warm me that it turns on a twenty dollar bill, not a dime. We had a fun making the video- John and Derek leaned into the goofy vibe of the whole thing. Shout out to my awesome wife for playing second camera and driver for the video.
Just a reminder- you can still get pre-sale orders on CDs and vinyl with the exclusive release tshirt in the store, and if you're nearby, you can come to the release show in Longmont on July 18! We'd love to see you there. It will be an awesome night.
Hope you had a good 4th and still have all your fingers. -JS