Saturday 9: Locked Away

 

Saturday 9: Locked Away (2015)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Adam Levine asks, "If I showed you my flaws, would you still love me the same?" Nobody is perfect. What little flaw do you have that you imagine makes you hard to live with?

A. I can be stubborn. I am also a perfectionist. I imagine neither of those is actually a virtue. I mean, how many stubborn perfectionists do you know, really?

2) Adam sings along with R. City, a hip-hop duo from Saint Thomas. The U.S. Virgin Islands are known for clean beaches, snorkeling and diving and palm trees. Does the idea of a sand-and-surf vacation appeal to you?

A. I am not much into the beach anymore. When I was younger, I didn't mind sand in my hoo-hoo, but now I'm too old for stuff like that. My skin is thin.

3) R. City are brothers Theron and Timothy Thomas. As kids they took both music and dance lessons. Would you rather sing or dance?

A. I would rather sing. Fa la la la la Do Re Me Fa So La Te Do!

4) When they were still in their teens, the Thomas brothers left the Virgin Islands to find success in the Miami music scene. Instead of working in a recording studio, they made ends meet with jobs in retail – Theron at Kroger Grocery and Timothy at Party City. What's the most recent thing you bought at the store? (Items delivered to your door don't count.) Did you pay by cash or card?

A. I bought a rotisserie chicken, and I used a credit card.

5) They eventually found success as deejays on the Miami party circuit, but it's not what they wanted to do. The Thomas brothers realized they wanted to make their own music, not play someone else's. So, after a few years they headed back to Saint Thomas, wiser and more focused. Did you ever reassess your career path?

A. I reassessed my career path many times. Sometimes the change was of my own making, sometimes it was forced upon me. Come to think of it, even though I consider myself retired, I'm still reassessing.

6) The inspiration for "Locked Away" is their parents. Their dad lost everything due to drugs, got clean, and worked long hours at menial jobs as he struggled to get back on his feet. Their mother stayed by his side through it all. After more than 40 years, they are still together today. What song reminds you of your parents?

A. Jackson, by Johnny Cash and his wife, Gwen (Congratulations) by Tommy Overstreet, or Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast, by Wayne Newton.

7) Adam Levine soloed on "Locked Away." He's better known as the lead singer of Maroon 5 and for 16 seasons (including this one) on The Voice. Do you watch The Voice?

A. We watch The Voice. This season has been particularly rough on us to watch because they are playing more current songs. I don't really know the songs and it makes it harder for me to judge the contestants when I'm not familiar with the music.

8) In 2015, when this song was popular, chef Gordon Ramsay's daughter Matilda, then just 14 years old, got her own cooking show in the UK. What were you up to when you were 14?

A. When I was 14 I was in high school, playing guitar in a Top 40 band at nightclubs on the weekends, and making straight As in my classes.

9) Random question: Do you pronounce "caramel" as two syllables or three ("car-mel" vs. "care-a-mel)?

A. I'm from the south. If we can stretch a word out, we gladly do so, so it's "care-a-mel," and bless your heart for asking.

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