Circus Girl...In Her Own Words
1) Circus Girl
(Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, Charity Daw)
When we finished writing this song I remember saying "What a wonderful waste of time
that was.” I was still thinking like a commercial songwriter: ‘How am I gonna get THIS
played on Country Radio?’ Then I realized this song is ME - I AM a Circus Girl. After
7 years of only writing for other artists I have dusted off the trapeze and thanks to the
internet, new technology, FB, Twitter etc., I have joined the new circus in cyber space and
found the title track to my new cd.
2) Tryin’ To Be Me
(Sherrie Austin, Rodney Clawson, Dan Frizsell)
With this track I was paying homage to my favorite Beatle George Harrison. The signature
lick popped into my head while we were tracking and I like to think that he was hanging
out in the studio that day giving me the thumbs up. Lyrically I'd had this title for a while
and really wanted to write a life song, which has always been very difficult for me. I tend
to write a lot about what other people are going through. I'm somewhat emotionally
voyeuristic that way, but I dug a little deeper here and had a revelation that the hardest
journey we ever take is the one that leads us to ourselves.
3) I Didn’t
(Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, Steve Williams)
My co-writers brought the idea of this song to me and said, "We need a female perspective
on this". It's based on a joke Jeanie Seeley used to tell at the Opry. She would say, "My
husband and I would argue about this, that and the other, even religion - he thought he
was God and I Didn't. It was fun writing a bumper sticker. The song is totally irreverent
and is still the one I always do first in any show. . .it's my little icebreaker with any
audience whether they're wearing cowboy boots or a suit and tie.
4) If I Was A Man
(Sherrie Austin, Paul Duncan, Al Kasha)
In my next life I'm coming back as man, just to get the other side of the story. No bras,
no make-up, no pantyhose or heels. You can swear, scratch and spit. This was the silly
discussion I was having with my co-writers that inspired this little ditty. It’s always a blast to
do live especially with the twist in that last chorus. Once again, this one lets me indulge in
my theatre roots.
5) Just Want To Love You Tonight
(Sherrie Austin)
I wanted to write a song from a female point of view about what is commonly thought of as
male territory-"the one night stand". I wrote this by myself after a very frustrating co-write
session. The song we were trying to write just did not want to be written and I could feel
another idea in the room trying to butt in! I went home, had a couple of glasses of wine and
channeled my angst into this idea that came from my co-writers discussing the differences
between how men and women think about sex versus relationships. I believe we have a lot
more in common than maybe we would like to admit. Not all women are saints, not all men
are dogs but we are ALL human.
6) Get Your Leavin’ Done
(Sherrie Austin)
I was going through a break-up at the time I wrote this song. Funnily enough the story is
written from his perspective not mine. I knew in my heart the relationship was over and I
think he did too, but I kept denying it because I did not have the courage to end it. So the
girl in the song is actually ME telling ME to get my leaving done.
7) He’s All Yours
(Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, Jaclyn North)
Melodically and musically speaking this is one of my favorites because I threw a lot of my
influences into this track. It's kind of Broadway meets the Blues and it's full of melodrama,
which is always fun to perform.
8) Bad For Me
(Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux)
I would wonder every now and then just how much chocolate and red wine has been
consumed in the name of love and heartbreak. It didn't take too long after that to come up
with a list of ALL the good things that were bad for me - it most definitely HAD to be a man
that invented high heel shoes!
9) Friday Night Girls (Sherrie Austin)
When I wrote this song I felt like I was writing a novel. I could see these women as if they
were sitting right there in front of me and my guitar. They reminded me of choices I made
in my 20's that left me scratching my head in my 30's and ultimately laughing till crying
over margaritas on a Friday night. Janie, Christie and Sarah are three wonderful messes
that live inside all us girls still dealing with growing pains no matter how old we may be.
10) Sleep With Me
(Sherrie Austin, Steven Dale Jones, Lillie Mae Rische)
We all wake up alone whether someone is laying next to us or not. Ultimately we have to
live with the consequences of every choice we make in life, right or wrong. A good friend of
mine was struggling in her current relationship and was contemplating about going down
the seductive path of infidelity. It sparked something in me as a writer and as a woman and
how easy it is to justify doing the wrong thing just because it feels good and right at the
time but, heaven help us, when we have to look into that mirror the next day and you are
staring back at the one person you have to live with for the rest of your life. . .
11) That Kind of Happy
(Sherrie Austin, Mallory Hope, Will Rambeaux)
I’ve experienced all kinds of happy - the happiness of success, of being in love, alcohol,
money and the list goes on. But I have never known happy like the happiness of freedom
- when you finally have the courage to let go, surrender and accept yourself for who you
truly are. . .warts and all. Making this record was that kind of freedom. No boundaries, no
walls, no restrictions makes for one VERY happy singer/songwriter.
12) Streets of Heaven
(Sherrie Austin, Al Kasha, Paul Duncan)
This is one of the most intensely personal songs I have ever written for a couple of
reasons. The first one being that it is based on a family experience when I was a little
girl watching my parents go through the nightmare of wondering whether your child was
going to make it till morning. But the song is also a metaphor for how I was feeling at that
time in my career, completely confused, burned out, resentful and lost. It's the first time I
truly surrendered and just trusted that God had a plan for me even though I couldn't see
it yet and that's when this song was born. It went on to become my highest charting song
ever. I re-cut it for this cd to remind myself that even though I may be doing all of this
independently this time - I am NOT the one who is in control.
13) Naughty or Nice
(Sherrie Austin, Shane Stevens, Steven Lee Olson, Will Rambeaux)
It’s always a challenge to write a Christmas song and normally I don't go there but my
co-writers brought this idea to me and I couldn't resist. I love the sassiness and bold
cheesiness of this tune. There's something very Doris Day about it. It started out as a
ballad and it just didn't work at all, so we changed up the groove and restructured the
chorus and she lit up like a little Christmas tree!
(Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, Charity Daw)
When we finished writing this song I remember saying "What a wonderful waste of time
that was.” I was still thinking like a commercial songwriter: ‘How am I gonna get THIS
played on Country Radio?’ Then I realized this song is ME - I AM a Circus Girl. After
7 years of only writing for other artists I have dusted off the trapeze and thanks to the
internet, new technology, FB, Twitter etc., I have joined the new circus in cyber space and
found the title track to my new cd.
2) Tryin’ To Be Me
(Sherrie Austin, Rodney Clawson, Dan Frizsell)
With this track I was paying homage to my favorite Beatle George Harrison. The signature
lick popped into my head while we were tracking and I like to think that he was hanging
out in the studio that day giving me the thumbs up. Lyrically I'd had this title for a while
and really wanted to write a life song, which has always been very difficult for me. I tend
to write a lot about what other people are going through. I'm somewhat emotionally
voyeuristic that way, but I dug a little deeper here and had a revelation that the hardest
journey we ever take is the one that leads us to ourselves.
3) I Didn’t
(Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, Steve Williams)
My co-writers brought the idea of this song to me and said, "We need a female perspective
on this". It's based on a joke Jeanie Seeley used to tell at the Opry. She would say, "My
husband and I would argue about this, that and the other, even religion - he thought he
was God and I Didn't. It was fun writing a bumper sticker. The song is totally irreverent
and is still the one I always do first in any show. . .it's my little icebreaker with any
audience whether they're wearing cowboy boots or a suit and tie.
4) If I Was A Man
(Sherrie Austin, Paul Duncan, Al Kasha)
In my next life I'm coming back as man, just to get the other side of the story. No bras,
no make-up, no pantyhose or heels. You can swear, scratch and spit. This was the silly
discussion I was having with my co-writers that inspired this little ditty. It’s always a blast to
do live especially with the twist in that last chorus. Once again, this one lets me indulge in
my theatre roots.
5) Just Want To Love You Tonight
(Sherrie Austin)
I wanted to write a song from a female point of view about what is commonly thought of as
male territory-"the one night stand". I wrote this by myself after a very frustrating co-write
session. The song we were trying to write just did not want to be written and I could feel
another idea in the room trying to butt in! I went home, had a couple of glasses of wine and
channeled my angst into this idea that came from my co-writers discussing the differences
between how men and women think about sex versus relationships. I believe we have a lot
more in common than maybe we would like to admit. Not all women are saints, not all men
are dogs but we are ALL human.
6) Get Your Leavin’ Done
(Sherrie Austin)
I was going through a break-up at the time I wrote this song. Funnily enough the story is
written from his perspective not mine. I knew in my heart the relationship was over and I
think he did too, but I kept denying it because I did not have the courage to end it. So the
girl in the song is actually ME telling ME to get my leaving done.
7) He’s All Yours
(Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, Jaclyn North)
Melodically and musically speaking this is one of my favorites because I threw a lot of my
influences into this track. It's kind of Broadway meets the Blues and it's full of melodrama,
which is always fun to perform.
8) Bad For Me
(Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux)
I would wonder every now and then just how much chocolate and red wine has been
consumed in the name of love and heartbreak. It didn't take too long after that to come up
with a list of ALL the good things that were bad for me - it most definitely HAD to be a man
that invented high heel shoes!
9) Friday Night Girls (Sherrie Austin)
When I wrote this song I felt like I was writing a novel. I could see these women as if they
were sitting right there in front of me and my guitar. They reminded me of choices I made
in my 20's that left me scratching my head in my 30's and ultimately laughing till crying
over margaritas on a Friday night. Janie, Christie and Sarah are three wonderful messes
that live inside all us girls still dealing with growing pains no matter how old we may be.
10) Sleep With Me
(Sherrie Austin, Steven Dale Jones, Lillie Mae Rische)
We all wake up alone whether someone is laying next to us or not. Ultimately we have to
live with the consequences of every choice we make in life, right or wrong. A good friend of
mine was struggling in her current relationship and was contemplating about going down
the seductive path of infidelity. It sparked something in me as a writer and as a woman and
how easy it is to justify doing the wrong thing just because it feels good and right at the
time but, heaven help us, when we have to look into that mirror the next day and you are
staring back at the one person you have to live with for the rest of your life. . .
11) That Kind of Happy
(Sherrie Austin, Mallory Hope, Will Rambeaux)
I’ve experienced all kinds of happy - the happiness of success, of being in love, alcohol,
money and the list goes on. But I have never known happy like the happiness of freedom
- when you finally have the courage to let go, surrender and accept yourself for who you
truly are. . .warts and all. Making this record was that kind of freedom. No boundaries, no
walls, no restrictions makes for one VERY happy singer/songwriter.
12) Streets of Heaven
(Sherrie Austin, Al Kasha, Paul Duncan)
This is one of the most intensely personal songs I have ever written for a couple of
reasons. The first one being that it is based on a family experience when I was a little
girl watching my parents go through the nightmare of wondering whether your child was
going to make it till morning. But the song is also a metaphor for how I was feeling at that
time in my career, completely confused, burned out, resentful and lost. It's the first time I
truly surrendered and just trusted that God had a plan for me even though I couldn't see
it yet and that's when this song was born. It went on to become my highest charting song
ever. I re-cut it for this cd to remind myself that even though I may be doing all of this
independently this time - I am NOT the one who is in control.
13) Naughty or Nice
(Sherrie Austin, Shane Stevens, Steven Lee Olson, Will Rambeaux)
It’s always a challenge to write a Christmas song and normally I don't go there but my
co-writers brought this idea to me and I couldn't resist. I love the sassiness and bold
cheesiness of this tune. There's something very Doris Day about it. It started out as a
ballad and it just didn't work at all, so we changed up the groove and restructured the
chorus and she lit up like a little Christmas tree!
