Switchfoot bow down to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Guy with their latest release “Last Man Standing,” a captivating homage worthy of a man who’s inspired scores of guitar greats.
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“Last Man Standing” – Switchfoot & Buddy Guy
Jon Foreman doesn’t know how his life would have turned out if he hadn’t listened to his high school soccer coach, who told him to check out Buddy Guy and B.B. King in concert.
Foreman was a self-described “teenage surf rat” living in Southern California, miles away from the birthplace of the Blues. But he had a newly acquired driver’s license begging for an adventure, so he headed to Lou’s Records and bought a couple of tickets, picked up his date, and drove south to the show in his 1968 VW Bug. It was a transformative night – when he lost himself in the music, and ultimately found his inspiration.
During a quick lunch break in the middle of a recording session, Foreman scans a collection of hot sauce bottles and tries to digest the magnitude of that moment.
“It’s like the Butterfly Effect – these little things that a good teacher does along the way, or a friend, and our world is forever changed,” says the Switchfoot singer and songwriter. “After that night, I played little else than the Blues. Buddy Guy taught me how to play guitar.”
Foreman recently went from student to collaborator when he had the chance to see Guy play at a club down the street from his house. Guy’s drummer, Tom Hambridge, is a mutual friend – and after the show, he suggested to Foreman that they write a song about the Blues legend.
It had to be worthy of the man who’s songs “Skin Deep” and “Stone Crazy” inspired guitar greats like Hendrix, Richards and Clapton. Enter “Last Man Standing,” an electrifying homage to the 88-year-old Blues icon who’s outlasted them all – replete with fiery guitar riffs from start to finish.
– Switchfoot & Buddy Guy
“When it came out, I was in complete disbelief hearing his voice sing the words I’d written about him,” says Foreman, who’s enthusiasm describing the moment makes him sound like that wide-eyed teenager who spent hours holed up in his bedroom, wrapped up in the bittersweet stories and sounds of the Blues. “That whole project with Buddy has re-lit the fire for me for electric guitar.”
The song is written about Guy, but also holds a mirror to Foreman’s own trajectory as a Grammy Award-winning musician who’s inspired scores of music fans himself.
My heart’s taken a beating
But there’s still a drum beat inside
I know my days are numbered
But I’m still awake
I’m still alive
Sands of time
Slipping through my hand
I’m the last man standing
I’m the last man standing
Switchfoot, whose hits include “Dare You to Move” and “Meant to Live,” are currently in the studio working with producer Mike Elizando, “another Southern California kid” and Dr. Dre protégé. The album, which they plan to release later this year, won’t have the same Bluesy influence; Foreman muses that he’d need Guy next to him at the mic to recreate that sound.
He and his Switchfoot bandmates have their own well-defined sound, perfected over nearly 30 years. A cursory glance around his studio reveals a man who’s carefully crafted a life filled with meaning: floor to ceiling shelves stocked with albums and music paraphernalia, guitars hanging on the walls, and surf boards neatly tucked away in the beams above – ready for the next adventure.
I’ve seen kings reduced to thieves
I’ve seen the writing on the wall
I’ve seen the great walls crumble
I’ve watched the nations fall
None of this is how I planned it
But I’m the last man standing
I’m the last man standing
I’ve seen a wicked man rise up
I’ve watched a good man die
And I said “Lord, why this bitter cup?”
And he never told me why
I still got my guitar in my hand
You know who I am
I’m the last man standing
“The places where I feel the most freedom on the deepest level are on stage, in the studio or in the ocean,” he says. “When I make music, I want to be free to be honest. I had a speech impediment as a kid, and music is one of the few places I could speak freely. Music is a place where I can hide within the armor of the songs and talk about anything in front of a crowd of strangers. That is absolutely something I don’t take for granted.”
I learned my pain the hard way
Heaven knows I’ve seen my share
And the lessons that it taught me
Ain’t nothin free, ain’t nothin fair
Ain’t no way to understand it
But you better believe it
I’m right here, I’m right now
I’m the last man standing
You know who I am
With this guitar in my hand
I’m the last man standing
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:: connect with Buddy Guy here ::
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“Last Man Standing” – Switchfoot & Buddy Guy
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© courtesy of both artists, Paul Natkin
© courtesy of both artists, Paul Natkin
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