Tinfoil Star: Secret Page
Welcome to the secret content page for "Tinfoil Star"! Below you'll find your early access to the full "Tinfoil Star" single, the lyrics sheet, lyric commentary and the story behind the song.
Thank you for being here, and I hope you enjoy the goodies below!
Listen
Lyrics
We don’t talk no more
But I'll always have your back
Know my love runs deep
I will never hold you to the past
You can push me away
Say you never needed anyone
But I see right through you
I won’t walk away
Maybe I’m just a tinfoil star
Trying to give you light in the deepest dark
Hoping I shine wherever you are
Wherever you are
‘Cause I will never give up on you
Wherever you are
Wherever you are
I will never give up on you
Wherever you are
Wherever you are
I’ll be shining, your tinfoil star
If I had the chance
I would rewrite all our fights
So you’d have no doubt
I will always be on your side
Hope you find your way
Figure out who you gotta be
And if it all gets too much
Know you can call on me
Maybe I’m just a tinfoil star
Trying to give you light in the deepest dark
Hoping I shine wherever you are
Wherever you are
‘Cause I will never give up on you
Wherever you are
Wherever you are
I will never give up on you
Wherever you are
Wherever you are
I’ll be shining, your tinfoil star
Maybe I’m just a tinfoil star
Trying to give you light in the deepest dark
Hoping I shine wherever you are
Wherever you are
‘Cause I will never give up on you
I will never give up on you
I will never give up on you
Lyrics Breakdown
The lyrics of Tinfoil Star are me processing a couple of experiences with people who were a big part of my life but aren’t anymore. I’ve learned that even though they aren’t in my life anymore, and even though that may be that’s how it’s supposed to be, I’m still rooting for them. I still wish them all the best in their life. Looking back at the lyrics as a whole, there's a progression from grieving the faded relationship to acceptance to a resilient hopefulness for the other person.
My favorite lyrical moment comes in the 2nd verse. I think it’s really cool to essentially say, “I wouldn’t take away the times we fight. BUT I would change what you took away from them.” I’ve found that disagreements are part of a healthy relationship. They are opportunities to grow together. As a songwriter I’m drawn to lines that express moments of maturing in a cool way, and I think it’s very cool to acknowledge that “you know what? I didn’t do my part in helping us grow from that fight. I wish I had, so you’d at least know, even though we see things differently, I’m still on your side.”
Behind the Song
The creation of “Tinfoil Star” started back in 2019, when I attended the CD Baby DIY Musician Conference in Austin. My wife came along for the trip, and one night we decided to go out to Amy’s Ice Cream. While we were sitting inside I noticed a tinfoil star hanging from the ceiling, like something out of a school classroom. The way it looked so frail, yet still was able to catch and shine light resonated with me.
I had a few minutes so I decided to do some free writing inspired by that tinfoil star hanging above me. The idea started to come into focus — the image of this frail yet shining tinfoil star morphed into a metaphor for feeling like “maybe I’m crazy trying to send love to you when you’re so far away, deep in your struggles, but I’m not gonna give up on you.” That’s where the chorus lyric comes from.
Later that night when Amy and I got back to the casita we were staying at I started riffing on some music ideas for the emerging song. I kept chipping away at it over the next few years, writing and rewriting the lyrics, workshopping it in my Twitch livestreams and getting feedback from the Thinking Outside the Blocks songwriting group. Eventually I got it to the final form that you can hear above 🙂