Artist: Brandy Clark
Hometown: Morton, Washington; Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “She Smoked in the House”
Album: Buried (produced by Brandi Carlile)
Release Date: May 19, 2023
Label: Warner Records
In Their Words: âI was driving around listening to a lot of Merle Haggard. I got stuck on âAre the Good Times Really Over for Goodâ for weeks. That song really makes me think of my grandparents and that generation. I just couldnât get away from it. So I started on a song called âThey Smoked in the House,â but I just couldnât connect with it in the way that I needed to. I remembered someone once telling me that to be general, you must be specific and so I pivoted and started working on âSHE Smoked in the House.â The âSHEâ is my grandma Ruth. To this day, my grandma Ruth is my favorite character to ever walk the planet. Looking back, I wrote this song because I was missing her and the things that she valued in life. I never thought that it would ever be on a record. It was for meâŚ.but now itâs for you, too.
âThis album is a return home to me in many ways. Musically itâs the rawest Iâve been since 12 Stories and maybe even rawer. When Brandi and I sat down and talked about working together, one thing that really intrigued me was her saying ‘I see it as your return to the Northwest.’ (Since the two of us are both from Washington state). That comment inspired so much for me. It took me back to where and how I grew up. ‘Northwest’ and ‘She Smoked in the House’ were both a result of that early conversation. Working with another recording artist on this project was such a gift that I didnât even know I needed and changed the way I want to write songs and make records moving forward. My hope is that anyone who hears this album will feel the heart that I put into every note of it.” — Brandy Clark
Photo Credit: Victoria Stevens
