One of Gillian Welch's most popular songs was written during a time when she felt her music career was falling out from under her feet. And although it was an honest ode over 20 years ago, it still pertains today.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Back in 2024, Gillian Welch sat down with Dave Simpson for a fan Q&A for UK outlet The Guardian. There, she shared the story behind one of her classics.
In her painfully sincere song, "Everything Is Free," Welch sings about the at-the-time emerging problem of digital file sharing. The rise of apps like Napster (shut down in 2001), which allowed the sharing of MP3 files from person to person, threatened the security of musicians.
This problem has persisted today, as means of piracy and file-sharing only grow more advanced. Since its release, artists and faithful listeners have rallied behind the song.
It was kinda like how AI art threatens real artists in this day and age.
With concerns over her career, she wrote "Everything Is Free." It was included in her 2001 Time (The Revelator album. Since its release, it has gained almost 20 million streams on Spotify, dwarfing the other songs on that record.
When asked about her feelings how the song pertains to today, she had a lot to say.
Gillian Welch Believes Her Hit "Everything Is Free" Still Stands Today
In response, she said, "That song was a bit of a sleeper and over the years has gained strength. I'm saddened that it's still relevant."
"It came from a moment when I just felt the bottom fall out of what I thought was going to be my life and career," she continued. Facing that sort of insecurity would make anyone scared.
"I felt really threatened and somehow turned it around into a threat."
"The threat is if you don't enable musicians to make their living playing music, you won't get to hear it. I am never going to stop playing music, but if I can't make a living at it, then I will stop playing it outside my living room."
And I don't think there's a fairer way to put it. We need to make sure the artists and creatives are properly compensated for their work.
