'Anthem' was the record that almost didn't get made for a completely different reason than 'Underneath.'
I'm fortunate that I've been in this business long enough that I've earned the right to be left alone by my record company.
I remember a song I did called 'If the Good Die Young' - I wanted to have a lead guitar solo on there, and the label flipped out! It was too rock and roll. They made us go back and put fiddle on the solo.
My dream is to do whatever I want without any interference from the record company.
It is hard, though, 'cos record labels love to boss you around. I won't let them do that anymore.
I was working with another major label after Warner Bros, and they were telling me who to hire as musicians, what kind of music to play, what producer to use. I mean, what's the point of putting me on the record?
Generally, when a record label suggests album ideas for you, you smile politely, and then proceed to shoot it down, because it's never what you as an artist feel is right for you.
The record label used to try and make us do stuff, like dance, and we'd say, nah, not doing that.
