The song originated during the extensive touring period in support of their previous album Take It to the Limit, prompting the band to set up a mobile recording studio in the back of their tour bus which was where the instrumentals for the track was first recorded.[9][10] Throughout the touring cycle lead singer Austin John Winkler and drummer Cody Hanson revealed the two of them had written 66-75 songs for their upcoming third album, and cut the list down to the eleven or twelve songs for the record, with Red Tail Lights being one of those that made the final cut.[11][12][13]
Red Tail Lights like much of All American Nightmare was produced and engineered at two separate studios, in a 2011 interview the band revealed that Winkler recorded his vocals for the song at his personal in Las Vegas while the rest of the work was produced at Hanson's studio "Back-Longue Productions" in Oklahoma that he co-owns with future lead singer Marshal Dutton, who also assisted in the production of Red Tail Lights by recording the song's first demo that featured him singing the lead vocals for Winkler.[14][15][16]
The band stated they implemented a new strategy to the recording process, recruiting Kevin Churko and Bob Ludwig to collaborate with the band for producing, engineering, and mixing, while also working with country music singer-songwriter Jeffrey Steele to shift the track in a more contemporary sound in order to evolve from the band’s typical hard rock sound.[17][18]
Content
"Red Tail Lights" is a breakup song that delves into the emotional aftermath of a romantic relationship ending. The lyrics paint a vivid and poignant picture of the moment two people part ways, with the "red tail lights" of a lover's departing vehicle serving as a metaphor for the finality of the separation. The song narrates the lingering doubts and questions that often arise in such moments, including whether the relationship was worth fighting for or if it was truly meant to end.[19]
In a interview with Deb Rao of Hard Rock Haven, lead singer Austin John Winkler described the song by stating "Red Tail Lights, it is a break-up song. It is kind of one that has never been written in the way as far as two people driving away and seeing taillights in your rear view mirror. You are like is this the way it was suppose to end? Or should we turn around and try to resolve this? With that question in the back of your mind, could we have made it or not? Is this worth fighting for?"[20][21]
Cody Hanson further elaborated the song's meaning in a January 2011 interview with "May The Rock Be With You" stating "Red Tail Lights is that kind of breakup song which everyone has been through and we wanted to make it a very visual type of story."[22]
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