“Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots is one of the truly great alternative rock songs of the ’90s. It was one of the first songs that the Scott Weiland-fronted band managed to deliver that was nearly universally liked.
Why were people so suspicious of STP? And are any of the legends about the song true? Here’s the story of “Interstate Love Song” and my personal view on the meaning of the lyrics.
Journey to Making “Interstate Love Song”
Distrust followed Stone Temple Pilots wherever they went. Truth be told, I can understand why alt-rock musicians would sit in disbelief at the group’s making the rounds and catching MTV’s fancy. From Silverchair to Bush or Collective Soul, plenty of groups had jumped the grunge gravy train.
STP’s luck, as well as misfortune, in my view, were the facts that they had the most commercial success and sounded an awful lot like Pearl Jam by the time of the release of the debut album, 1992’s “Core.”
While in my opinion, some of the criticism was warranted, few could complain about the songs on the follow-up record, “Purple.” Yes, Stone Temple Pilots was eyeing the top of the charts and using the trendy sound to do it.
But just how many of the grunge bands had the goods to come up with something as good as “Interstate Love Song”
Meaning of the Lyrics of “Interstate Love Song”
If suspicion was what dogged Scott Weiland’s band around, it was trouble that always seemed to follow the singer. Sadly, Weiland would eventually become a cautionary tale eventually. In 1994, however, his troubles, just like those of Kurt Cobain, were merely whispered about as gossip.
Is “Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots a drug song? While most famous songs are believed to be about this topic, I think that there might be some truth here.
Weiland looked back on writing the lyrics for the song and mentioned it was about the lies he had told his former girlfriend, Janina Castaneda. According to Weiland, the song describes his paranoia at being found out by Castaneda to be using drugs while touring with Stone Temple Pilots.
The title is a reference to the physical distance between the singer and his girlfriend, who lived in California.
Meanwhile, the song was written back in Atlanta, while the band was busy promoting its first album. Like most of the band’s songs, the core of it (pun intended!) was provided by the supremely talented bass player and band leader, Robert DeLeo.
DeLeo wrote the main musical theme while sitting in the trailer that would ride behind the tour bus. Members of the band would sneak off to it whenever they needed some privacy.
To communicate the musical ideas, DeLeo used a walkie-talkie to beam in his new riff, a very inventive method in my mind.
The Music Video for STP’s “Interstate Love Song”
In keeping with the theme of lies and deception, the music video focused on a Pinocchio-like silent-film hero. As the music video progresses, his nose grows more and more.
Kevin Kerslake directed the video. He was also responsible for the clip for “Vasoline.” I think that the videos had as much of an impact on the band’s success as the music.
Legacy Of Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots reached its target quicker than, I think, the group must’ve expected. “Interstate Love Song” was one of the most successful alternative rock songs of the era. The band’s sophomore album, “Purple”, hit #1 in the United States of America.
To date, it has sold over 6 million copies. It is the second biggest-selling STP album, after the debut “Core.”
Stone Temple Pilots became one of the most famous groups of the period. Many of the accusations of aping Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam melted away.
However, troubles were a constant problem throughout the group’s lifespan. Drug consumption caused Weiland to split from the group twice and eventually cost the talented singer his life.
Stone Temple Pilots was a better band than the vast majority of ’90s rock groups, in my opinion. The playing and orchestration of the song, I think, if you listen closely, are more sophisticated than that of most of their counterparts. Scott Weiland, meanwhile, was a rock vocalist capable of delivering multiple tones and using a variety of techniques. Yes, “Interstate Love Song” is one of the great rock songs of the 1990s.
