"Nuclear" is a song by singer-songwriter Ryan Adams from his 2002 album ''

Demolition Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a bu ...

'', the only single from the album. The song was recorded during Adams' July 2001 sessions with the Pinkhearts in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

. In 2002, Adams spoke with CNN about the song: "I guess it's Britpop for Americans. I don't know what it is, really, but the lyrics are funny. There's actually a really funny line in it that says, 'I saw her and the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

lost to the Braves.' If you're from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, that's not a very nice thing to say. It's sort of referring to the fact that the Braves never win." (The

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

lost both the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

and 1999 World Series to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

.) Among the b-sides included on the various "Nuclear" singles are the non-album tracks "Blue" and "Song For Keith". Adams co-wrote "Blue" with

Julianna Raye Julianna Raye is an American songwriter, singer, actress, entrepreneur, and mindfulness teacher. Music She became briefly well known in 1993 when her work as a backing singer and songwriter persuaded producer Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (bor ...

, and the song comes from the ''48 Hours'' sessions. "Song For Keith" is a tribute to

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guitarist Keith Richards and was recorded during ''The Pinkhearts Sessions''.http://www.answeringbell.com/Answering%20Bell/Songs/song_for_keith.htm

Track listings

European CD Single (released 16 September 2002) # "Nuclear" (LP version) # "Blue" (non-album track) UK 7" Single (released 16 September 2002) # "Nuclear" (LP version) # "Song For Keith" (non-album track) CD1 Single (released 4 March 2003) # "Nuclear" (LP version) # "Blue" (non-album track) # "Song For Keith" (non-album track) CD2 Single (released 4 March 2003) # "Nuclear" (LP version) # "New York, New York" (Live in Amsterdam) # "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)" (Live in Amsterdam)

Personnel and production credits

* Ryan Adams — electric guitar, vocals *

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— steel guitar * Billy Mercer — bass *

Brad Pemberton Brad Pemberton (born August 8, 1969) is an American drummer, primarily known for his role in several bands backing Ryan Adams, including The Sweetheart Revolution, The Damn Band, The Pinkhearts and The Cardinals.'' dvertisement/nowiki>.'' ''CMJ New ...

— drums * Brad Rice — electric guitar * Produced by Dave Domanich * Engineered by Warren Peterson and Chad Brown * Recorded at Javelina Recording Studios (Nashville, Tennessee) ''"Blue"'' * Ryan Adams — lead vocal and guitar * Greg Leisz — pedal steel *

Chris Stills Chris Stills (born April 19, 1974 in Boulder, Colorado) is a musician and actor. He is the son of American rock musician Stephen Stills and French singer-songwriter Véronique Sanson. He has played with both his father and his mother. Biogra ...

— rhythm guitar *

Ethan Johns Ethan Thomas Robert Johns (born 1969 in Merton, London, England) is an English record producer, engineer, mixer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Johns has worked with artists including Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Paul McCartney, Ray LaMo ...

— drums * Julianna Raye — background vocals * Produced by Ethan Johns ''"Song For Keith"'' * Ryan Adams — lead vocal, guitar and drums * Billy Mercer — bass: Billy Mercer * David Rawlings — guitar * Brad Rice — guitar and background vocals *

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— piano * Produced by Dave Domanich

References

{{Authority control Ryan Adams songs 2002 singles