-Our next guest is a nine-time, Grammy Award-winning,
multi-platinum selling musician.
Her new album, "Evolution," is available now.
Please welcome back to the show
the legendary Sheryl Crow, everybody.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
Thank you so much for being here.
-Thank you for having me.
-I've been lucky enough to have you here performing.
This is the first time I've been lucky enough to chat with you,
and I'm really looking forward to it.
-I have many things we need to talk about.
-Okay, good. Okay. Now, you go.
-Well, I want to say that when you started,
you had said with your previous album
you weren't going to have another album.
You did that rock and roll thing.
You did that rock and roll thing where you're like,
"I'm all out of songs." -I know.
And then, now, it's the comeback.
-Yeah. Oh, that's very exciting. -It's the best of the comeback.
-Oh, good. Good. We look forward to that too. But what?
But when you started writing songs,
you really didn't have the intention.
-I was not thinking -- I wasn't thinking record.
I wasn't thinking album.
Because, you know, people don't really listen to albums anymore,
top to bottom, you know?
So, I thought, well, I'll just put songs out.
And then, I wound up after my kids started going to school
in the fall,
and all the conversations about artificial intelligence,
I just started writing,
so, I feel like I made a playlist
of new Sheryl Crow songs.
[ Laughter ] -Oh, interesting. Interesting.
And since we don't want to just hold up art
of a playlist. [ Laughter ]
No, is it a thing where when your kids start going to school,
like, you just have so much more creative time to think?
-Yeah, I'm like this, "Out." No. I'm kidding.
No, I -- It's -- I have a --
I have a -- an odd sense of accomplishment
when my kids drive down the driveway, it's like,
"Okay, I made the lunches.
They were happy. Um, I got them fed.
The homework is done. They're on their way to school.
And then, it's like coffee." [ Laughter ]
Put my feet up on the -- -You deserve it.
Now, you, uh. I know they're teenagers.
Can one of them actually drive the other to school?
Are they there? -Yes, and I do. I do hate that.
I mean, the first couple of days
when they drove off, I was just like, [Gasping].
-Of course. -What are they talking about?
You know? -Now,
are you crying, because you're worried
they're talking about you? -No.
Well, no, no, they would not be talking about me
unless it was something stupid that I had done.
-Okay. -You know, my kid, literally.
They should have subtitles under them that are like,
whenever they talk, you see, "Mom, you're an idiot.
Mom, you do not know anything.
Just shut up." -Do they?
Are they fans of your music?
Like, when you're making new music, do they --
Are they like, "Oh, great.
I want to hear what you're working on."
-Um, they are.
I actually played, like, I played "Alarm Clock" for them,
because that's the first song that came out on the record,
and it's about how much I hate my alarm clock.
And it literally was inspired by 13-year-old Levi,
because we are not morning people.
Yeah, across the board? -Across the board.
Now, Wyatt jumps out of bed,
he's like, "Day is on, let's go."
So, I wrote a song called "Alarm Clock."
Um, then, I also wrote a song called "Broken Record,"
and I played it for them and they're like, "Mom,
you cannot put that on your record. No."
Same with, like, TikTok. "Mom, you cannot be on TikTok.
[ Laughter ] That is so cringey.
-Now, I feel like -- -Just wait.
-Oh, I, look -- -You just wait.
-I feel like it's going to happen
way faster... -It's around the corner for you.
-...than yeah, I'm ready for. -Yeah.
-Um, so, I will say my wife would not let me go on TikTok,
so, I already have one who's like, setting a bad example.
-I called it TicTac. -You called it TicTac.
-And so then it was like, "See?"
-Yeah. [ Laughter ]
They might have driven off to school like a week early.
[ Laughter ] -Yeah, or just not come home.
Just slept out in the car. -This, I know...
Look, this is -- I know this New York City.
We live in a big bubble here,
but you live in Nashville, and you recorded this album.
This is like the stereotype for me
over a stable of horses. -I did.
-So, do you really have a recording stu--
-I chewed on hay while I was, you know, I drank whiskey.
No. Um, I actually, believe it or not, wrote the songs.
Um, mostly in the morning,
like on the back porch or in the piano room.
And then, I didn't produce it, and I usually produce myself,
but I had these songs, and I was like,
"I don't want to hear what I already know I'll do."
And so, I called this friend of mine, this amazing producer,
Mike Elizondo, and I started feeding him songs.
I was like, "Do you like this one?"
And I said, "Well, you just like Martin Scorsese it."
You know, just like put a crazy, amazing movie around it.
And that's what he did.
He took like demos of mine and just...
-And did you feel like you,
uh, were capable of letting go like that?
-The first thing he played me was "Evolution."
And, uh, at first, well, first, I cried.
I just could not believe what I was hearing.
It was so amazing, so cinematic.
And then I went through the old.
"But you're not playing bass on it,
but you're not playing keyboards on it.
But your name's not going to say 'Produced by'."
And it was like, "Oh, please." -No, that's good.
-Bitch. Please. [ Laughter ]
-It's nice when you're established
enough to bitch please yourself.
-I did. I did. I was like.
-At least, I mean, again, shame on.
You call it TicTac, and we will never forget that.
But you also do duets with Olivia Rodrigo.
You recently did that? -I did.
-The two got up on stage together at one of her shows.
-Yes, I did. -And you, she was also there.
And congratulations.
Belated congratulations on your Hall of Fame induction.
-Thank you. Thank you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-I mean, that's a big deal. -[ Laughs ]
-Surely, surely your kids could appreciate
that their mom is a Hall of Famer.
-They were actually, first of all, they had to wear suits.
So, that was like, "[Sighs]."
But they were in the room,
and they haven't seen the documentary
or anything like that.
And I'm like, "Hey, y'all, watch it when you want to,
when you feel like you're ready to know who your mom was
before y'all came and changed my life for the better."
-The way you said that wasn't the most convincing.
-No. Definitely. -Yeah. Yeah.
-But they, you know, I felt how proud they were.
In fact, my 16 year old was like...
-Aw! Oh! On TV. -On TV. On TV.
He was like... -Aw!
-I know.
-And have you known Olivia for a while?
-Um, I met her. Gosh, let me think about this.
How long have I known her?
I met her at a Billboard Women in Music.
And I just really liked her.
I'd already had her record, and I love the way she wrote.
It's very punk. It's like The Breeders meets Deborah Harry,
and I'm like, "Who is this, like, little, you know?"
I mean, like, she was a child when that came out,
you know what I mean? -Yeah.
-She's like a young woman now.
But, um, and then I met her and I was like,
"Oh, I'm so impressed with just how sort of, uh,
down to earth and together she is,
like, kind of unfazed by it.
Um, and I've gotten to know her, you know,
since then, and I really, I adore her, so.
-You had another cool thing happen at, uh,
your Hall of Fame induction.
You got to perform with Stevie Nicks.
Um, I imagine that is both an incredible --
Right? I mean, right? How do you...?
But I was wondering. -Yeah.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Look, there are, you know,
there are a few times where I, you know, been in a situation
where I'm talking to one of my heroes,
and that's where it's the hardest
to have a conversation.
What's it like to sing with one of them?
-She's, um, I mean, I can't even explain it.
I-I grew up, like, as a kid, uh, wanting to be her,
you know, got my hair cut in the shag
and had the shawls and, uh, you know,
um, I really wanted to be her,
and I wanted to be as good as her.
And then, I met her at a Grammys many years later,
and she asked me if I'd produce some stuff on her,
which was unbelievable.
And then, she took me on the road, and we were like sisters,
you know, it was...
I mean, it was so fantastic.
But more than that, she's just been an unbelievable,
like, not only an advocate, but like,
I mean, she's just like the best friend you can have.
You know how some people are just...
They're just the greatest friend, you know?
They're open. They are there with you when you're down.
But they're there when you're up too,
which that says a lot about a person.
And she's just, man, she's the goods.
-And also, I imagine, there's so few people
that know as much about the music industry,
both the good and the bad, as somebody like her.
And with so few people
that can understand what you go through at any given point.
-Yeah, I would say she's unique, though,
because she remembers everything.
Like I can't remember yesterday,
but she remembers everything, and she's like,
she shares everything.
It's just, she's wicked awesome. -That's really great.
And then, last but not least, Laura Dern,
uh, read your induction.
And you have known -- you were roommates with Laura Dern?
-Yes. She lived with me in Los Angeles.
I mean, it's been like 20 something years ago.
-Yeah. -We've been great friends since.
-How was she as a roommate?
-She's very sloppy. -Okay. Spill the tea.
You know she did.
She did when she was at your house.
-[Laughs] Laura. I'm kidding. Uh, no. She's awesome.
And, um, you know, she's another one.
I mean, she held my baby when he was like,
when Wyatt came home, she was right there, and, you know.
-Well, look. -She's just a fantastic person.
-It sounds like you have a lot of good friends,
which I would imagine -- -And they're all women.
-Well, I also have to say, though,
I think people who have a lot of good friends
and what that tells us about you
is that you are probably a very good friend
right back to them, so. -Oh. Thank you. Thank you.
-And I'm so happy and honored
that you're gonna be doing a song for us as well.
So, thank you so much. -Thanks for having me.
-We're going to do that next, you guys,
this is Sheryl Crow. [ Cheers and applause ]
Her new album "Evolution" is available now.
Stick around, we'll be right back
with a performance from Sheryl.