about the song
Just Cause I Can incorporates upbeat melodies and reflective lyrics about growing up and learning an important life lesson: Just ‘cause I can doesn’t mean I should. This phrase has become popular in Dobbins’ social circles and is brought up often in a variety of situations, from contemplating that late night snack to adding musical elements in the studio. Co-written with LA artist and John Lennon Songwriting Competition finalist Jordan Reynolds, Just Cause I Can weaves together humor and honest reflection to create a fun yet thought-provoking song with a catchy hook that people will be singing for a long time. The message is relatable for folks of all ages, including those who are making their way through the tempting twenties, or who have already survived that era and lived to tell about it.
The recording is enhanced from Katie’s live solo performances, bringing in a full band including rhythmic and lead electric guitar parts, a Wurlitzer and vocoder to set the mood, and harmonies by her co-writer. Just Cause I Can was recorded at Rocking Horse Studio in Pittsfield NH and produced by Brian Coombes and Josh Kimball, with additional production by Katie Dobbins. The song was mixed by Emmy-nominated producer Brian Coombes and mastered by Grammy-nominated engineers Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice, of Peerless Mastering. Katie currently has three additional singles in the works, so stay tuned!
writing the song
In 2019 Katie received a direct message on Instagram from a fellow Boston musician she had not yet met, Jordan Reynolds. Jordan was interested in trying his hand at co-writing, and Katie was excited about his proposition, having recently returned from Nashville herself and witnessed the magic of writing songs collaboratively. So she did something a little out of her ordinary - drove to the South End (Boston) to a then stranger's apartment to try her hand at her first co-write. The co-write began with the two songwriters sharing a few threads of ideas recorded via voice memos. On her drive over, Katie had been honing the hook lines and chorus melody of Just Cause I Can, and that's the song the pair chose to work on that day!
With his piano, her guitar, and their harmonious voices, the song's first draft came together in the span of a couple hours. The original lyrics from that day in the South End have evolved and taken slightly different shape over the years. Since writing the song together in Boston, Jordan has relocated to LA and Katie to NH. Once Katie realized she wanted to release Just Cause I Can, she reached out to Jordan to have a virtual co-write to tie up any loose lyrical ends. It was during that more recent back-and-forth that the two decided to hone the direction of the song toward a more cohesive storyline, playing off of the multiple meanings of "falling" to sing about both falling and love and stumbling. Stay tuned for a "making of" video that will dive deeper into the song's evolution!
This is the first song Katie has released that was co-written with another musician, and she was thrilled to have Jordan sing some harmonies on the tune. But they'd love to know... what would YOUR Just Cause I Can verse be about? 😉
lyrics
Just cause I can doesn't mean I should
Just cause it shines doesn't mean it's good
Hit the road in my brand new Benz
Leather cool beneath my hands
Got a monthly plan; I’m out a hundred grand
All my friends act so impressed
Tell me I’m killin it
But they know the truth and all I have to lose
This is me at my worst haunting me at my best
Just cause I can doesn’t mean I should
Just cause it shines doesn’t mean it’s good
I don’t know why I do this every time
Always seems I’m falling again
Just Cause I can, ohhhh
I learned young not to play with fire
Then I met you and you took me higher
Than a bird in flight, but something wasn’t right
No I never should’ve even let you start
Always knew you’d break my heart
Like you break the rules, yeah you’re so cool
Always me at my worst haunting me at my best
Just cause I can doesn’t mean I should
Just cause it shines doesn’t mean it’s good
I don’t know why I do this every time
Always seems I’m falling again
Just cause I can, ohhhh
Just cause I can, ohhhh
Just when I think I ended it
You walk through my door again
With a tempting grin, shivers through my skin
I feel good when I’m with you
Hold me close and I start to lose
Myself in you; I get so confused
But maybe I’ll finally realize
Just cause I can doesn’t mean I should
Just cause it shines doesn’t mean it’s good
Now I know I can do it better this time
I don’t need to be falling again
Just cause I can, ohhhh
Just cause I can, ohhhh
Just cause I can