Songs Never Heard

A craft podcast that spotlights some of the best songs you've never heard.

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Songs Never Heard

S1E10: Clockwork (Jack Riedy)

October 08, 2025 • Robert Howell • Season 1 • Episode 10

A COVID-era collaboration transformed a repetitive hook into a funky exploration of lasting affection.

Clockwork on Bandcamp: https://jackriedy.bandcamp.com/track/clockwork

More of Jack’s music:

Bandcamp: https://jackriedy.bandcamp.com

Robert Howell:

My name is Robert Howell, and in this series I'll be sharing, and digging into, some of my favorite songs that I've come across while in and exploring the underground songwriting scene. Songs written by talented people who are creating music that deserves wider recognition. Songs that, unfortunately, most of the world may never hear.

Welcome to “Songs Never Heard.”

A standalone chorus, written years ago, eventually emerged from the songwriter's head as part of a funky love song that's flavored by a wide variety of musical influences. Finding depth in its precise repetition. Let's hear "Clockwork" by Jack Riedy.

Jack Riedy:

I love you like clockwork

Crying crocodile tears

In your alligator leather

You got a face that’s hard to replace

And I don’t want to wait to get together

I love you like clockwork

I ain’t got a lot of money

All I can give is my time

All our gears align

Let me help you unwind

I love you like clockwork

Robert Howell:

You've just heard "Clockwork" by Jack Riedy. Did that repetitive chorus embed itself in your brain? You're not alone. Jack built the entire song around those five words in a groove that refuses to quit. But keeping that catchy little nugget front and center, and as a result, un-removable from my brain, actually required considerable restraint on Jack's part.

"The process of 'Clockwork' was about simplicity," He explains, "I initially piled all sorts of post choruses and complex chord changes onto the song. I think because I thought the hook wasn't enough on its own." He goes on to say," I had to chip away at the extraneous parts to get to the core of the song."

That disciplined editing transformed a potentially overcrowded arrangement into something that breathes. The repetitive 'I love you like clockwork' becomes hypnotic, not monotonous. It's anchored by what's known as 'the one,' the fundamental downbeat that drives any great funk song.

The tight driving rhythm powering "Clockwork's" energetic arrangement exists because of a generous gesture. This happened during one of music's most isolated periods. During the 2020 COVID lockdown, drummer Al Shipley of the band Western Blot, took his goodwill and talents to Twitter. He was trying to connect with, and support, like-minded folks.

"He put out an open call offering to record drums for people when so many musicians were stir crazy at home," Jack recalls. Jack took him up on his offer and requested funk drums at 114 beats per minute. He got back a tight, four minute track with what Jack says was 'just the right amount of swing.' The quality of Al's performance became a crucial motivator for completing the song.

"They sounded great, and I didn't want to let his takes go to waste," Jack explains. That sense of creative responsibility, of not wanting to squander someone else's contribution, pushed Jack to finally hammer the song into its finished shape. In reality, Al's drumming was driving the song forward before "Clockwork" was even completed.

The title phrase, 'I love you like clockwork,' suggests predictability. But Jack's intention goes deeper. When I asked about the line's meaning, Jack confirmed it's about being consistent and dependable. But there's an important caveat. He explained: "As consistent as one can be while recognizing that time keeps ticking, life gets hard, and that someday we all must die."

That acknowledgement of mortality and difficulty gives the song's central metaphor emotional weight. This isn't love as a fairytale, it's love as commitment in the face of life's inevitable challenges. "I wanted to write a love song without the drama in most pop songs," Jack says, "about an intensity of feeling that's consistent, not peaking and dipping."

The song emerged from Jack's own relationship experience. "I was a few years into my relationship with my now wife when I started writing it, and I think my own commitment to commitment crept into the song subconsciously." That personal foundation gives the repetitive chorus its authenticity. When someone sings 'I love you like clockwork' that many times, they're not just creating a hook, they're quadrupling down on their commitment to lasting affection.

The most unexpected influence on "Clockwork" comes from a Wu-Tang Clan member. The opening line 'Crying crocodile tears in your alligator leather' wasn't just animal species word play. It was Jack's attempt to channel a specific hip hop aesthetic.

"I was trying to sound like Ghostface Killah, circa "Supreme Clientele," Jack explains, referencing the rapper's acclaimed album. "I had a watch with an alligator wristband at the time that inspired the line, and I liked the wordplay with 'crocodile tears' and 'tears' like in a fabric."

Two words, same spelling, different meanings and pronunciations . That type of wordplay references Ghostface's stream of consciousness style. But Jack wasn't just displaying his hip hop knowledge. The line also contributes to the song's emotional complexity.

"It does complicate the characters of the song a little bit. Which is what I like about it," Jack notes. "It's not a love song about a perfect person, and a love that lasts forever and ever. It's more realistic than that." Not unlike Ghostface's approach to character development, Jack had created a love song that acknowledges a romantic relationship's devotion and flaws, consistency and complications.

"Clockwork" borrows from a template that connects directly to Minneapolis Funk royalty. "The structure of the song was inspired by Prince's 'I Want to Be Your Lover,'” Jack explains, "The first two and a half minutes are a tight verse, chorus, verse pop song. Then the four on the floor kick leads into an instrumental dance breakdown."

Jack took that Prince formula and updated it with what he calls "a little Purple Rain-esque guitar heroics." He started with a couple of existing song structures that inspired him, then adapted them for new purposes. Prince's ability to balance pop accessibility with extended instrumental exploration, provided the roadmap for Jack's own creative vision.

"I'm a major devotee of Prince," Jack admits, "I respect a fellow funky little mid-westerner. I love his music and how he was able to incorporate all kinds of musical and spiritual ideas while keeping it grounded in dance beats."

With "Clockwork," I think Prince would've agreed his devotee successfully found a way to make a love song, make a body move.

The final third of "Clockwork" abandons lyrics entirely. The instruments carry the emotional weight, and although it was patterned after a Prince classic, it was also Jack's attempt to express what language couldn't capture."

"All the feelings that can't fit into words come out through the instruments in that coda," Jack explains. The section features guest guitarist and Jack's friend, Adam Wisbrock. His classic rock solo provides the song's climactic moment. Jack enjoyed the collaborative process of, as he puts it, "engineering another player, live in the moment," with a simple setup of just a mic set up against an amp.

Jack recalls, "He used his own pedal board, so there's very little post-production. Just a matter of adding some reverb and echo to make it sound even bigger. This organic approach to recording the solo reflects Jack's broader philosophy. Preserving human feel over digital perfection.

"Clockwork" represents everything Jack values about being an independent artist. "Part of the appeal of being an entirely indie artist is I can do it all myself and carry out my vision," he explains. But independence doesn't mean isolation. The song features contributions from the previously mentioned Al Shipley on drums, and Adam Wisbrock on lead guitar, in addition to a couple other of Jack's hometown friends, Mike Nick on trumpet and Joe Van Bladel on trombone.

"'Clockwork' is pretty simple melodically, but there's a lot of layers of instrumentation fleshing it out, much like an old school funk band,” Jack notes. That complexity serves his artistic vision while honoring his musical influences. “I grew up listening to ska, funk, and dub reggae, so brass has always been an important sound to me. Here, those horn parts add a lot of punch."

The song continues evolving in life performance. Jack and his band, the Dealbreakers, stretch the instrumental ending into extended jams. This shows that Jack considers his songs living things. Capable of growth and change. "Clockwork" also shows that amazing things can emerge from the simplest ideas, executed with precision and heart.

"Songs Never Heard" is created and produced by me, Robert Howell. It's a tribute to all the seldom heard music that, in my opinion, rivals what you'd hear on the popular charts. If you're interested in having one of your songs featured, drop me a note at rrobhowell@gmail.com.

Until next time, keep writing.