Stone Temple Pilots (STP) emerged from San Diego in the early 90s, a time dominated by the grunge movement emanating from Seattle. Despite achieving phenomenal early success with their debut album Core, selling four million copies by the spring of 1994, the band faced accusations of being opportunistic grunge bandwagoners. Critics, particularly from publications like Rolling Stone, simultaneously lauded them as “Best New Band” and derided them as “Worst New Band,” creating a confusing and challenging environment for the burgeoning rock act. However, STP channeled this external pressure into creative energy, crafting a more diverse and ambitious collection of songs while touring for Core. These tracks would form their sophomore album, Purple, an album intended to definitively shed the limiting “grunge” label. Bassist Robert DeLeo recalls their confidence, stating, “We knew that the songs we had were pretty special,” dismissing any anxieties about a sophomore slump. Unbeknownst to them, the landscape of rock music was about to shift dramatically with Kurt Cobain’s tragic death just two months before Purple‘s release, marking the end of an era.
Among these “special” songs was “Interstate Love Song,” a track that originated in a rather unconventional setting: the front passenger seat of a Winnebago motor home. As STP crisscrossed North America on tour, DeLeo, armed with a budget-friendly nylon-stringed guitar, conceived the song. This nomadic genesis is fitting, as “Interstate Love Song” became an anthem for open-road journeys, windows down, and the wind rushing by. DeLeo fondly remembers the humble beginnings of the track, “I wrote it on a nylon-stringed guitar that cost twenty-five dollars. I’ve now got a hundred-and-twenty-five-dollar nylon-stringed guitar,” he jokes, demonstrating the song’s iconic riff on the upgraded instrument. He reveals the song’s initial musical direction, “It began as a bossa nova tune but I didn’t think people would like that so much, so I added a country riff and a melody I had floating around in my head.” Remarkably, the core composition came together swiftly, in about “around ten minutes,” yet DeLeo immediately recognized its significance, acknowledging, “This was a different level of writing for me.”
While DeLeo laid the musical foundation for “Interstate Love Song,” the lyrical narrative and the crucial “Interstate” addition to the title came from vocalist Scott Weiland. During the Purple recording sessions at Southern Tracks Recording in Atlanta, Weiland was geographically separated from his fiancée, Janina Castaneda, who remained in California. Their relationship was fracturing under the weight of Weiland’s escalating heroin addiction, a secret he desperately tried to conceal. The lyrics of “Interstate Love Song” became a poignant reflection of this deceit and the broken promises that permeated his life at the time. Weiland later confessed that the words were “about the lies I was trying to conceal while making the Purple record.” Each night, he would call Castaneda, masking his shame and falsely claiming sobriety. DeLeo reflects on the lyrical depth, “The meaning wasn’t completely obvious, but when you know what the song was about it’s a very poetic piece. But as a writer, Scott always was very poetic. He also liked to leave the listener to make up their own minds as to a song’s interpretation.” This ambiguity, combined with Weiland’s poetic sensibilities, allowed “Interstate Love Song” to resonate on multiple levels, capturing both personal turmoil and broader themes of dishonesty and fractured relationships.
For Purple, Stone Temple Pilots once again enlisted producer Brendan O’Brien, fostering a comfortable and efficient creative environment. DeLeo emphasizes their trust in O’Brien, stating, “We trusted Brendan completely and the process felt very natural.” Remarkably, the entire Purple album, including “Interstate Love Song,” was recorded, mixed, and finalized in a mere eleven days. Drummer Eric Kretz, in a contemporary interview, revealed the band’s occasional anxieties about sounding too similar to contemporaries like Alice In Chains or Pearl Jam. However, O’Brien’s decisive approach proved invaluable. “Brendan wasn’t an over-thinker. He was a doer,” DeLeo affirms. “It was a privilege to make records with him, and we certainly were not trying to copy anybody else.” O’Brien’s focus on capturing the raw energy of STP’s sound, rather than over-polishing or chasing trends, contributed to Purple‘s distinct identity and enduring appeal. Looking back at the criticisms of STP being Pearl Jam imitators, DeLeo offers a wry smile, “Such criticism was never really a concern to me. We were working with people of Brendan’s stature, and those were the opinions that mattered to me. Everything except the writing and performing of the songs was simply fluff.”
“Interstate Love Song,” alongside other hit singles from Purple like “Vasoline” and “Big Empty,” propelled the album to massive commercial heights. Purple dominated the Billboard chart for three weeks and achieved sales exceeding six million copies. However, this rapid ascent to fame brought its own set of challenges. DeLeo acknowledges the disruptive impact of sudden fame, “I don’t know too many that could handle that type of attention coming at you at such speed. We all handled it differently, but safe to say it can be a deadly thing.” For Scott Weiland, the pressures of fame and his ongoing struggles with addiction proved to be a devastating combination. His career became marked by periods in and out of STP and rehabilitation. Tragically, at the age of 48, Weiland died in 2015 from an accidental overdose while on tour with his band The Wildabouts, a stark reminder of the personal battles often hidden behind the gloss of rock stardom.
Despite the profound loss of Scott Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots have continued to tour and create music, with “Interstate Love Song” remaining a staple in their live performances. The song’s enduring popularity speaks to its musicality and lyrical resonance. Robert DeLeo emphasizes the song’s continued relevance with their current lead singer, Jeff Gutt, who joined STP in 2017 after the passing of Weiland’s initial replacement, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. DeLeo reflects on the experience of performing their classic songs live, “Playing live is a bit like attending a high school reunion – you snap right back into where you were all those years ago.” And in a testament to the song’s enduring creativity, DeLeo concludes with a playful thought, “And you know what? Someday I’d still like to record Interstate Love Song as a bossa nova.” This idea hints at the song’s versatile musical core, initially conceived as bossa nova before evolving into the iconic rock anthem that continues to captivate audiences decades later. “Interstate Love Song” stands as a testament to Stone Temple Pilots’ artistry, a song born from personal turmoil and creative ingenuity that has become a timeless rock classic.
