Locked Away
R. City and Adam Levine are asking some pretty reasonable questions over this piano-dancehall-beat combo. They want to know if you'll still be around if all they had to offer was love, and if they showed you that they can't be strong all the time. These are some flawed men, getting in touch with their inner fears of abandonment. If times get hard, are you going to be one of those people who leaves, or are you going to be the person by their sides, toughing it out with them? And if they get locked away, will you hold them down until they get out? They conveniently leave out any reason why they might get locked up, but hey, maybe asking that question just means you're one of those girls who cares about the shallow things.
Did you know?
- The subject of “Locked Away” was based on true events; when Theron and Timothy Thomas were younger, they witnessed their mother keeping their family together while their father served five years in jail.
- The collaboration between Rock City and Levine was instigated by producer Dr. Luke, who had worked on Maroon 5's song “Sugar.” He showed Levine “Locked Away,” resulting in the singer agreeing to contribute vocals for the chorus.
- The content of the music video displays different families experiencing various stressful situations. Rock City stated they wanted to make the video relatable to everyone, from people in the suburbs to people from their native St. Thomas.
- “Locked Away” shares songwriting credit with Toni Tennille of 70s act Captain & Tennille, due to the melody's resemblance to that of their No. 1 hit “Do That to Me One More Time.”
- The song marks Rock City's first single to hit the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The duo is perhaps best known for their songwriting, penning hits for major pop artists like Rihanna, Beyonce, and Miley Cyrus.