On the Deluxe release of Maroon 5‘s new album, Red Pill Blues, fans will take note that the Dirty Heads’ Jared Watson & Dustin Bushnell are credited as co-writers for the song “Visions” with mc/producer, Blueprint. The song was almost included on Dirty Heads new record, Swim Team, and a previous track-list shared online shows how close the song came to the album.
We reached out to Dirty Heads management to get some clarification on the song and how it came to be on Maroon 5’s. Like they did with other producers for Swim Team, Dirty Heads vocalist Jared Watson and vocalist/guitarist Dustin Bushnell sat down with mc/producer Blueprint to write a song that would end up being called “Visions.” Adam Levine heard the song and requested it for his album, but the Dirty Heads were reluctant to relinquish the song as it was one they were proud to release on their own.
There was back and forth between Maroon 5 and the Dirty Heads camp over the release of it with growing interest coming from Maroon 5’s camp. When the Dirty Heads deadline came to submit their album, a deal had not yet been reached, so “Visions” was included in the initial submission of Swim Team. It wasn’t until just after they submitted Swim Team that a deal was reached with Maroon 5. Dirty Heads made a last minute adjustment that removed their version of “Visions” and replaced it on the album with “Diamonds & Pearls”, that wasn’t initially ready for the original deadline.
Ultimately, Jared and Dustin saw this as an opportunity to create further awareness for themselves as writers in the music industry. Having someone such as Adam Levine & Maroon 5 taking such significant interest in a song they wrote was a great compliment and opportunity to show their openness to continue collaborating and networking — As for the song itself, Adam Levine basically sang Jared & Duddy’s verses, word for word. They took Duddy’s guitar out and put in Adam Levine’s guitar to sound more like a Maroon 5 song, but it is otherwise described as the exact same song of what Dirty Heads originally did.
When I asked the Dirty Heads camp if fans would ever see an authorized release of their recorded version of “Visions” in any capacity, they firmly said: “No! This is now a Maroon 5 song.” Because of how last minute the Dirty Heads album was submitted before changes were made, leaks of their version trickled out, but it is not authorized to be heard or shared according to their management.
So what does this writing credit mean moving forward for the Dirty Heads? Well, it puts them on the radar as credible writers from a progressive group who seem to be leaving a bigger impression on pop-culture than pop-culture is ready to admit, yet! One of the main reasons Dirty Heads continue to flourish is they have a knack for catchy melodies & deliveries with strong lyrics that can range from deep and dark to light and humorous. They play outside the lines of whats expected of them to explore new avenues by working with multiple producers that bring new perspective and influence. All of this shows in their music and they’ve released quite a lot over the last 5 years with more than 65+ songs.
When I asked Dirty Heads if this may be a catalyst to working with Adam Levine or Maroon 5 in the future, they said they would certainly love to and are willing, but there is nothing, as of this writing, planned. In the meantime, you can listen to Maroon 5’s “Visions” on spotify or own it via iTunes by clicking HERE! You can purchase Dirty Heads new album, Swim Team, by clicking HERE!
Listen: Maroon 5 – “Visions”
Related Links:
Exclusive Dirty Heads Blog
Dirty Heads Website
Maroon 5 Website
Blueprint Website
Article by: Mike Patti
Photo by: David Norris
Watch: Dirty Heads – “Celebrate” (feat. Unlikely Candidates)
