Theory of a Deadman reimagine the Two of Us on Dinosaur

Bands can often surprise with who their influences are. That shouldn’t lead to the conclusion that Theory of a Deadman frontman Tyler Connolly is a big Bill Withers fan.

Two of Us (Stuck), the third single from the North Delta hard rock act’s newly released album, Dinosaur, includes the chorus hook from Withers’ 1981 smash hit Just the Two of Us.

Connolly says incorporating the familiar chord progression into the track was because it stuck in his head and wouldn’t leave. Familiar with the original and a few other Top 10 Withers tunes, he had no plans for a cover version, and the title reflects that. He just had a lightbulb blinking moment playing around with the chord progression adding in his own lyrics, and it stuck.

Being able to release it as he wrote it wasn’t an easy process.

“Our legal department immediately flagged it and set about handling the process to be able to use it,” said Connolly. “Since he passed in 2020, they went to Withers’ estate to let them listen to it, give it approval and then come to some kind of lucrative agreement about using it. Since it is not a direct cover, we were obliged to change the title, so we came up with another name.”