Is Teardrop to the sea about Richie?

I don't think he was initially happy to be free at all. The title track really made it clear they were keeping the masters and he wasn't happy about it. Losing his life's work and being told he doesn't own it would absolutely lend to the feelings he's feeling in Teardrop.

If it sheds any light on the matter, the song was originally called "My Worst Enemy" when he wrote it with Billy and then Jon went off on his own to tweak and change it. There's no way he would write a song about Richie called that. I can't see a world where that even would have started.

To me Jon's singing about the 2nd half of the BWC tour, where everything was just falling apart. His voice had gone to hell, Richie had gone AWOL, Tico needed two surgeries etc. That severly burned him out and the lyrics:

They shake my hand
Pat my back
They know my drink
Welcome back
The life of the party
Tears of a clown
Can't hear a heartbreak
The music's too loud

are a reference to him having to go back on another leg of the tour (whether it was the late US leg, Japan or Australia) and everything going to hell.
Of course that's just my personal interpretation, but that song always had more impact on me when I pictured him singing about that situation.
Either way, to me it's his best work, along with Living With The Ghost, of the last decade.

^ yeah, most probably this.

Every song is about Richie...lol... Songs got that perfect 90s vibe

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I remember reading your own words in one of the threads about this song:

I don't think Jon has or will ever write a song about Richie. I'm not talking about Everybody's Broken or songs like that. I'm referring to anything after Richie's 2013 split....
This is the 3rd song off this album now where people are interpreting lyrics about Richie and in my opinion, that's just not the case... Could there be some hidden or double meanings going on there, maybe! But there will never be a song about Richie or a reference to Richie directly...

I smiled softly because Jon did say LWTG is about Richie It's actually a common practice for artists to convey more or less hidden msgs in their songs and it's a total b*****t that you just take out a paper and write a song based on some random headline although it may happen here or there. If I write a story or a poem I always put little pieces of me and my own feelings and emotions into it so it's not so obvious but it's definitely from my own perspective.

IMHO, we are free to speculate as much as we can. As I've said, it's open for interpretation because of its multi-layered content.

BTW. What I really like about this forum is the fact that everyone can express their opinion and it's certainly not about having nodding heads. I know some of them may be unpopular but it doesn't mean there isn't a grain of truth in them.

I still feel that way... I was being sarcastic when I said "Every Song is About Richie" ... So one got through, LWTG... I really don't see the direct correlation in every verse but if Jon said it, so be it... It's deeply and brilliantly written plus it's one of the few he wrote himself...

I'm going to write this here because it's not worthy of it's own topic but I could see a new album coming much sooner than we all think... Don't forget that THINFS was written two and a half years ago... If Jon's got a new contract and taking a long break between April and next year, some things my be churning much sooner than we all think.... When the album gets released is a different story but I could see some talk happening soon...

Jon seems to be enjoying himself, the album did fairly decent with reviews and numbers... He's not getting younger and if he's got to get X number of albums out and a tour to promote them, he's gonna move while he still can... I can't see another Greatest Hits or a Live Album hitting anytime soon... Unless this website deal is fulfilling that obligation...

I'm not saying that this is what the original title meant, but when I think of "worst enemy" the first thing that comes to mind is the cliche "he's his own worst enemy". That would fit with the lines "I got what I wanted; I paid every cost. I'd give it all back to get back what I lost..."

Just a thought...

OH wow. I never thought of it like that, you could be right!

This thought has stuck in my head. Thank you for bringing that up, Jackie!