What happens to musicians after they stop being popular?
Ben Folds and John K. Sampson are two of my favourite songwriters. They both have this unbelievable talent for creating vignettes of life, tiny slices of existence, that evoke a emotional context much larger than the 3 or 4 minutes that the song lasts for. This song represents my attempt to emulate that feat.
Lyrics:
It’s been 10 years since she’s touched the keys,
And longer still since the music’s touched her and she’s
Staring out at a rainy street,
And the sound of the notes that the pavement makesAnd it takes a little longer to escape the past
When your heart stops beating if you run too fast
And your hands, once strong, make you lose your grip
And you can’t find your balance so you reach out and trip and you fall,
Watching it all slip away.The crowds that stood and clapped their hands
Have no requests, no roses left, and just one demand.
She’s cleared the stage for the next day’s dame,
But where do you go after The Show That Must Go On?And it takes a little longer to escape the past
When your heart stops beating if you run too fast
And your hands, once strong, make you lose your grip
And you can’t find your balance so you reach out and trip and you fall,
Watching it all slip away.They used to say that she was beautiful,
As every eye would turn her way.
Then they would smile and call her wonderful,
But the smiles, like the notes, have faded away.And it takes a little longer to escape the past
When your heart stops beating if you run too fast
And your hands, once strong, make you lose your grip
And you can’t find your balance so you reach out and trip and you fall,
Watching it all slip away.
What a shame some days nobody speaks her name,
And the fortune’s all gone; that’s the price of fame,
And the seconds fly by from the clock on the wall,
And the hours are empty and the seasons crawl
And it’s all just another Saturday
In terms of recording/mixing, this song is my most ambitious attempt yet. The guitar was recorded first, then re-recorded with Emily (my new acoustic guitar). The organ part was second, which was quite challenging since I don’t know how to play the piano. The string quartet parts were added, with the outro solo following. The vocals were the last piece of the puzzle, and then the whole thing had to be mixed and balanced (with more than a few false starts). I am looking forward to recording this with someone who actually knows what they’re doing.
Crommunist 
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