In this episode, I break apart a song called, “Someone Else.” This comes from my album Starting Over released back in August of 2022.

This song is influenced by Elliott Smith, particularly his song “The Biggest Lie” from his 1995 self-titled album. I like the picking pattern and sparse style of the production, along with the melancholy lyrics.

To start with the recording, I laid down the acoustic guitar.

Next I added some subtle synth string parts to fill things about a bit.

For the solo, I decided to use a soft echoey piano. I think i adds a bit to the lonely atmosphere. 

At this point, I felt like it still needed something. I was listening to the Fleet Foxes song, “Can I Believe” and really liked the choir arrangement they included with their song. I felt like it gave the recording a lot of character.

So I recorded this 3-part harmony, which follows the same notes as the string arrangement from earlier. I doubled each part so they’d be 6 voices and did all the same parts but an octave higher, so there’s 12 voices. Then I drenched it in a cathedral style reverb. I ended up using this choir part as an intro, similar to the way the Fleet Foxes do in their song.

The lyrics for this song are about feeling stuck in life and longing for things to be different. At times, I get overwhelmed and frustrated with everything happening and wish I could just start over. But while caught in the struggle, you learn to get through the hopeless moments by talking it through with people you trust. 

In terms of the progression of the album, this opens up the last three songs, which focus on healing and coming to terms with myself.

And with that, here’s the complete song. I hope you like it.

And that’s our episode . If you’re interested, I made a music video for this song, which you can find on YouTube or in the description.

Also, This song is available to license for your projects like podcasts and videos. Get 50% off your purchase until June 18, using the promo code “songoftheweek” at checkout. Find it at archesaudio.com.

Also, for listeners of this podcast, Arches Audio is offering an additional 10% off your purchase of this and other songs in the music library, as well as any services, including audio editing, artwork, and a new course on podcasting. Visit archesaudio.com and use promo code “makingmusic” at checkout.

That’s all. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time.