I wrote this song back in high school. It’s about boldly going into a relationship without knowing what the outcome will be. With the girl I was dating at the time, it became apparent to both of us that we had very different plans for the future and that it most likely wasn’t going to work out in the long term but we still tried to enjoy the moments we had together.
I was listening to a lot of Elliott Smith at the time. Here’s a one of his songs, “Clementine”
A borrowed a lot here from Elliott’s signature lo-fi sound: keeping the melody in a soft, low register, double tracking the vocals, double tracking the acoustic guitar, and a sense of melancholy in the lyrics.
Lyrics
Waiting for the right time to speak Staring at the ceiling trying to sleep And I’ll pray for you I will pray for you
Sitting in the darkness by your side Hiding all the thoughts up in my mind And I’ll say to you I will be your friend
It’s just a chance we take without ever really knowing how it ends
I wrote this song when I was was a freshman in college. It is about admitting that you are wrong in a relationship and hoping the other person is willing to overlook your flaws.
The song and the production of the recording is very heavily influenced by early Coldplay, in particular the song “Sparks.”
I emulated a lot of the same elements such as the drum part being mostly a ride cymbal and snare played by brushes, the 6/8 time, the acoustic guitar strumming, and the clean guitar picking part played with a reverby delay effect. Ultimately, I think it succeeds in achieving the same relaxing, leisurely paced vibe.
Lyrics: The days were passing by
I can see them now
and I was living life outside
on my own
I was wrong when I lied
Please be strong and let it all outside again
The nights were calling me
How I tried to sleep
and I was living life outside
on my own
I was wrong when I lied
Please be strong and let it all outside again
And I can’t complain
Cuz I still remain
And I can’t explain
Why I still remain outside
I wrote “The Golden Age” back in 2003 when I was a missionary living in New York City. On my day off, I would sometimes head over the church building and play piano and this is one of the songs that came out of those practice sessions.
It’s about where we’ve come as a people and how we define progress. Living in a big city like New York, you clearly see the disparity between rich and poor. We sometimes define success as having a comfortable house in a nice neighborhood and I think sometimes we lose something in trying to have the most comfortable life possible.
This one dates back to long, long ago when I was in high school. It’s over 10 years old and now I’m finally getting around to recording it! It’s about the time when you are a kid and anything is possible. I’m trying to cling to as much of that curious spirit as much as I can. It’s heavily influenced by what I was listening to at the time: REM and Oasis.
I wanted some drums in the recording but I didn’t have a set available so I recorded myself played brushes on a suitcase for a snare drum sound. The rest of the song is filled out with two vocal tracks, acoustic and electric guitars, bass and and a soft organ part.
Lyrics:
When I was young, things used to be so easy
I never had to worry about a thing
When I was young, I used to have crazy dreams
Like I could fly a rocket into space
Well don’t leave me now, my love Don’t leave me now, my love Don’t leave me now, I’m on my knees
Cause I don’t want to be another person afraid to see That what we are is what we’ll always be And I don’t want to see another day where I have to be Something that I know I can not be, I guess we’ll see
When I young, I looked up to everything Cause everything seemed wonderful to be When I was young, I went for walks in the dark To see if there was something in the trees
Well don’t leave me now, my love Don’t leave me now, my love Don’t leave me now, I’m on my knees
Cause I don’t want to be another person afraid to see That what we are is what we’ll always be And I don’t want to see another day where I have to be Something that I know I can not be, I guess we’ll see
I’m starting off with a project called “50 Songs in 50 Weeks.” Now as the name implies, I will record an original song once a week for 50 weeks straight. Some of these will be old songs I’ve had kicking around for a few years – many of which are only half written. Others will be brand new songs that I write from scratch. I’m hoping there will be a lot of variety in the different genres that I explore.
This first song is called “4th of July.” It’s one of those songs I wrote a few years ago. I jammed on it a few times with my band at the time, Declaration, but it never really stuck. Since I don’t have access to a drum set right now, I used a drum machine loop, which is something new for me. To enhance the beat, I added a tambourine, a shaker and sleigh bells. I doubled the guitar part with a clean electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. I also double tracked the vocals. I patterned the sound for this after the band Pinback.
Lyrically, the song is about celebrating the fleeting moments. As a kid, I thought back to the all the different fourth of july’s I’ve experience – the parades, and picnics, and firework shows – and as much as I enjoy it, it starts to feel a little bit routine and expected and I guess I get a little restless. So this is kind of me imagining myself, in midst of everyone else celebrating, just sort of taking off and doing my own thing.
Lyrics:
The bright lights, the explosions in the sky All the comfort of a picnic on a warm summer evening in July
A parade marches down the street All the people exchanging friendly greetings, rearranging the order
Well I’m leaving, on the 4th of July, On the 4th of July, I’m leaving
Wooden stands, all the children bumming quarters off their parents Sipping cold lemonade from a paper cup, it’s so sweet
Well we’re broke, we spent that last $20 on explosives Now we’re wandering around every corner of their town Looking for newer forms of entertainment
Well I’m leaving, on the 4th of July,
On the 4th of July, I’m leaving
Then I came to the next town over
All the kids in the city, they were pretty tired of the disorder
All the pain of cleaning up the decorations,
Well I guess it went well so we can bottle up and sell it to the next town
Every year my family has a tradition of recording Christmas songs. This year, my daughter lost her two front teeth so we felt the song selection was appropriate. We also included a recording from her violin recital.
