SSG11-Week23 The Special

My grandson named by banjo uke the Banjo of Death last week. :)

Once I read this, I was hoping the recording would have a banjo in it. I liked the keyboard work. Was this you playing or one of your auto-piano programs?

Once I read this, I was hoping the recording would have a banjo in it. I liked the keyboard work. Was this you playing or one of your auto-piano programs?

I might be able to slap in some banjo licks, but I didn't want to put too much into the production until I got feedback on the song. It's a bit of a tricky subject to summarize and figure music for....as I'm sure we'll all see this week :wink:

.....and yes, this is EZKeys software on the piano :D

Really good one James. :) Your singing went very well with the piano.

The only point where I slightly lost the thread was here:

She wanted to be
If she could she would
Tell them I tried to be special, please

Up to that point Mr Banjo Eyes was speaking, so this section sounded to me as if his voice is continuing - describing the girl as a wannabe. But the third line sounds like it would probably be delivered by the girl. Was that the idea, or is Mr B wanting us to think that he was special?

It probably doesn't matter, as a casual listener probably expects to get a general atmosphere rather than having every explanation squeezed in.

It did also seem slightly strange that Mr B would choose a public place with witnesses for a pre-planned killing and that the girl would meekly turn up to be stabbed to death (if that is indeed what's going on...). But hey - it's song - you're allowed (expected even) to do weird things! :wink: I'd say you're even allowed to rhyme "trance" with "piercing glance" even though they're pretty much opposite states - because if it work it works, regardless of how it might seem to a nit-picker...

I thought that the ending , musically and lyrically, was great! So I'm off to listen to again now - just for enjoyment this time...

Cheers,

Chris

Hi Chris,
The only point where I slightly lost the thread was here:
I made a change to clarify..........

I read in her eyes
Not a big surprise
Tell them I tried to be special, please
It did also seem slightly strange that Mr B would choose a public place with witnesses for a pre-planned killing and that the girl would meekly turn up to be stabbed to death (if that is indeed what's going on...). But hey - it's song - you're allowed (expected even) to do weird things! :wink: I'd say you're even allowed to rhyme "trance" with "piercing glance" even though they're pretty much opposite states - because if it work it works, regardless of how it might seem to a nit-picker...

Yes, there are a lot of assumptions not spelled out here. I was thinking along the lines of Mr. B being an unstable jealous character ready to go off at anytime....He flashes his knife at strangers (the waiter in the diner) as a warning he's a dangerous guy.......

.....the waiter is a witness because that was the last public place the girl was seen with Mr. B.........why does the girl stay in an abusive relationship?......I don't have an answer on her reasoning for this song.

.........but the one contrast I was thinking which you picked up on was that she seems "spacey" in a trance EXCEPT when he is around......thinking that his presence kicks in her more survival instincts and awareness (i.e. piercing glance).....maybe the danger makes her feel more alive..........

...........maybe she knows she is going to tell him news that will upset him and she doesn't know if he will kill her after she tells him.....so for her, delivering the news might be a death sentence for her.

............again, a lot of these are assumptions that made sense when I was putting together a back story but don't really come out in the lyrics as they are.

Thanks for the listen and feedback :D

James

I made a change to clarify..........

I read in her eyes
Not a big surprise
Tell them I tried to be special, please

I like the change. Seems to sit more comfortably

Yes, there are a lot of assumptions not spelled out here. I was thinking along the lines of Mr. B being an unstable jealous character ready to go off at anytime....He flashes his knife at strangers (the waiter in the diner) as a warning he's a dangerous guy.......

.....the waiter is a witness because that was the last public place the girl was seen with Mr. B.........why does the girl stay in an abusive relationship?......I don't have an answer on her reasoning for this song.
That's where I think you have more nerve than me (which is good). I like other people's lyrics that leave room to wonder, but my own stuff tends to spell everything out. I'd like to be a bit more opaque at times than I usually am. :roll:
.........but the one contrast I was thinking which you picked up on was that she seems "spacey" in a trance EXCEPT when he is around......thinking that his presence kicks in her more survival instincts and awareness (i.e. piercing glance).....maybe the danger makes her feel more alive..........

Yes, that makes sense.

............again, a lot of these are assumptions that made sense when I was putting together a back story but don't really come out in the lyrics as they are.

Thanks for explaining that's how you see it. As I said, I think leaving some room for different explanations is often good, provided it's not too overdone. I might experiment with mapping out a story in lyric form and then deliberately erasing a few bits to see how it shades things.

Cheers,

Chris