monday song #22: a long long time
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here’s the second installment of ‘connect the dots.’ after framing the protagonist’s delirium, we fly back through the years to a time of relative happiness. but unbeknownst to the narrator, all is not as well as he had hoped in his past. it is an escape for him into his childlike mind, but there is more going on than meets the eye.
we get our first hint of the life our old friend’s led, getting a wishful snapshot of a childhood, with a short catalog of the pain that came afterward. but really, there are more questions asked than answered. the door is starting to open, but it is not clear whether we’re headed out into the light of day, or back into a shadowy vault.
this one is certainly in the world of the great harry nilsson, but less as an influence, and more as someone who shares my enjoyment of traditional pop. not that i don’t admit a heavy nilsson influence in my music, but this time i was really thinking of cole porter, or hoagy carmichael on this one. the first part that came was the end of the full chorus – Bb > Bdim > F > D+7. it was melody first, and then finding the chords.
the little piano figure came as i put the arrangement together. it lends it an extra air of old-fashioned-ness, like a romantic suit of armor keeping reality at arm’s length. I get the sense that this guy is looking for a safe haven, even if he has to create it from whole cloth.
once again, i have no idea where this is headed, apart from the ending, which is the same ending we can all look forward to.
see you next week!
