E A E
Oh, it’s so funny to be seeing you after so long, girl,
E A G#m C#m
And with the way you look, I understand that you were not impressed.
A G#m C#m
But I heard you let that little friend of mine
D B7
Take off your party dress…
A G#m C#m
I’m not going to get too sentimental like those
A G#m C#m
other sticky valentines.
A G#m C#m
‘Cause I don’t know if you’ve been loving somebody;
D B7
I only know it isn’t mine.
A E A B7 G#m C#m
Alison, I know this world is killing you…
C#m A E A B7 E
Oh, Alison, my aim is true.
Well, I see you’ve got a husband now.
Did he leave your pretty fingers lying in the wedding cake?
You used to hold him right in your hand;
I’ll bet he took all he could take.
Sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking
When I hear the silly things that you say.
I think somebody better put out the big light,
‘Cause I can’t stand to see you this way
Alison, I know this world is killing you.
Oh, Alison… My aim is true.
My aim is true. (repeat & fade)
** These chords and lyrics are interpretations and transcriptions, respectively, and are the sole property of the copyright holder(s). They are posted on this website free of charge for no profit for the purpose of study and commentary, as allowed for under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, and should only be used for such personal and/or academic work. **
Good evening and welcome to what has become a Christmas tradition for me here at the Laptop Sessions. Each year since 2007, I have posted one yuletide original during the month of December. Last year, I wrote and recorded a song on Christmas eve, so this year I wanted to post another on the last Original Wednesday before Christmas Eve.
This year’s selection is one I wrote years ago and was first included on the Chris, Jim, and Mike holiday album Our Christmas Gift to You. To be honest, I don’t remember exactly when I wrote this song, but I certainly remember my first recording. I had never recorded using a multi-track mixer, so Mike lent me one that he had inherited from a local photographer. In its day, it had been a really nice system. Unfortunately, some of the controls were off and there were certain tracks that would become spliced together — I’m not sure how else to describe this. Essentially, I couldn’t lower or raise the volume on one track without another following it.
That being said, it felt like Mike was handing me a portable professional studio!
I rushed home late from Mike and Jim’s house that night, quietly snuck into my house (my parents were fast asleep), and set up in the small bathroom in the basement. After about twenty minutes of silent trips up to my bedroom, the mixer had been set up on the toilet, the microphone stands near the shower, the keyboard by the towel rack, and I was sitting on my stool with my back against the sink.
And yes, I am holding myself back from making the obvious stool/bathroom pun here…
The version I recorded that night was quiet and a bit sloppy, but it really wasn’t as sloppy as it should have been for my first recording. To be certain, many songs that I would record later on more reliable equipment seemed, at least to me, to be inferior to the overall feel of my first “Moment.”
The next version that I recorded was for the November 25, 2004 release of Our Christmas Gift to You. I felt very much like the rawer, indie cousin of my future bandmates, as my two songs weren’t as fully produced as Jim and Mike’s were. Still, it felt — and still feels! — exciting and, to be honest, like an honor to hear “Christmas Cards” and “Moment” alongside some of my all-time favorite Christmas originals, like “The First Snow” and “Christmas Evening.”
Although “Moment” sounds very quirky and I salivate just thinking about a day in the future when I might re-record it with a minimalist drum kit keeping time, I always liked it (and, of course, I’ll always have the MoU Christmas Concert 2006 CD to hold me over…). “Moment” is one of those songs that makes me feel something when I listen to it. Even now, years and years after writing it, I remember exactly how I felt the day I wrote it. It’s like being able to pick up a guitar or put on a CD and go back in time to the end of high school/beginning of college. As you’ll hear, it’s a song about a person who has just learned that the love of his life is returning to town after being away for a year, ostensibly as a journalist overseas. The narrator hasn’t heard from the person, only rumors, and is frustrated that no one seems to understand how important this news is to him. As the song continues, we get some flashbacks to the previous Christmas and a vague but satisfying real-time encounter set during a Christmas eve church service. The final line explains the title: “Hay was all they had in the manger — hay was all that Mary had; but that didn’t matter none to Mary ’cause Mary had Joseph to share each and every moment…”
If you’ve ever found yourself at Christmastime, connected to what used to be close friends merely by rumor and third-hand report, then you’ll understand where this song is coming from. For this recording, I tried to harken back to my first off-the-cuff, essentially one-take recording by staying in my pajamas and simply playing it once to rehearse it before hitting the “record” button.
The result? My third Original Wednesday post on the eve of Christmas.
The problem? I’m fresh out of original Christmas songs for next year…
I’ll just have to hope inspiration strikes before then!
Hello and welcome to another all-new week of cover song music videos at the Laptop Sessions! This promises to be a good week, because not only will there be new Monday and Tuesday videos, but I will also be publishing my review of the new Weezer album.
And, trust me, that one will be a doozie…
For now, though, let’s focus on the present. Tonight’s video is a song that I came across quite randomly on my iTunes, intending to listen to it only to test out a theory I have about how the “skip count” works on the software. From the first few moments of the song, I was immediately interested in it. As the song continued to play out, I picked up my guitar and began working the chords out. Then, after listening to it a dozen times this weekend, I was ready to record my session tonight.
The song I am referring to is Beck’s “Canceled Check,” the fourth track from his 1998 album Mutations. I suppose you could say that this was dumb luck that I stumbled across this song, but I truly knew within the first thirty seconds of hearing this song for the first time that it would make a fun cover song music video. The album as a whole is actually very enjoyable, blending strong acoustic guitar and harmonica elements with more experimental sounds, such as the confusion that closes this track. For my session, I enlisted a little help and am excited to present an “experimental” ending of my own. (I hope you enjoy it!)
This music video also has the virtue of being one of the very few, if not the ONLY, Laptop Sessions that I’ve completed in one recorded take. Granted, I spent a good deal of time practicing, but still…
In other personal music news, I recently sent a reply email to the Fruit Bats, commenting about their excellent performance on the Craig Ferguson show (the Fruit Bats mailing sent out the link to view it) and their excellent album. I wrote, “I’ve been listening since “Spelled in Bones,” but the new album has me spellbound and officially a BIG fan. Again, thank you for what is easily one of the top 5 best albums of the year!!! (and I’ve bought almost 30 new albums this year already, so I feel like I have some perspective!)”
The reply? Well, I wasn’t so much expecting a reply as I was just simply compelled to write this feedback. I write so many music reviews here, and particularly for a band as under the radar as the Fruit Bats, I just had to try sending my words out to them.
I did get a reply, and I’m grateful to whoever decided to send it. However, it made me feel like I was in high school again. The response read, “Wow — thanks Chris!”
And, yup, this suddenly reminded me of the reply of several girls to whom I confessed my affection for. It’s kind of like that moment when someone says “I love you” to someone else, and that person replies by thanking them.
Anyway, I really was happy to get a reply. Most bands that I listen to wouldn’t take the time to do even that. Coming from someone who has been in a band that worked overtime for not so much return, though, I would have been compelled to say something more in reply…
Still love their album. 🙂
Without further ado, I hope that you enjoy my take on “Canceled Check.” I certainly enjoyed recording it — in fact, I had more fun learning and recording this song than I have had in a good long time. Of course, don’t forget to hurry back for more great posts tomorrow and later this week!
My cover of “Promises” by Eric Clapton. A bit of my own interpretation, I end it with an improvised solo. The video consists of two tracks. For the first track, I recorded the rhythm and vocals in a single take. Then I laid down a second track over the first for the solo.
** EDITOR’S NOTE: **
Eric Clapton is arguably one of the greatest electric guitar players of all time. Over the first ten years or so of his career, he played in a number of influential rock bands, not the least of which was Cream. Once he formed Derek and the Dominoes, he went on to release perhaps his most famous song, “Layla.” As he proved with his famous acoustic rendition of “Layla” during an MTV Unplugged performance, he also has a knack for acoustic performances.
“Promises,” a track from the 1978 Eric Clapton album Backless, is an excellent choice for an acoustic cover. As you’ll hear, Jeremy has brought another great addition to the Laptop Sessions storehouse of cover song music videos, adding to the woefully meager portion of Clapton that we currently offer. Admittedly, the solo at the end strays from the Laptop Sessions format, but for those of you purists out there, simply hit stop at the three minute mark. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy a great improv at the end to top off this excellent performance!
