I’ve been listening to the Counting Crows’ new album Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings all week now (up until MoU’s new album, Homestead’s Revenge, came out! — You can buy the high quality mp3s or the CD version. Here’s the web address: http://jimfusco.com/albums.html ).
I’ve really enjoyed listening to the Counting Crows, and it reminded me of my favorite songs of theirs from years past. Thus, I decided to record “A Long December.” Although it’s a piano-based song, I think it translates well to acoustic. If I was smart, though, I would have waited until the end of the year to record it…
This song was one of their biggest hits, but that’s not why I love it. I love the lyrics and the tune, and it’s one of those songs that will forever be etched in my memory, synonymous with my youth. I remember my seventh grade science teacher, Mr. Olayos, playing the radio during a quiz, and this song was on. This song really triggers a lot of happy — and, of course — not so happy memories from my past.
I hope you enjoy today’s Laptop Session and decide to comment or rate it!
And don’t forget to check back at https://guitarbucketlist.com tomorrow for an all-new Counting Crows cover from Jeff!
Welcome to your Thursday edition of The Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog with me, Jim Fusco! I just reached 100 subscribers and I know it’ll only grow faster from here! I hope you’ll tell your friends about the music blog, too.
Anyway, now to today’s cover song video. Today, I give you another in our series of Beatles cover songs that I’ve loved for a long time, “Things We Said Today”.
Paul McCartney said that this song was about a girlfriend of his he met while in another country. They had such a great time together and made all those crazy young promises of “always waiting for you”, etc. So, he’s singing about remembering the things they said to each other while feeling alone and far away. What a great, heartfelt idea for a song!
One of the things I’ve always liked about “Things We Said Today” is the cool strumming pattern of the A-minor chord that starts the song. For a song about such a melancholy feeling, the opening chords are so harsh. Of course, that harsh feeling comes up again in the bridge of the song, where Paul gets a bit rougher with his singing style. I think the middle-8 is one of the best that Paul McCartney ever wrote. He flawlessly transitions his voice from sweet and mellow to biting. It’s very impressive.
I guess the duality in “Things We Said Today” between the verses and middle sections is reflected in the lyrics of the song. On the surface, you’ll notice that Paul is first saying how they’ve promised to “be the only one” for each other. But, if you read into it a little bit, you’ll hear what he really means. He knew, because of the distance between him and the girl he’s talking about, that the promises of “being the only one” were empty and could never be true. He knew it was only a passing fling. In the middle section, he says, “And though we may be blind, love is here to stay.” He’s saying that in a new relationship like that, people tend to overlook obvious challenges like, you know, living thousands of miles away from each other. And, in the minds of these naive folks that are newly in love, it’ll stay great forever! Those of us who have been through that situation know the real eventual outcome.
On a funnier note, I had to relocate to my room for this song (good thing I have a Laptop!) because my parakeets would not stop chattering downstairs! But, I’m glad they’re getting along, even if it is to the detriment of my acoustic cover song videos.
I hope you enjoy today’s Beatles acoustic video- I’ll catch you on Sunday with an all-new Beach Boys song!
We have a NEW album out called Homestead’s Revenge (by Masters of the Universe- the band I’m in). You can buy the high quality mp3s or the CD version. Here’s the web address: http://jimfusco.com/albums.html. PLEASE check it out and let me know what you think! I hope you all enjoy today’s Session, and REALLY enjoy the new album- it’s two years in the making!
Well, almost a month ahead of schedule, today I received my 100th YouTube subscriber!
Even though this number pales in comparison to Chris’ subscriber count, I’m still very proud of it because I’d say about 95 of these subscribers decided to subscribe on their own. I mean, I didn’t invite them to subscribe- they saw my videos and liked them enough to choose to watch them as soon as they come out! What a testament to the power of the Laptop Sessions.
But, I won’t be so high-and-mighty anymore, as I really just wanted to reach 100 “natural” subscribers. Now, I’ll be doing a bit more work finding the people that love my videos…but don’t quite know it yet.
With that said, thank you to my Top 100 and, as promised, the 100th subscriber will be getting his $10 Fusco-Moore Store gift certificate…as soon as YouTube is done performing site maintenance.
They said it wouldn’t happen. There’s no way the album would ever be released. It was even written about in the newspapers. But, these words of discouragement are what seem to drive Masters of the Universe.
Fast-forward two years to the day since MoU’s first (self-titled) album release.
“Homestead’s Revenge” combines the songwriting skills of all five members along with expert harmonies and instrumentation. The album is nothing less than a polished work of art.
The album is available in two forms: Digital download and physical CD, both for only $9.99!
We know you’ll enjoy the album and guarantee it’s the best you’ll hear in 2008! We’d love to hear all comments and if you have any questions, we’ll be happy to answer.
