D
With everything ahead of us
We left everything behind
But nothing that we needed
At least not at this time
D G
And now the feeling that I’m feeling
G D
Well it’s feeling like my life is finally mine
Em G D
With nothing to go back to we just continue to drive
Em
Without you I was broken,
Em G D
But I’d rather be broke down with you by my side. (x2)
I didn’t know what I was looking for
So I didn’t know what I’d find
I didn’t know what I was missing
I guess you’ve been just a little too kind
And if I find just what I need
I’ll put a little peace in my mind
Maybe you’ve been looking too
Or maybe you don’t even need to try
Without you I was broken,
But I’d rather be broke down with you by my side. (x2)
INSTRUMENTAL
With everything in the past
Fading faster and faster until it was gone
Found out I was losing so much more than I knew all along
Because everything I’ve been working for
Was only worth nickels and dimes
But if I had a minute for every hour that I’ve wasted
I’d be rich in time; I’d be doing fine.
Without you I was broken,
But I’d rather be broke down with you by my side. (x4)
** 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. **
To see how it’s played in a music video, CLICK HERE!
“Up in the Air”
Kevin Renick
C G C
I’m up in the air,
C G C
Choices drifting by me everywhere.
C Am Em
And I can’t find the one
Em Am Em
That would help me do the work I’ve left undone,
Em G C
‘Cause I’m up in the air.
I’m making some plans,
Finding out there’s always new demands.
And I can’t be precise;
When people ask me what I’m doing with my life,
I say, “It’s up in the air.”
C G C
I’m hearing from friends.
C G C
It’s that tired, old advice again:
C Am Dm
“You just cannot keep floating all around.
Dm Am Dm
Oh, you got to get your feet back on the ground.”
Dm Am Em
But it’s hard to come down
Em G C
When you’re up in the air.
C G C
Daaaa, da-da, da, da-da.
C G C
Daaaa, da-da, da, da-da.
Am Em Am Em
Daaaa, daaa; daaa, da-da-da
C
Mmm-mm…
I’m traveling in my car,
Always lost, though I don’t go that far.
I find that I can live most anywhere.
Everyone I meet has so much they can share.
But I don’t settle down,
‘Cause I’m up in the air.
I’m thinking of my past,
The comfort in my home that couldn’t last.
Now my family tells me work for your success,
And they want to see me find some happiness.
But I’m not sure where that is,
‘Cause I’m up in the air.
I’m talking with my peers,
Listening to them tell their inner fears.
Some have lives that haven’t gone the way they planned,
And some are trapped in situations they can’t stand.
But I don’t want the same for me,
So I stay up in the air.
Daaaa, da-da, da, da-da.
Daaaa, da-da, da, da-da.
Daaaa, daaa; daaa, da-da-da
Mmm-mm…
I’m out in the woods;
Something here does my heart so good.
I breathe the air, and I know that I’m alive.
And I stare at all the birds as they fly by.
I guess it all comes down to them,
‘Cause they’re up in the air…
** 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. **
Hello and welcome to the first installment in a fresh new week of brand new material at the Laptop Sessions, the best cover song music video website in the universe!
I was FINALLY able to find the Into Thin Air soundtrack on sale — thank you, Best Buy — so I’ve been listening to it all week. Although I have discovered several other songs that I like very much, Eddie Vedder’s cover version of Jerry Hannan’s “Society” is still my favorite track on the album. It was very disappointing for me to discover that it is a cover, but it’s such a great track that I have to stifle my desire for original material, at least temporarily.
I first heard this track from my friends and colleagues Dan and Larry over the summer as we played some music of our own. At the time, I had not yet immersed myself in Pearl Jam, but I was immediately drawn to Vedder’s simple but powerful vocals on this track. Apparently, as they told me, Vedder had contributed eleven songs (9 originals and 2 covers) to the soundtrack of the film Into Thin Air, based on Jon Krakauer’s book of the same name. Although some of the songs are very short and there are two tracks without lyrics, the Into Thin Air soundtrack is essentially an Eddie Vedder solo album — his first full length solo project since he began singing with the other members of Pearl Jam.
Whether you’re a Pearl Jam fan or not, I think everyone here at the Laptop Sessions will be able to appreciate this great acoustic tune. It was a pleasure to record, from beginning to end. In fact, I ended up with several early takes that I could have settled for, but kept playing and playing until I arrived at this version, which I felt was most loyal to the original version. (Well, maybe not the original version — rather, the Eddie Vedder version of the Jerry Hannan original. Although, Hannan provided background vocals and guitars for this track, so it’s closer to an original than your average cover.) When I finished recording, I had the sort of sadness I always get when I’ve figured out a song and yet, the recording being finished, don’t have any real reason to keep playing it.
The bright side here is that I’ll get to play it a little bit today during school, as I’m bringing my guitar in to practice for our big Writing Club / Creative Writing open mic night. This is the first time (at least since I’ve been at the school) that the Writing Club has teamed with the Creative Writing classes to put on the open mic. The result? To begin with, we’re in the theater instead of the cafeteria and it promises to draw a more significant crowd. The only downside — and it’s a significant downside, if only for me — is that the show runs from 6 to 10pm… This Thursday. And Thursdays mean baseball, fast food, and wrestling with my friends. We had originally scheduled the show for a Friday — which I was excited about — but there was a scheduling conflict and the best available day for everyone else was Thursday.
Either way, it’s only one week and it’s for a good cause. With some luck, I’ll be able to catch the second half of wrestling. If not, there’s always the iTunes download if I hear I’ve missed a great episode (as last week’s was!). Until next Monday, I hope you have a great week. Don’t forget that you’ve got at least two things to look forward to: Jim Fusco Tuesday and Jeff Copperthite’s “Thumpin’ Thursday.”
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!
