By Jim Fusco:

Welcome to another episode of The Laptop Sessions with me, Jim Fusco!  I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since my last video- the time is flying lately.  Now that things are coming along nicely with the new house (driveway is in and the grass is looking better), I hope to start enjoying everything a bit more soon.

Today is a record-breaking day here on the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog.  Today, the site got it’s highest view count EVER: over 5,600 hits and still counting!  Yes, most of these hits were to the homepage, which is great.  But, the part I’m very excited about is the fact that close to 200 of those hits have been to “deep” pages on the site (past posts, etc.)!  That’s a pretty big deal, especially considering that just a couple months ago, the site was getting only about 200 views a day- total!  So, the promotion I’ve been doing seems to be working nicely.

Now, you would think that, after last week’s article, I would be playing on my new Martin MMV guitar tonight.  But, some sad circumstances lead me to this new video- the first in a long time on the piano.

“The Long and Winding Road” is a song by the Beatles that everyone knows.  It’s one of those songs that you hear in a restaurant, a department store, and the radio from time to time.  It’s a great Paul McCartney song that appeared on the “Let It Be” LP, but I personally like the one on “Let It Be…Naked” better.  Even though I found the chords with the words “Capo on 1st fret” above them, I transposed the chords to piano on the fly and let this one rip.  As with most Laptop Sessions cover songs I do, it’s SO much easier when I already know the words by heart.  Chords are easy to remember because they’re logical- for instance, if the sound goes up (in pitch), then chances are the chord goes up (in pitch).  So, I almost always instantly remember the chords.  But, when you have to think about lyrics, things get difficult.

Tonight, I dedicate this cover song music video to my good friend and colleague, Diane.  For the past year and a half, she’s been my SAVIOR at work.  She works down at the warehouse our company uses and is always so helpful.  She’ll get anything done instantly- she’s truly the best.  She’s made my life so much easier over the time I’ve been with the company.  Plus, we’ve come to have countless conversations over the phone and we’ve always had a great relationship.  It’s even possible that we’re distantly related!  We’ve been out for drinks after work on a few occasions, as well, and we always have a great time.

But, unfortunately, the higher-ups at my company decided to move to a different warehouse.  I understand- business is business.  But, I know I’m not the only one that’s going to miss Diane terribly- she’s that valuable to my working life.  Hey, maybe she’ll want to move to Florida and work at the new place! 🙂

Anyway, months ago, she requested “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles as a Laptop Session after she began watching my videos.  She waited patiently for a long time.  But, Steve (of the Traveling Acai Berries) was very, very busy and we couldn’t find the time to get-together and play this song on camera.  The goal was to bring Steve’s electric piano in, too.

So, when I heard the news about Diane no longer working with me, I knew I had to record “The Long and Winding Road” for her.  Now that I have Becky’s piano in the house, it was easy to set everything up and record one of my more unique videos.  I think it came out great (especially the way I got the audio to record) and I hope it will make Diane realize how much I’ll miss her.  Plus, what a perfect song (subject matter) for the occasion.

Thanks for stopping-by for this edition of the Laptop Sessions in HD with Jim Fusco.  Stay tuned for a special “26th Birthday” post by me next Thursday night and then two weeks from now, I’ll be back with my first cover song music video on my new Martin MMV acoustic guitar.  Have a great week and enjoy “The Long and Winding Road”, one of our many Beatles cover songs!