the seventh installment and first of 2009.
i wrote and recorded this one a week before the first monday song was released. the musical idea that kicked this off was the opening piano with the A moving up to an unstable Dmaj7. (it’s somewhat rare for me to come up with the beginning of the song first.) the implied urgency in the chugging rhythm suggested some desperation and panic, and when the first line came – “there she goes and here i’m standing” – the arc of the story came all at once.
the main challenge in this song was orchestrating the build up of panic in a sustained and believable manner. the spiteful and self-conscious “i’ll write this song” allowed the tension to crest and ebb and allow it to build up once again for a long final crescendo.
i approached “standing” as a little movie: the role of the music is to underscore mood and shifting tensions. the lyrics paint the details and suggest the action. the hope is that the song creates its own inner video.
there were no clear influences while i was working on this. the chugging chords and minimal harmony felt a bit indie rock, as did the repetitive major melody. let me know if there is a clear cousin out there and i will add it to the tags.
a turn toward the minor next week.