It was purely by chance that I was there in the first place - having been booked to play the slot before him in the record shop. Anyway, what an awesome show he put on. Out the back of a tiny record store in St Kilda - who would have thought it. This is one of the best things about music - the chance to be inspired when you least expect it. And what a great little joint. PURE POP RECORDS, St Kilda - definitely worth a visit.
On to this week's song - Wheel of Fortune
This one is the newest song on the record, and the one that kept it a guitar-only album. Prior to writing this song, I had 13 tracks that I wanted to include, and another one I had been messing about with on Piano. In one sense, I wanted to have a piano song on this record as a bit of a reference to what I had done previously. But what I came to realise over time was that I was trying to fit the piano in somehow when it didn't really have a place. I can sit and play the piano for hours on end, but I had to settle for using it as a "band" instrument this time round. Music shouldn't be forced, and there was no need to put a stand-alone piano track on the CD just for the sake of it. Most of these songs have been born out of playing solo gigs on my acoustic - feeling the need to have a set of material that would work with just voice and guitar - knowing that if I was to travel, which I wanted to do, I would often have just that instrument to rely on (The piano is notoriously difficult to fit under the excess baggage limit...). Once I had written Wheel of Fortune, I knew it was the extra song I needed for the album. The piano will have to wait for another time.
If you asked me what the song was about, I couldn't tell you off the top of my head. Not exactly anyway. I guess it's a reflective song, a tale of the "been there, done that" intertwined with a sense of hope about the future. "The Wheel of fortune always spins, you just gotta take your chance when the luck rolls in." It's a bit of a comment on life itself - the need to put yourself out there, stay afloat, survive the tough times so you can appreciate the good times when they come along. At least that's what I was trying to say - hopefully I've done a reasonable enough job of it for you to understand where I am coming from. Just a solo track this one - no need to over-complicate the situation... Have a listen and see what you think. Lyrics below if you're interested.
And with that, we've reached the half way point! Still a few more to go...
Next week - Jigsaw.
Cheers,
Renny
PS - Thanks to everyone who came along to the Metro on Friday night for the show with Peregrine (including the 7 other people in the band!) We had a great night, and good hit-out prior to the album launch in November.
PPS - At the risk of repeating myself, you gotta check out Charles Jenkins if you get a chance. Really.
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WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Yeah I’ve done some crying, been shaken to the core
I’ve cried myself a river and been swept right off the shore
It’s a question of survival, you always gotta swim
For the drowning to stop and the breathing to begin
Yeah I’ve done some bleeding, been stripped right to the bone
Been battered bruised and beaten from my head down to my toes
But the wounds are superficial, the scars they lie within
You gotta search your soul for the healing to begin
I had it coming, way back when
The things that I know now, I wish I knew them then
The wheel of fortune always spins
You just gotta take your chance when the luck rolls in
You know I’ve done my share of digging for the gold
But I looked so god damn hard I only dug myself a hole
Yeah the ending isn’t pretty when you live your life in sin
Trouble takes hold just like tonic in the gin
I had it coming, way back when
The things I don't know now, thought I knew them then
The wheel of fortune always spins
You just gotta take your chance when the luck rolls in
This here ain’t the gospel, it’s just some things that I know
From feeling the highest highs and living the lowest lows
And I won’t be finished till I’ve taken all the blood from all the stones.
Oh no.
And I ain’t no preacher but I’ll tell you what I’ve learned
Is that time will heal you, it’ll fix up all your burns
And the thing about hope is that it lives in every corner of this earth.
Yeah I’ve done some crying, burst open at the seams
Been thrown out on the railroad with the engine at full steam
These are just the hazards of a journey unfulfilled
Slowly but surely, I’m curing all my ills.
I had coming way back when,
The things that I know now, I didn't know back then
The wheel of fortune always spins
You just gotta take your chance when the luck rolls in
Suppose I had it coming to me way back when.
The things that I know now, I never knew them then.
The Wheel of Fortune always spins.
You just gotta take your chance when the luck rolls in.
When the luck rolls in. When the luck rolls in.
When it rolls in.
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Shaker – Renny
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