Lonely Man was a song I wrote a couple of years ago when I was doing a weekly myspace "challenge". (Actually a few of the songs on this album were from that same period). Basically I was trying to write a song each week and put it on myspace - not too much of a "challenge" for some I guess, but plenty hard enough for me considering the length of time it can take me to finish a song. In the end, I compromised a bit and posted the songs as they were, knowing I would probably have to revisit them at some point. In fact, I compromised a lot in some cases - some of them were not worth revisiting!
Funnily enough Lonely Man was one of the few songs I was actually able to post as a finished product, and it has never changed from that original form. I think that's because I never really expected to do anything with it. I have lots of songs like that - seemed like a good idea at the time, but on reflection... So it was a bit of a line ball decision as to whether or not this would make it on the album in the first place. In the end, I decided to go with it because I think it's a little bit different to the rest (at least not as obvious a choice), and I thought it deserved a place because it came from that same period of writing.
Production-wise then I wasn't really sure at all what I wanted to do with it. I can remember even the bass and drums being a little tricky to figure out when we tracked them. Essentially I didn't see a need to depart too far from the raw acoustic version, because the energy of the song seemed to stem from that context. Having said that, there was a natural build through the middle of the song that I had to capture, so it took a little bit of time to figure out what I was trying to do.
In the end, my big idea for this song came at the most unlikely time - when I was sick as a dog, suffering from the whooping cough. I decided to see what it would be like to layer some Tenor voices through the second half of the song (sort of a male choir singing in unison). Fortuitously, the fact that I was sick meant that I was able to produce a big deep tenor voice (which I wouldn't normally be able to do), and I ended up singing the same part 9 or 10 times to achieve the effect. Considering the song is called "Lonely Man", I can't be sure that having 10 tenor voices singing along was a good idea, but the concept seemed to work so I decided to run with it.
And you have to remember - it was me doing all the singing, and all the production, just on my ownsome. So really, I was a very lonely man at times. But that was sort of the point.
You'll also be able to hear a few Clarinet parts in this song. That's the instrument I learned (or was supposed to be learning) at school. It's a lonely sort of instrument the Clarinet, I think I used to get bored because I could only play one note at a time.... But I figured if it was going to feature on this album at all, then it would be on this track. It was a surprise to me that I was still able to play it at all, but strangely enough the keys etc all seemed vaguely familiar. A few off notes perhaps, but I think it worked out Ok in the end. And I must have been feeling the love for the Clarinet at that particular moment, because it has somehow found it's way on to Molly Mae as well!
Lyrics below. Next week - The Birds.
See you then,
Renny
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LONELY MAN
.. .. .. .. .. .. ....
Take me in your arms now, cause I’m dying to accept this fate
Spin me while I’m hanging by this thread of yours
Cause there’s always one more twist that I can take.
And though we stand together now, we’re never on the level ground you see.
When it’s all said and done, when this two becomes one, will you remember me.
Will you remember me.
....
In your heart I’ll be a lonely man.
But I’ll come running every chance I can.
Every chance I can.
....
So the time has come again for you, I can just about predict the hour.
The days and nights escape me, another page is torn.
I guess I’ll make them up somehow.
Oh I never went to Paris with you girl, we never got to cruise the Nile
But over all the rapids, we held each other’s hands,
And it was good there for a while.
....
In your heart I’ll be a lonely man.
But I’ll come running every chance I can.
In your heart I’ll be a lonely man,
But I’m gonna stick it out here for as long as I can.
For as long as I can.
....
So come into my arms now, cause this could be our final squeeze.
So can we soak it up, can we take a minute
Please
....
Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Clarinets, Tenor voices – Renny
Drums – Matt Field
Bass – Pat Savina
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