|
6.30.2007 Break I wrote the initial version of Break while on a trip to Hawaii. I had actually written two songs, the other which was rejected by the band. I was thinking of how too much of my identity had been purchased from markets and people who don't really care about me. Leaders who have disappointed (which is different than failed), and an entire ecosystem of commerce that profits at the expense of America's identity crisis and insecurity.Whose child am I? My father left me fending for my life The man who's holding my hand Has taken from me everything I am We're stuck in a time Where principles are valued more than lives The sacrifice of every man and child What's plainly seen is traded for the lies And you find yourself a slave tonight Yeah you feel so low, though you're up so high And all through the land It's coming down just like it began We follow men who think they have God's calling as they carry his command And you find yourself a slave tonight Yeah you feel so low, though you're up so high It's all right, it's all right We're gonna break it tonight It's a fight, it's a fight That can't be won with your might It's a trial by a fire That we are meant to survive It's all right, it's all right We're gonna break it tonight When you're down so low You can see so high But when you're stuck in the middle All you see are the lies And you wonder if you'll ever see See a hint of your reality It's all right, it's all right We're gonna break it tonight It's all right, it's all right We're gonna break it tonight It's all right, it's all right We're gonna break it tonight It's all right, it's all right We're gonna... break It's all right, it's all right We're gonna break it tonight The song was originally written in A minor. The descending chords felt a bit worn and uninteresting with the open strings, so we tried changing it to G minor, which did the trick. Also, the beginning of the chord had a syncopated strum to it, which we changed to the arpeggio in the recording. I didn't know you can play a G minor chord like that close to the neck. Don's bass solo in the middle came unexpectedly. He and Shane had rehearsed that section with specific hits, which Shane stuck to (we tracked drums first). When came Don's turn, he hit an epiphany that is the spiraling bass solo-ish section that you hear in the recording. In post-production we added a hint of chorus/flange to spiral it a bit more. I think it worked out great. Shane's drum hits almost seem like a drum solo, which Don's off-time bass line weaves in an out of. And weaving is Don's speciality, which makes him the wonderful bassist he is. |
