Tonight I am chiseling away at a third attempt of the song "Sing Silently." As I record the final chorus, I am once again struck with a fierce flood of tears. Sitting on the fifth track of the project is my stuttering, trembling voice, complete with sniffles and gasps.
The story behind the song is the reason for the weeping. As mentioned in previous Redline Project posts, the lyrics are about my friend Jennifer. A middle school student, she experienced a deep trauma when someone broke into her family's house, stealing possessions and carrying out acts of violence. She still struggles to fall asleep, and especially while her mother is still out working the third shift.
I am faced with a fundamental musical question as a result. Does the crying stay or go? In some ways, the presence of this honest emotion reveals the weight of the story better than any of the lyrics ever could. In other ways, it detracts from the simplicity and pleasantness of the composition, which I am guessing will be a listeners' favorite from the final album.
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Tears should stay. It was real, and honest, and part of the whole compostion/recording experience, based on real life angst.
ReplyDeleteIt WILL be a favorite, and the honesty of emotion will not detract from that.
One humble (assertive) opinion! :0)
From another perspective, I think that the elements of the song - the voice, lyrics, music, texture, can usually communicate emotions the most effectively.
ReplyDeleteSo it might be a good idea, but I tend to cringe when artists scream, cry, laugh, etc to express emotion or elicit a response. I feel like they're telling me how to feel about the song.
Maybe you should post the track and take a poll.