Another New Song...

...is up on myspace.com/chrisslighproductions.

I really like this one...we have a big artist interested in doing it...I kind of hope he/she doesn't because I really want this song on my record...but, then again, money is good.

The song is called "When Did You Go?"

ETA: Lyrics

When Did You Go

Words and music by Chris Sligh & Jeff Spence


Oh, I hate it here without you

I guess I made it all about you

London’s cold and dark ‘cause you’re not here
It wasn’t long ago, I held you
Right here in this room, I felt you

Slip away, without a single step you disappeared



When did you go, when did you go…

When did you go, when did you go…

When did you go, when did you go away?



Was I careless, did I break it?
I always thought that we could make it

Was there something that I should have done?
If I could start from the beginning
Just rewind and know the ending

Would I see you leaving long before you were gone



Chorus x2


Whoa, I won’t come down until I find you

Whoa, are you looking for me, too?
Are you looking for me, too?
But if we’re really through,
Please tell me….

Chorus

New Song

I just put up a song I wrote with Jason Walker on myspace.com/chrisslighproductions.

It's not what you're expecting, I promise. That's all I'll say.

But...I think it may be on my next album, strangely enough.

Song is called "Hands Up"

The weirdness of radio

Well, I'm tired. Really. Really. Tired. I don't really know why...maybe just the last 6 months of work finally catching up to me. Maybe the fact that even when I'm home, I'm working too hard on demos and new songs and cowriting. I keep telling myself that I have to strike while the iron is hot. I need to work my tail off while I'm at home. Then I realize that I'm slowly burning myself out with 11 hour drives to Traverse City, MI and a week later getting in the car and driving 10 hours back up to Lifest in Wisconsin. Those trips in a packed SUV with 4 men is fun...but tiring.

I'm trying to find a balance. Every person that I'm working with right now says I'm the hardest working artist they've worked with. Ever. I can't figure out if that's sad or awesome. I don't feel like I work that hard. I feel like I do what I need to do to make a living and to try and build something that on the other end of this career will be worthwhile. But literally every time we get together my team breathlessly talks about how hard I work. Artists must be pretty freaking lazy, I guess.

By the way, Lifest and the Cherry Festival were GREAT shows. The band is starting to gel. Well, we still haven't settled on a full-time bass player. Walt, our main guy, is playing with Jeremy Camp right now. Jeremy is big right now...it's a big gig. I'd love for Walt to play with us, but from a financial standpoint, it makes more sense for him to play with Jeremy right now. Down the road, Walt will be my guy again. But we've had a revolving door of bass players. You guys met Tommy. Besides the two of them, we also played a few shows with a guy named Scott...an amazing bass player out of Dallas who played with Jon for Nichole Nordeman. It looks like we've settled on Tommy, though for the Back to School Tour, which is in August and September.

You need to find a way to come to a Back to School date. The show is going to be incindiery. Your face will melt off and your heart will be melted. We've got some big plans

By the way, I put up a bunch of dates for the Back to School tour on myspace. I'll announce the opening act very soon!

Anyway, back to the weirdness of radio.

So, we released "Empty Me" back in February. February 11, actually. We went for adds and have something like 40 stations in the first 3 weeks add the song to their rotation. Then we slowly worked our way among the Third Day's, MercyMe's, and Casting Crowns' releasing big ballad singles. Then in April, the adds just stopped coming. We knew we were connecting in a big way in the markets that were playing the song, but KLove hadn't added and we could not get stations to add the song. It was amazing.

Suddenly the song that we all thought was a top 5 was stuck at number 18 for 8 straight weeks. On top of that, we went 7 of those 8 weeks without receiving a new add from a station. Then, the kicker. In major markets, we were kicking butt in testing, but 1-2 stations nationally had mediocre testing. We only had 70 or so stations spinning the song, so mediocre numbers from a couple were schewing the national testing number down. We were in the top 20-25 in testing, but in order for a lot of radio stations to take a chance on a new artist over an established artist, they have to see at least top 10 testing and usually top 5 or top 3. So, while I was out at the finale for Idol in May, my radio guy and I had a sad conversation talking about giving up on "Empty Me".

I was pretty sad. When we released that single, a lot of people thought it was a top 5. Maybe a number 1. Hearing all these long-time pros get so excited about a song got my hopes up...only to be dashed. I was sad. Not because I want a top 5 or a number 1...but because of what those numbers mean...when you have a top 5, 3 times as many people are hearing your song than where I was at number 18. I just wanted the song to have a chance to connect. I was getting testimonies almost daily on myspace and elsewhere from radio station guys and from listeners whose lives were being touched by the song.

But slowly over a couple of weeks, I gave it up. Without sounding cheesy, I simply gave it over to God and realized that the places where the song was playing, it was connecting. We were selling extremely consistently when other new artists weren't. We were selling tons of downloads of the single. We were connecting. And that was all that mattered.

Then...the weirdness of radio happened.

Klove finally added. And when they added, their however many stations started testing. And started testing very very well. And suddenly, the numbers were schewed their way. 3 weeks ago, national testing came out and I was #2 behind Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" for women 35-54 and women 35-44. And BOOM!! Six months late, the song has new energy. I don't think we'll have a top 5 (because stations that added 6 months ago are coming off of heavy rotation to what they call recurrent - that means we lose 5-15 plays per station that does that), but stations that have not added the song for 6 months are suddenly jumping on the band wagon and being excited about the song!

It is looking like "Empty Me" may be one of the most played songs of the year, whether or not it ever reaches higher on the chart. However, it looks like we'll debut in the top 10 this week, though. It really is amazing. I finally give up and let go of "Empty Me", we decide on a release date for "Arise" and all the plans are moving forward and boom! everything changes.

So..."Arise" is going to CHR (more rock oriented) radio August 1. We're looking at August 29 or September 5 for AC...but if "Empty Me" continues to explode, it may be later than that. It is possible (and this sounds so freaking crazy) that it could be after Christmas before we go for adds on "Arise" at AC.

Ah...radio is so weird.

Twitter

So, I've been dragged into this thing called "twitter".

Basically, it's blogging, but I can do it from my phone and you can receive a text message from me whenever I blog. Twitter's cool...you'll only get twitters from the people who you sign up to receive them from...no giving away info...very private. So, make blogging even more fun!

Go to twitter.com and sign up.

It's gonna be fun.

Fro Patro'

Well, this weekend was awesome!

Friday, Sarah and I got to hang out with DJ, Risa, Carmen and Cathy at breakfast (at IHOP). That was a treat. Everyone chattered away until I had to run to sound check for the show that night. Then, probably 50 for Fro Patro-ers joined 2000 or so others at the show in Mt. Juliet. That show was fun...I thought it was one of our better shows thus far.

The picnic was humbling, moving and fun all in one. Amanda's family decided to make the trip up to hang out with the Fro Patro', so that was incredible. The picnic raised $1225 for St. Jude's the hospital where Amanda was treated up until she went home to Jesus. And, though Amanda was definitely a huge part of the Richness and the E-train, I realized this weekend how large a part of the Fro Patro' she was! Rosalee and the blogger girls put together a little tribute to Amanda that included some quips she had left on the blog...it was so cool to read what Amanda had written along the way. I sat with Amanda family, reading these incredibly kind things Amanda had written about me, choking up that a girl so strong in her faith and so at peace with whatever God had for her could ever possibly look to me as a hero...I am still blown away.

It was great to finally put faces with names, and I think everyone there enjoyed finally meeting the people they've been cyber-talking to for so long. Over a year now! Wow.

I had a vision pretty early on for what I wanted this place to be. I wanted it to be a place where Chris Sligh fans could congregate and hang out online. It would be couched with news from my life and what was going on with me, obviously, but with every new blog, it gave another place for my fans to simply hang out, get to know each other online and form a "core group" (LOL) that would be the foundation for making new fans.

Boy, did my plan come to fruition and some! I think my fans are closer than any fans I've heard of. Gosh, we had people from San Diego (pronounced San Di-Ah-Go, of course), Kansas City, Jacksonville, Little Rock, Phoenix, Birmingham, New Jersey and more! Not counting the people who came from Tennessee and surrounding states! Seriously, 10 states were represented!

And the show last night...wow! I think the band was in top form, my voice was in tune all night long and Jason Walker kicked some major bootie! By the way, (for those at the concert last night) did you guys enjoy Jason as much as I hoped you did? I love his voice. I love his songwriting. You don't have to like him as much as me, of course, but I just wondered what you thought.

So, to those that weren't there...plan on coming next year! This is going to become a yearly deal...every year, we're hoping it grows. And since we have the best party planning team in the world, I know it'll go off without a hitch!

So, thanks to all who came! Thanks for making the weekend great!

Idol Fav

When You Come Home Again

When You Come Home Again

words and music by Chris Sligh

I’m here, you’re there


Is it hot outside tonight?


‘Cause Nashville’s cold and the streets are turning white


I’m here, you’re there


But I know what’s on your mind:


Christmas memories from a different time


I’ll be wishing you were here


I’m sure you’re wishing you weren’t there



Peace on earth, may God be near


Another Christmas and we’re praying 


That you’ll be home with us next year


It’s the holidays: good will to men


Just be safe; just know we’re here


And Christmas will be waiting…


When you come home again.



I’m here, you’re there


Are you dreaming like I do?


‘Cause Christmas doesn’t feel right without you


We’re covered up with snow


I’m sure you’re covered up with sand



chorus




Hoping all our love gets through


In boxes wrapped with “I love you’s”;


“We miss you here’s”; “Just come back safe’s”;

And all the “thank you’s” we could ever make


I’m shivering in my coat


I’m sure you’re sweating in fatigues



chorus

News

So...I spoiled some of this in a comment below.  But...

Yesterday was spent in a 10-4 meeting with management, dealing with every aspect of my career and how we can do things better, what we're doing right, what is wrong (if anything) and how to move forward.  It was an exciting time!

The main focus of the meeting was to discuss mainstream possibilities.  We feel like Christian music is our home, definitely.  And we will continue to build my career in the CCM industry, even when we're focused on mainstream conjointly (like the big word?).  But, at the same time, I was recently with a large group of radio consultants and program directors for some of the largest mainstream radio stations in the nation and several stations sought me out in a large party to tell me that they would support me and give any song I brought at least a chance to connect...and if it didn't work, it didn't work, but at least I'd have the chance.  

So, we're trying to figure out how to go to mainstream radio as smart as possible.  We feel strongly that you don't have to spend a gajillion dollars to make a record work.  It comes down to the song.   So, the plan is to spend the next several months with 5-10 radio stations that will give the first mainstream single a full cycle, giving the audience a chance to know the song, feel it, then they will test it.  Hopefully (fingers crossed) the song tests as a hit.  That testing can then be used to entice other radio stations to take a chance on me, a new artist.

It is not failsafe, by any stretch.  Pop radio is HARD to break into.  So, there is a touring plan in place that I won't give all the details for yet...but it will involve 20-25 cities where we will hit the ground running and build a following that will (hopefully) spill over to radio in those markets and spill over to other markets.  This touring plan is grassroots at its best!  I'll have more details down the road, but the plan is pretty darn cool.

So, mainstream is going to be huge.

But for the Christian market, what's up?

First off: August 1 is the official release date for Single Numero Dos: "Arise"!  Everyone feels strongly that "Arise" is a song that will make an impact at radio.  "Empty Me" was an introduction to the market, and radio stations are already giving excitement for "Arise".  So, that will come out and we'll probably work that until Christmas time or so.

Over the next couple of months, I'll be recording a digital 3-song Christmas EP that will be available exclusively online.  We will be releasing 3 singles to radio at the end of November for the Christmas season.  CCM radio is strange in that it literally shuts down current music for about a month and a half for Christmas and plays Christmas music.  So, in order to have a toe in the market, we're sending Christmas music out!  Tony Wood and I wrote a song called "Comes From the Heart", I might be doing the Harry Connick, Jr. tune "I Pray On Christmas" and some well-known Christmas song that hasn't been chosen yet!  So, look for that stuff soon.

Touring the CCM market is going on throughout this year.  Then in 2009, we'll be doing a tour here and there.  We're working on a co-headlining tour with a major Christian artist that would AWESOME if it worked out and we're still working on the God and Country tour.  2009 will probably be spent mostly touring mainstream, but we'll be doing several small tours in the Christian market and a couple of larger ones.  

So, that should get everybody up to date!

R.I.P A.D.D

Blake Lewis announced recently that he was dropped from Arista.  From what I understand in talking with him at the finale this year is that 19E is still on board and are very loyal to him and his career...so I doubt you've heard the last of Blake Lewis.

Blake, in my opinion, made a record that was just enough left of center that it didn't quite work in the mainstream, though I still think this record could've and should've been one of the bigger records of this year.  If "Know My Name" had been the first single, I believe it would've been a smash and then "How Many Words" could've been the hit it deserved to be.  But Clive, in his omniscience decided that "Break Anotha", my least favorite song on the record, should be the first single.  The moment I heard the song, I had a feeling that A.D.D. probably wouldn't recover - bad first single usually leads to the album not doing great...and unfortunately, I ended up being right.

However, let's put it in perspective.  He has sold close to 300k.  In today's music culture, that is fantastic for a new artist.  I think he'll end up with an indie label, making great records for years to come.  And from what I've heard Blake saying, it's where he'll be more comfortable.  If he can put together a hit for his genre, I think it's gonna be great!

I'm excited and disappointed at the same time for Blake.  Blake is a good friend who got screwed by the major label system.  Say what you will about the guy, he's a talented musician and is remarkably creative.  If anyone deserves to have a career in music, it's Blake.

So, rest in peace, Audio Day Dream.  Blake, here's to the future!  It's looking good!

ETA: By the way: the way that record deals work, is that every album is an option.  A normal record deal is 1 option + 4.  Each option is the label's choice.  An option can be a year.  An option, if an album is ultra successful can be 3 or 4 years.  Most of the time, an option on a new artist comes up right at a year from when they first signed, which was the case for Blake, when the artist and the label decide on if they're going to make another album.  It was also the case for Katherine last year, as well as Taylor.  Though news didn't filter down until later in the summer, Kat knew in May last year when I saw her that she was going to be leaving her label and going elsewhere...in fact in May of last year, she already had an idea of where she was going to end up.  It wasn't announced until August-September that she had been officially dropped.  Blake signed in June of last year.  It wasn't announced until September.  You'll notice you haven't heard an official announcement from Arista yet.  Why?  Because it takes a while for a record label to get around to that stuff.  So...to make clear...Blake did NOT get dropped sooner than any other Idol ever.

Happy Birthday Paul

I meant to do this "Yesterday", but I forgot, so I'll just "Let It Be".

Happy one day belated 66th, Sir Paul McCartney.

You have influenced me as much as any other person if not more as a musician.

I think that you are a genius and 100 million people who bought your records can't be wrong.

Plus, I can't be wrong.

Thanks for all you've done for music.

2 more new ones....

....are up for your perusal at myspace.com/chrisslighproductions

Enjoy.

The titles are "Simple Love Song" and "Love Remains"

Yes, I know "Simple Love Song" is similar to "Poorly Written Love Song".  

Sue me.  [insert smiley face here]

Here's the lyrics:

Simple Love Song

Words and music by Chris Sligh

Sarah’s got a way of shining

Like the sun in mid July and

She’s the woman they all wanna be

She’s got my heart all tied up in a knot 

‘Cause she’s center of my thoughts

And she’s the only one for me

This is just a simple love song

‘Cause being honest with my feelings

Never feels wrong

There’s no other high intentions
Just a way to mention

All I have inside my heart to say
So it’s just a simple love song today



All my life is wrapped up in
The girl who made me love again
And she’s the reason everything is good
I know I’m taking all the easy ways
To say the things I want to say

But I don’t feel bad, even though I should



Chorus


...the truth is, I’m done,
The best part’s to come:
I’m irretrievably hers
I know it’s not vague
Or poetic, okay?
I’m just trying to get across

My heart to her
That’s all that really matters to me...



Chorus


This Record

Life doesn't get much better than this: I'm sitting back at home - MY HOME!!! - and I'm listening to the new Coldplay album (which, btw, is fantastic), getting great news about what's going on.

First off, let me be clear.  Me talking about the next album or showing you guys new songs should in no way be construed as "moving on" from this album.  It will probably be at least 2 years before another album comes out, maybe longer.  This album has a ton of life left to it.  We're the best-selling new Christian artist of 2008 so far and as I mentioned before we're finalizing booking my first official headlining tour, promoting the album.  

However, because of the way my schedule is looking for the next few months and even years, the label and I have decided to take a different approach with the next album than with this one.  Instead of spending 3-4 months straight working on a record, I'm gonna be recording it off and on for several months, perhaps even over a couple of years.  The plan is to end up recording great songs as I write them and when it feels right to make a new album, then we'll figure out what we have, who we need to bring into finish the singles and then the album is already done.

So...these 5 songs I recorded last week are simply the first batch of songs that I recorded.  It may be a direction for the album, it may not.  We've got a long time to come to that conclusion.  What I do know is that the next album will be different from this album, and it will be better than this album.  This album is the peak of who I am creatively at this point...but with every day, I'm growing musically and lyrically and creatively and the next album will definitely explain and inform that growth!

Anyway, on to this album.  Remember a while back I told you to not worry - that the Billboard chart is just a waiting game?  Well, after I think 8 weeks at #18, last week, we jumped to #16, and this week, we gained more plays but moved to #17 (MercyMe's new song hopscotched from #21 to 16 - hey, it's MercyMe - they're bigger than me!).  However, early indications for next week are looking like we could be #12!  The plays are so close between #12-16 that it will be hard to tell this early, but we're moving up.  On the other main chart, AC Indicator, we have a top 10 hit!  So, "Empty Me" is by no means done at radio.  It just takes a long time to move up the charts, especially as a new artist!

We finally got the 2 biggest Christian networks  - KLove and Salem -  to pick up on the song!  These are 2 stations that several other stations watch as an indicator if the song should be picked up....so we may get a bevy of adds in the next few weeks!

I think I'm finally allowed to announce that "Arise" is the second single.  Depending on what happens with "Empty Me" it looks like it'll be coming out some time in July.  We may have to hold it off, if "Empty Me" picks up even more steam - but for now it looks like July is launch for "Arise".  I knew it took time to move up the charts...but to put it in perspective, Matthew West recently had a #1 with "You Are Everything" - it took 20 weeks to reach the top 5 and another 5-6 to reach #1.  It's number 8 this week and it's been on the chart for 36 freaking weeks!  The Robbie Seay Band has a song at #9 that's been on the chart for 42 weeks!  That's 81/2 to 10 months they've been working their way up the chart!  So, my measly 14 weeks on the chart is nothing.  Believe me when I say that the Christian chart is THE hardest to move up on.  It just takes time.  But "Arise" is the next single.

Also, this summer, we'll be taking a couple of songs to mainstream radio for testing.  The basic plan for the mainstream songs is to get a few stations to add the song, give the song a chance to get tested and if it comes back from testing as a hit, it gives us a chance to use that data to build a story in the mainstream market.  The plan for now is that starting in January we go for official adds en masse in the mainstream market, about the same time we take our third single to the Christian market.  We're not sure what the first mainstream single will be but it's between "Let You Know", "In a Moment" and "Cry Tonight"....I have a feeling "Let You Know" will win out, but you never know - if our mainstream radio guys really dig another song?  Well, we'll know more about that soon.

When we go mainstream, we are already working on relationships for tv stuff, for me to make appearances, etc.  Again, it has to work at mainstream radio first, but we have people interested in having me on tv shows, etc...we just have to have a hit.  That's the hard part.  I have no idea what works at mainstream radio...I mean I look at the charts and every week a new song jumps to the top 10 and it's something I had no idea would work at radio!  So, maybe we can get lucky and have a hit!

We've sold about 11,000 so far.  We sold 4,100 our first week and this last week we sold 1,500.  We're selling steadily, which is a great sign for our industry.  The more exposure "Empty Me" and "Arise" after it get, the sales will build.  The more I tour, the more sales will build.

Sales are obviously important because they are what keep me going as an artist...but the most important thing to me is the fact that people are being changed by the music.  I get testimonials almost daily from people who have been touched by a song or their lives reflect a song like "Empty Me" or "Potential".  So, no matter how many records are sold, I know that people are being touched...I hope a lot of people are touched, but whatever number it is...I'm totally okay with.

This blog is the perfect example of people's live being changed...friendships have been made in a virtual world that have transferred to real life, all because of some chubby kid who sings songs he wrote!  I don't understand it, but I love it!

So, that's the update!

Oh, yeah, I've written about a quarter of the script for the movie idea I was talking about last week.  It's a first draft, but I think it's pretty funny.  It'll only get funnier as I hone it, but I think the idea is good.

Thanks for being the best fans in the world!

Amanda

Vacation was beautiful. 

It was probably a beautiful thing, but the internet went out 2 days into our trip so I just got home.

I would like to take a moment to say goodbye to Amanda.  She was beautiful, she was perky and I feel as though I am better for meeting her.  

I met her twice.  Once at a show when she was backstage to meet Chris Rich, her true fave.  She came and told me that she loved my singing and that she thought I was funny.  Then I noticed she was posting on my blog.

Back then a lot more people were posting and many times it was hard to keep up with who was who.  I didn't know that the "core group" (as they became known) would become the "core group" till about 3/4 of the way through the summer.   I mean, for goodness sake I though DJ was a guy!

Amanda had posted about her disease and the kindness on the blog touched me, as I'm sure it did her, too.  I came out of my hotel in Little Rock, AR to film an interview with Ash Grayson for his documentary Bleed Into One and there was a girl waiting in the middle of street who looked oddly familiar.  She had cut her hair since the first time I saw her, and she came running up - quite scarily, I might add - telling me I had to wait!  I had to wait!  Risa from the blog was coming!  

I signed a few autographs for her and we talked for about 5 minutes and she told me more about her condition.  I was amazed at the strength I saw in this little girl.  She was far stronger than I could imagine being under the same circumstances.  She smiled and had fun and actually tried to talk me into waiting around to meet Risa!  It was a joy.

Those few minutes left an indelible mark on me.  She would stop by the blog and I think became accepted as part of the Fro Patro'.  You guys treated her so well, and my heart was overjoyed to see that.  

I didn't get to see Amanda again.  I had hoped to make it down to St. Jude's while she was there, but stupid things got in the way.  I wish I was not so caught up in my own world...I wanted to see her and Sarah and I even talked about going to see her several times over a weekend, but a show would come up here and a dinner would come up here, and poof! time slipped by too quickly.

So, regrets will be regrets and life if full of "what ifs" and "if I's".  What I do know, beyond a shadow of a doubt is that Amanda is far, far away from this life of pain!  She is able to breathe freely!  She is able to run!  She is able to bask in the glow of our Savior!  She is where I long to be!  She is worshipping as pure a worship as there is!  Simply worshipping our Savior for eternity is beyond my belief and is completely my expectation.  In a way, I'm jealous.

But still my heart yearns for the family.  Gladness is found in mourning, but the loss of someone so young...I don't understand it, and never will.   I hope and pray that Amanda's family will know that she was loved - beyond a doubt, she was loved!! 

Here is a song:

I'm Ready

I'm halfway to nothing,

Walking this road, making my way

So tired of the running

Why is every day as long as today

Should I long for all I long for out loud?

Today I'm praying todays the day

You come split open the clouds!

I'm ready to walk, I'm ready to run

I'm ready to find my way to the Son...

...to walk beside that glassy Sea

Hands lifted up for eternity

I'm ready

It's not that I'm unhappy

But nothing could ever compare to You

Forever stands waiting

A life stands beyond the one we dance through

Call me crazy, say my thoughts are strange

But I am dying, I am crying

For something to change!

chorus

All eternity spent in worship alone

I can only imagine my eternal home

chorus

New Song Lyrics

ETA:  Poorly Written Love Song is up on myspace.com/chrisslighproductions...it's the 2nd song.  It's a rough demo that was recorded live in the studio with no editing yet, so know that going in...I was sick so my vocal's not great.  But I'm really excited about this song and I think you'll get the idea!  Hope you enjoy.

Poorly Written Love Song
Words and music by Chris Sligh



Everything I say
ends up sounding so cliche’


It’s all been said way too many times

Everything I write
ends up sounding far too trite


Love can’t be conveyed with word and rhyme


But I guarantee I’ll try



I - I love you


I - I love you


It’s just three words


But it’s the best thing I’ve ever heard


So I’m giving it to you


I’m screaming it to you now


I love you



You’re worthy of
the best things I could say of love


But everything I say you’ve heard before


As phrasing fails,
I hope your heart’s not underwhelmed


‘Cause words are just a part of something more


So, here goes my best tries:



Chorus



I’m trying for metaphors


But my best tries still leave you bored


And I’m out of similes


So, I guess you’ll have settle for this, baby:



Chorus 




You Are the One


Words and music by Chris Sligh



All I need is to believe we can be free,


But life is moving on too fast 


Love won’t change anything but who we are


And who we want to be


Why do we pretend we’re doing better than we are?


I guess the act we put on makes us feel


Good or bad, the feelings make us know that we’re alive


Even if it isn’t real


All I need is to try and see on through


But the pain we feel’s not passing


We try to change everything but all we really do


Is try to change our futures


Every move of queen and pawn 


A desperate chance to find 


A way out of the maze
we call a feeling 


But feelings make us feel 


Like life is coursing through our veins


Yet leave us reeling from all the life they’re stealing



You are the one


You are the one


You are the one


That changes everything


Change my everything



solo

All I need is to see the way we were


But life flies by with every blink I’m taking….


Comatose, I’m sleeping through
the best years that I’ll get


And every smile from you that I keep missing


I’m waking up, I’m coming back to life
here in your arms 

There’s something shifting


Something’s shifting in my heart, baby…



Bridge 


New Songs

Hey guys...writing from Cancun!

Wanted to let you guys know that last week on Thursday, the band and I went into the studio and recorded 5 new songs! We got a really good deal on a studio/engineer, so Jason Walker took a day and I took a day. Jason did 4 songs on Tuesday and I did 5 on Thursday. Jon on drums, Walt on bass, Clint on guitar and Jason piano. I played acoustic on a couple of songs.

We were mostly recording to pitch to tv/film stuff, but we got a couple of songs that may be on the next album...they ended up sounding so great. I'll try and throw a couple of songs up over at the production myspace. Right now, they're still rough, but I think they're gonna polish up nicely.

As a side note, I knew my band was great live, but they rock in the studio, too. Skaggs came up with some incredible drum stuff and Walt and Clint rocked their respective guitars. The surprise of the day was Jason Walker, though. I knew he was good, but he blew my socks off! He was channeling Ben Folds and Freddie Mercury in one song and then playing some tasteful licks in some other stuff...really blew me away.

I can't wait for you guys to hear this stuff.

Update

I'm kind of anal. Sorry. I'm rewriting this now that I am finally at home.

In May I literally had 1 day off. 1 day in 31 that I didn't have something to go to, somewhere to be, a show to play, a signing to do or anything. 1 day off. It was a great freaking month. But I am wasted. Beyond belief.

So, June 3-27, with the exception of 1 day, is my first extended vacation since Idol started in January of '07. Man, a year and a half has flown by. Sarah and I had about 10 days off last May after the finale (we went to Cancun, if you remember), but since then, I have either been on tour, writing, recording demos, recording the album or doing promo dates every week since then. So, for June, I asked to have a few weeks off to recoup, figure out what's next and get ready for a bunch of stuff coming up.

We should be announcing the final dates for the Back to School tour for August and September. It looks like we'll be doing about 45 dates over the 2 months and it will be our first official "real" tour! We'll have an opener and an RV and a big ol' trailer! And we'll rock the U.S.A.!!! Most of the shows are being promoted by the local radio stations all across the U.S. so look to start hearing more about that. And yes, it looks like we'll be getting to Little Rock, Risa (and Birmingham, D.J.).

We also just started working on a big tour for the beginning of 2009 that would be with a great friend of mine who's a country artist. It'd go out as the "God and Country" tour. We're also looking at an Idol from Season 7 to go out as the opening act! It could be an exciting tour, if it works out. I think the tour will definitely work out...just how big, etc. it will be will take time to figure out.

A song that Clint Lagerberg and I wrote, called "Here Comes Goodbye", has been put on hold by one of the biggest country groups and a secondary hold has been put on the song by one of the top female country singers. The song is also garnering some interest on the pop side from a pretty big act. It's one of those special songs that people seem to be freaking out for. I think it's definitely up there with some of the best songs I've ever written. You can hear it on my producer page: myspace.com/chrisslighproductions. It should be the first song that comes up.

Film and tv stuff is still being worked on. I've met some key tv people that interested in hearing more about a tv show I've developed and written the pilot for. Obviously it doesn't mean anything really, but at least there's interest. A couple of people have read the script and think it's hilarious and commercially viable. I also have an idea for a film vehicle that, if it turns out like I'm hoping, could be a huge break for me as an actor and writer. Obviously, I have to deliver a great film, but I have presented the idea to a couple of key people and they're excited about it, and that's huge. I just have to go write a great script and then let a pro finish it and make it even better. But it's a film that we will be presenting as a vehicle for me. So, that could be huge, too. Again, this is stuff just in the works. I'm so busy with music right now that it's tough to find tons of time for the other stuff, but part of vacation will be spent on the first draft of the script. Idol doesn't get you gigs, but it sure opens up doors. You'd be surprised at the producer who wants to take a meeting with me because he and his family loved me on the show. Hopefully, the next time I'm in L.A. I'll be able to set up a meeting with him and pitch the idea for this film...it'd be right down his alley, I think.

Anyway...as we've found out with a lot of this stuff, it comes and goes and stuff doesn't work out...but know that I am working hard to do stuff outside of just music.

June will be a time of vacation. A few meetings. A few little writing sessions. A nice 10 day vacation out of the country. And sleep, sleep, sleep. And maybe some XBox. I got that Assassins: Creed game that I've been itching to mess around with. So, I may not write a ton, but know that I'm just recharging to rock socks off!

Indiana Jones should've stayed in retirement

I went saw Indiana Jones 4 last night.

Not good. They shoulda kept this puppy in development for about 10 more years.

I was bored the entire movie...and this is coming from a guy who actually found some entertainment value in Idiocracy.  

Seriously, see this movie only to help Spielberg, Lucas and Ford fatten their retirement funds.  It's all it's good for.

On the other hand last week, I saw Iron Man  and it was freaking fabulous!  Go see that one today!  Well, tonight after you get off work.

Sales Report

So the sales report came in for last week: 2300!!!

I know it doesn't sound like a ton but it's only a 40% drop from last week, which is great! In fact on iTunes we only had an 8% drop from 698 to 631...again the key is longevity. We're selling a lot of downloads on Empty Me - it's been in the top 10 Christian/gospel on iTunes for 3 straight weeks. So people are definitely reacting to the song.

The finale was fun...I thought Jimmy Kimmel's Seacrest/Sligh joke was hilarious. The Pyps video had me rolling...Iron Man looked great dancing! And I'm glad a rocker finally won!

ETA: Apparently (thanks to Rosalee for pointing this out) Ken Barnes over at USA Today reported that i sold 1100. I just checked with my label and 1100 is what we sold in the mainstream (iTunes + stores) and we sold about 1200 in the CBA (Christian) market. Apparently, Ken just missed those sales.

Coldplay and other muzak

So, Coldplay has a deal at Coldplay.com where you can download a song for free by just giving an email address...the song is their first single from their newest album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends called "Violet Hill".  I'm a minor Coldplay fan (I loved Rush of Blood but was disappointed by X + Y)  so I went and downloaded the song.  I had heard a buzz about this album because Brian Eno (sometimes called the 5th member of U2) was producing so I went with tempered excitement.  And was blown away by how good the song was.

On iTunes, they have a pre-order of the new album and with it you get another song, the title track of the album, "Viva la Vida".  So, I pre-ordered the album and downloaded that song...and my head almost exploded.  I think this is the best Coldplay song ever.  It's incredible.  So, go pre-buy the album and get the track in advance.  It really is great.

I also bought an album called Cannons by an artist named Phil Wickham.  Wow.  Seriously, you need to buy this album immediately.  It is some of the best brit-rock I've heard in forever.  It's what Coldplay's last album should've sounded like but with some of the best spiritual/religous lyrics I've read in a while.  Great, great record.  Go buy it immediately.  Or the next time you're at a store.  Or at on iTunes.  Well, download my album first, then Coldplay's then this one, how about that?

A while back (hey, I haven't written about music in a while), my favorite dread head (sorry Castro, but me and Adam go way back) Adam Duritz and his band Counting Crows released their 5th studio album Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.   You will remember that Jim Bogios, the drummer for Counting Crows, played on 3 songs ("Waiting For You", "I'm Clean" & "Love is Raining Down"), and Counting Crows has long been one of my favorite bands, so I downloaded it the day it came out.  This album is seriously their best work since, well, ever.  I think it's all the best parts of August and Everything After and Recovering the Satellites, their first two albums.  The first half of the album rocks.  Hard.  Not Disturbed or Marilynn Manson hard, but classic rock hard...it's great.  The second half is more acoustic like their first album.  It's Adam's best songwriting and it's catchy and great.  Put this on your list of records to buy.

I got Bryan Adams new one 11 and it is classic Bryan Adams.  You know, he's a nostalgia act, and that's okay.  I don't want to buy a Bryan Adams record and find it to be a Radiohead record.  When I buy Badman (his nickname and publishing company) I want great love songs, great melodies and that classic voice.  This album does not disappoint.  Great songs, great production, and - as I said - that voice that I can never quite get enough of.

Finally, I recently got Jason Mraz's We Sing.  We Dance.  We Steal Things.  I wanted to support a fellow Fool's Banquet alum, plus I was so blown away with his talent at the songwriting retreat that I knew this album was a must-have.  I've only started to digest it, but it's really cool.  It's kind of fresh...lite-funk horns, thick bgv's, some reggae influences, some strings, acoustic guitar and poof, you've got a great sounding record.  I'm enjoying it.  More on this later.

So, I've gotten a lot more music that this since my last music post, but I'll get to the others later.

iTunes + Reviews!

Hey guys,

I'd love for everyone who has bought the album and has seen the blog to leave a review over on iTunes.  Then, once you've done that, I'd love for you to copy the review over into the comments here.  This is the review blog I mentioned a while back!

Even if you didn't buy the album on iTunes, if you have an iTunes account, just sign in and leave the review!

Thanks so much!!!

Jason Castro

I got to hang out with Jason Castro last night for a few hours.

Seriously, what a great guy.  We have mutual friends and mutual friends of friends, so I had gotten his number a while back and reached out to him the week before he got voted off.  He was leaving L.A. as I got here for Crystal Cathedral and he was getting back to L.A. as I was leaving for El Salvador, so we decided to get together when I got back.

So, after my plane trip yesterday and his dance rehearsals (you remember how much I loved dance rehearsals finale week last year), we got together and ate dinner and hung out.

I also shortly got to meet Carly and Kristy Lee...both were very sweet.

Anyway, I won't get into details....but the guy is a great guy and I had a lot of fun getting to know him over a couple of hours!

First Week Sales!

We came in a little under 4,100!

Doesn't sound like a ton, I know, but for the CCM market right now it is pretty great!  We sold a ton on iTunes, too, which, again, for the Christian market is a great thing.  

Just so there's no freaking out...in the Christian market, people find out about the album with the single going up the charts.  The higher the single, the higher the number of plays, the higher the number of impressions, the higher the sales.  So, for having a #18 single, it is pretty freaking great!

CCM has no centralized media...sure, there are websites that do great, but nothing like tv and mainstream radio marketing can do.  Usually, people find CDs as they wander through the Christian book store OR (as I mentioned above) hear a song on Christian radio, find out who it is and buy it.  

This is going to be a slow build and I'm glad...no Idol has ever come off and really done a grassroots thing: get in a van, travel the country, play, play, play, play and connect.  That is what I'm gonna do.  My label is pumped (it's their highest debut ever!) and distribution is pumped!  Now, the more shows I play the more you'll see sales trickle in.  Hopefully Empty Me can reach top 5 on the charts and then you'll see more sales than even this week.  It's seriously all about the songs!

Thanks to everyone so far who bought the album!  Now, tell a friend and let's sell some records!

Musicchristian.com

Musicchristian.com is having a special this week on my album Running Back to You for only $5!

So, encourage friends to take a chance on something beautiful and get the album for a cheap, cheap price!

Some Thoughts...

Quite a few people have asked me why I decided to move more in the pop direction for the new album, away from the more alternative pop/rock of HPF Take a Chance, and I think it's a fair question that deserves an answer.

I listen and love tons of kinds of music.  My favorite artists are bands like MuteMath, Muse, Switchfoot, Relient K, My Chemical Romance, etc., but my favorite songwriters of all time are artists like Bebo Norman, Steven Curtis Chapman, James Taylor, Bryan Adams & Adam Duritz (of Counting Crows).  The thing about that is: my favorite songwriters are many times on the opposite end of the spectrum of my favorite music to listen to.  So, as all songwriters do, you try to figure out how to combine all your influences to make and amalgamation that is your own style.  

With HPF, I was in a band and we were a mainstream band that wanted to put on as exciting a show as possible, so songs like Hero, Closer, Tunnel Vision, Somewhere and Convenience ended up really working for what we wanted to do.  When we played a 30 minute opening set, we had the opportunity to rock out for 30 minutes straight.

Now, the goal for my solo career is to be at a place where Chris Sligh is identified as being a band show...but there are still times that I will be playing acoustic gigs.  After all, I am a solo artist.  I'm not a band.  On later albums, I'm hoping that I don't have the problem of having to worry about playing acoustic gigs, so my albums may be informed by that.  However, on this album, I knew that in trying to break me as an artist that I'd be playing acoustic gigs...thus, I needed songs that I could sell with just me and an acoustic guitar.  I'm sorry but none of the songs I mentioned the prior paragraph would work in that fashion.  I included several songs as it is (Love is Raining Down, Arise, Waiting For You, etc.) that do not really work acoustically...but I have enough of a song base that I can pull it off.

So, to answer the questions...the reason I went more pop has to do with being real in a live situation.  I'm a solo artist now.  Look for albums to come to definitely be a little edgier...but for now, I'm excited for and proud of the album I made, and I think it fits me perfectly for where I am at this point!

Another thing I've seen is people saying that they wish I'd shown more of my personality in my lyrics.  I would like to point out someone like John Mayer...Mr. Mayer is one of the funniest celebrities I've ever seen and in concert he jokes and tells stories and is hilarious.  But his music is deep and serious.  As a songwriter, I feel like that's my place.  There are few things in life I take seriously and those things are my relationship with Christ, my relationship with Sarah and music.  Period.  That's it.  I feel like I would be cheapening my vision for my artistry by writing "witty" or funny lyrics.  I want to write songs that meet people where they are for a lifetime, not just makes them laugh for a couple of seconds the first time they hear it ('cause let's be honest...once you've heard the joke, you've heard the joke - it's not as funny the next time around).

I hope that people listening to the album will enter in listening with an open mind.  Don't go in with preconceived notions of what I should be (funny, witty, etc.) because you won't get those things.  What I hope you get is an album full of killer songs that speak to your life like they came from mine.

Empty Me on iTunes

Hey guys, I thought this was interesting this morning:

Empty Me is #13 on iTunes Christian songs!

In A Moment is #52!

Not bad! Thanks for your support!

Thanks!!!

Guys, thanks so much for making my release day so great!

It looks like the album is selling extremely well (for the market we're in), so thanks for making it great for me!

Some review snippets:

"Fans of Chris Sligh during last season’s American Idol recognized in him something the show had never previously had — not just a bright contestant capable of wising off to Simon, though he certainly was that, but a rocker with an omnivorous musical appetite and a flair for the unexpected. Running Back to You shows what Sligh didn’t have time to do before being voted off. The songs, many written pre-Idol for Sligh’s band Half Past Forever, clearly come from a Christian perspective, though they’re still full of wit and intelligence. And the arrangements aspire to pop grandeur: Soaring string runs, burbling synthesizer riffs, edgy guitars, and Sligh’s occasional flights into falsetto make Running the most musically ambitious of any post-Idol album". — Brian Mansfield USA TODAY

USA TODAY REVIEW

"Running Back to You gets off to a running start as the first track, “Arise,” thunders in with a drum lick that kicks you right into the song – a strong, radio-ready rock piece featuring a full band sound, driven by Sligh’s easy-to-listen to vocal delivery. “I’m Clean” follows, still in a strong, mid-tempo rock mode, and proving that Sligh can write memorable, hook-filled songs that have plenty of opportunities for funky guitar licks as well as full, commercially viable production values. Sligh doesn’t compromise the rock and roll, even when the lyrics get very explicitly Christian, as they do in “I’m Clean,” where he sings, “Love is just a picture of your glory / And my best tries at love have fallen short / I pretend these dirty clothes are holy / Knees patched up with grace from you, Oh Lord.” Make no mistake – the lyrics on this album are boldly Christian in nature. Sligh has clearly made a decision to be bold about his faith on this project, even though the big ballad, “In a Moment,” and the rocker, “Waiting For You,” could easily cross over to mainstream radio and, I think, get considerable attention.

From the straight rock of “Love is Raining down,” to the ‘Eleanor Rigby’-like string accompaniment of “Loaded Gun,” Chris Sligh is a powerful, expressive, credible rock/pop singer and has crafted a well-rounded debut project that shows us that there’s more behind that cherubic appearance than meets the eye. Hopefully, he’ll be running back to us again soon." - Bert Seraco

Soul Audio

"Running Back to You is a rather impressive piece of work. Back in February of this year, Sligh released "Empty Me," his first single, to radio outlets. The song, simply put, is a made-to-be modern worship hit. The Chris Tomlin-esque melody and passionate lyrics of putting aside pride really do the job of setting the tone for the entire album. From tracks like "Arise" to "Something Beautiful," Sligh constantly praises God for his mercy and sacrifices. "Let You Know" could even easily find its way to the top of the contemporary pop charts.

Love is unquestionably one of the main focal points of this record. "Love Is Raining Down" speaks for itself, and Chris cleverly and thoughtfully compares love to a "Loaded Gun," while at the same time manages to make the track the most unique one on the album. The combination of the orchestra that plays throughout along with Sligh's voice add an unexpected twist that is sure to make "Loaded Gun" a fan favorite. One song that you can absolutely not pass up is "Vessel," the closing track, where chilling vocals and an incomparable message add a great finishing touch to the disc.

It truly is amazing how open Chris Sligh is about his life and faith on this record. This is a spectacular accomplishment for him and is definitely worth a listen all the way through (especially for fans of artists like Jon McLaughlin and Brandon Heath). In fact, this could be noted as one of the best records of 2008 whether or not it receives the attention it very much deserves. And don't be surprised if it garners a few nods at next year's Dove Awards either." - Logan Leasure

Jesus Freak Hideout

Tour Update 1

Well, 2 Wild Wing Shows down.  

And it's going great!  Wild Wings was a perfect choice to start off my official touring.  It's a low-pressure venue (you show up whenever you want), they LOVE the cover songs we have in the set, the audience is there to just have fun, and it gives the band time to settle into being tighter in front of an audience that is eating and drinking, etc. as much as they are listening.  It's kind of like having a dress rehearsal with an audience that actually kind of cares!

We actually have played 2 really good shows, too!  The band is really, really tight already and, outside of not being able to hear really well, we're listening to each other, playing off each other and just playing great.

Here's how the set list works:

The band goes up and does "Summer of '69" which morphs into "Arise".  From there we go to "Love Is Raining Down" into "Pleased".  Then "Cry Tonight" & "In a Moment" followed by the Killer's "All These Things That I've Done" (which is great as everyone sings the bridge - "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier!").  I then introduce Jason Walker as my special guest.  He does 3 songs with bass & drums and then one song alone with the piano.  Then the band comes back up and we do Bryan Adams' "When You Love Someone" which segues into my Compassion International presentation (for $32 a month you can literally change a child's life - more on that in later posts).  Then we go to break.

We take a 15-20 minute break then head back up.  In most shows, I do a 2-song acoustic set and tell some stories (it hasn't worked at Wild Wings yet...but in church shows, we'll do the acoustic set).  Then the band comes back up and we do "Eleanor Rigby" straight into "Loaded Gun" (we do the full band version).  We then go into "City of Blinding Lights" (by U2) and that goes into "Potential".  We finish up that set with "Empty Me" which morphs into "40" (by U2), which ends that set on a very very meditative note.

We leave the stage and hopefully people cheer.  Loud.  Once they do, we head back out and we perform a surprise song (which I won't give away here).  And we end the night with "Let You Know".

So, I can't wait to see all of you at a show!  Now you know what to expect.  Listen to the songs, learn then, learn every word and then sing along with me (and quickly realize how many words I get wrong!)

In A Moment

7. In A Moment

Words and music by Chris Sligh

Produced by Brown Bannister



The Writing:

This was the last song that I wrote for the HPF record. We actually had finished recording the album by the time I went to Hollywood week. In Hollywood, I was roommates with Phil Stacey and when we both made it to the top 40, we talked about n him coming up to Greenville to record a couple of songs in the time in between Hollywood and top 24 to have them available once the experience was over and he was talking to labels. I knew that for me, my HPF recordings would be invaluable, and I wanted Phil to have something, too. So, I went home and wrote this little love song for my wife with the intentions of Phil recording it.
 In order for Phil to learn the song, I put together a demo and sang on it. It was a full demo: piano, guitar, drums, etc. And I sang the vocal that you heard on the HPF album. I was proud of the song and took it over for Don to hear and he flipped and told me that I could NOT give that song to Phil. I talked to a bunch of people and everyone agreed, I had to keep that song.


As far as writing goes...it stayed the same from when I wrote it on guitar. Because I was writing it for Phil, I was trying to write my version of a Diane Warren song (she wrote Edwin McCain’s I Could Not Ask For More, Aerosmith’s Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing and literally hundreds of other hit songs). And it worked. 

Just a side note: Brown told me that when he first heard the song, he couldn’t place it but he thought that it was weird that we were covering a Diane Warren song until he realized on second listen that it wasn’t a Warren song. Haha...little did he know. 



The Meaning:


Well, it’s pretty simple: it’s a love song about my wife and how in a moment life can change, both for good and for bad. But with her it’s changed for good.



The Recording:


This one included all the same players as the other Brown productions, with the addition of Stephen Leiweke on acoustic guitar. Brown and I wanted to change this song up slightly with the production, so instead of being completely piano based as the original HPF version had been, we wanted to start off with acoustic guitar and sparse piano...we thought with this one that less would be more, especially at the beginning of the song.

Dan Needham programmed the loop for this one, sitting at his drum set, with a little computer with Logic installed. He programmed at the end of the day on the first day of tracking, so that we could work on this first thing the next morning. Once he was done, Stephen came in that night and recorded the acoustic guitar.



One key difference between this and the original HPF version is where the key change happens. The HPF version’s key change happened right as it was going into the last chorus. Both Brown and I thought there was something special about that last chorus, but we didn’t want to make it so obvious (i.e., cheesy). So, we masked it a little bit by going to E major (from D major) out of an E chord out of the bridge. Simple, yet effective. 



Don, once again, did the string arrangement and we used the same method as we did for “Let You Know” and “Cry Tonight”...Don recorded his “fake” strings and then David Davidson recorded real violins over the top of that.

In a moment, love can pass you by  * 
And in a moment, a heart can come alive  * *

Every moment's getting better   *  Every moment brings me closer to you  * *  Can I hold you till the morning light  *  Takes away the dead of night  *  And sunrise shines on you?  *  Can love take all these fears away
 *  Till morning comes with brand new day?
 *  It's love that pulls us through
 *  In a moment  * *

In a moment love can tear you down
 *  And in a moment a heart can come around  * *  pre-chorus * chorus  * *  I feel you in my heart
I feel you in my soul  *  Oh, you make me whole  *  In a moment…  * *  chorus



Let You Know

6. Let You Know

Words and music by Chris Sligh

Produced by Brown Bannister



The Writing:

When I decided to take HPF in a different direction and Adam Fisher and I started working together, he brought an extra computer over that had Logic installed. I basically used it as a songwriter tape machine. I would record ideas and write lyrics over music I had pieced together.
 Originally the opening riff was for a song called “Somewhere” (the lyric of which became the song “Somewhere” from Take a Chance with different music). The riff was cool, but the rest of the music was really stupid. I thought the lyric was cool, but it just didn’t fit the music. So, I did something I hadn’t done ever before...I wrote and recorded an entire track without lyrics. I used the riff and put together chord progression I thought was cool and later wrote the lyrics that became this song (originally just “Know” on Take a Chance - we changed it because on the radio Know sounds like “No”...it’s confusing.)
 The song, since I recorded that original demo has not changed a bit musically and once I wrote the lyrics, they have stayed the same...it’s one of the few on this album that didn’t go through various permutations.



The Meaning:

This is one of those songs that I wrote down the lyric pretty quickly and started to piece together what it means down the road. It’s actually a very Christian song without being a Christian song. The premise is this: I make mistakes, the reverberations of my choices continue on and they’re mine to deal with...but we need each other. Some day, soon, I’m gonna call on you to be there for me, and as brothers and sisters we’re there for one another.



The Recording:

This was like all the other Brown productions. We tracked with the same guys and this one went down pretty quickly. Dan Needham changed the intro drum beat up just a bit from the original HPF recording. For some reason, drummers don’t really like the Coldplay “Clocks” beat. So, we changed it up. This one in initial tracking was pretty note on like the HPF recording. It was in overdubs that different stuff started to happen.


I did all the rhythm guitar stuff with George Cocchinni acting as tone chaperone. I’ve played those guitar parts thousands of times over the years, so the recording actually went very quickly on this one. On the bridge we did several huge guitar parts on the riff going into the last chorus