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September 13, 2010 - Week 12
"Open Road"
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Overview
Lyrics
Overview
Engineering
The past few days have been a total scramble. Not too long ago this song was a million scattered pieces, but everything converged quickly and smoothly in the late hours. In other news, our studio doors continued to wreak havok, and Sean stepped on a fig while wearing socks. We're also on the market for a piano. Any donors in the Los Angeles area?By SeanThe lyrics for "Open Road" were inspired by the vocal stylings of singers like Robert Plant and Jack White. I respect how both men have a history of being able to combine catchy rock and roll imagery with mythic imagery. "Open Road" is my attempt at that combo. Both men have destructively awesome falsettos, and make high-pitched vocals sound badass....instead of seeming sissy or pop-y. They pair well with Michael's guitar melodies, making them sound much more emphasized and powerful. I also feel like any song with layered falsetto voices immediately assumes a dramatic quality, leading me to write lyrics that have a story to them."Open Road" by The Theory of Funkativity Verse: I got cold sweat on the Back of my hand Making sounds that Could raise the dead Looking for you To take me there I said take me there Take take me there Don't look back you'll Miss em less keep your eyes on What's coming next Carry on, son You ain't done yet Don't come back til You've gone deaf I'm gonna tear it All to shreds Dont you leave no Evidence Get along now This is your test You got time So take a guess Get along now Go clear your head And walk a mile With your fellow man Lord knows I Love suspense Don't be scared Don't be scared Chorus: On your own All alone The open road Is right ahead of ya Away from home On your own Nowhere to go Except ahead of ya On your own All alone The open road Is right ahead of ya Away from home On your own Nowhere to go Except ahead of ya Verse: Cold sweat on the Back of my legs Are you scared? Are you scared? My brainstem is Not my friend Can't I get a Replacement Can't tell my right From my left Barely see Barely stand Get to my Destination With or without Your help Cold sweat on the Back of my neck This isn't it No, it's not the end Pay no attention To the rest Where you're going They've never been Loud and clear The messages Not gonna see me Round here again Lord knows I Love suspense Don't be scared Don't be scared Chorus: On your own All alone The open road Is right ahead of ya Away from home On your own Nowhere to go Except ahead of ya On your own All alone The open road Is right ahead of ya Away from home On your own Nowhere to go Except ahead of ya Chorus: On your own All alone The open road Is right ahead of ya Away from home On your own Nowhere to go Except ahead of ya On your own All alone The open road Is right ahead of ya Away from home On your own Nowhere to go Except ahead of yaBy MichaelThe idea behind "Open Road" was to make a song that slows down at the chorus. We had never used a mid-song tempo change before, and it was interesting trying to come up with ways of transitioning in and out of those changes. I ended up giving the chorus an instrumental introduction to establish the new tempo. The drums change feel so drastically that the tempo switch could almost be inaudible if you're not paying attention. However, the change coming out of the chorus is impossible to miss. I spent most of the week trying to escape the original verse I had written for "Open Road." It's something that happens way too often. I write a verse, I write a chorus based on that verse that turns out to be much better than its counterpart, and then I go crazy trying to wipe the old verse out and start fresh. I really liked the chorus I had for "Open Road," and that makes it even more difficult to come up with a new verse that's worthy of the chorus. To make things worse, Sean had already written a vocal line, so I was tied down to both instrumental and vocal parts. The verse I came up with in the end was a completely different style from the original. Amazingly, Sean's original vocal line still worked perfectly, requiring only a few melodic tweaks.By MichaelWith "Open Road" I decided it was finally time to tackle my arch nemesis: live tracking of guitar with the Digitech Whammy pedal. The Whammy is a pitch shifting pedal. I have one of the original models, and though I don't use it too often it can do some cool things in the right situation. It sounds great live, but every time I try to record it I end up with a muddy, mid-heavy tone. At last, I found the answer. Instead of running it into my usual Blues Driver or DS-2 distortions, I put it through my Big Muff. Success. The Big Muff has a very sterile sound, and it turns out it plays nicely with the potentially flabby lows of the Whammy. Jack white knows what he's doing, apparently.