I've had this hook in mind for awhile. Dunno why but I love how it sounds; it seems quite ominous! So I got started fleshing out the lyrics and music when February 1 came at midnight and put together this rough demo. I am quite happy with what I have here so far!
The Smoke
February 1, 2022
https://www.johnstaplesmusic.com/FAWM2022/JohnStaples-TheSmoke.mp3
black clouds rolling in
consumed by pain again
where does life begin
and when will this thing end
darkness cloaks your eyes
reveals your thin disguise
fear begins to rise
as the hope within you dies
I am the smoke
I ride the breeze
I tell the lies
that you believe
there is no cure
for this disease
I am the smoke
you need to breathe
cold water rushes in
you're way too far from land
how much more can you withstand
this life among the damned
I am the smoke
I ride the breeze
I tell the lies
that you believe
there is no cure
for this disease
I am the smoke
you need to breathe
violent rain
the sound drives you insane
unrelenting pain
you're crumbling beneath the strain
you turn your gaze to me
as you seek to lay the blame
but you, you are the one
who lit the flame
I am the smoke
I ride the breeze
I tell the lies
that you believe
there is no cure
for this disease
I am the smoke
you need to breathe
© 2022 John Staples
JohnStaplesMusic.com
@berni1954 Mar 2022
Oh, I love me some melodic rock! Some fine guitar work here. Good vocals too.
@liz561 Mar 2022
The guitar opening on this is smoking! The chorus on this is really strong-awesome! I can see why you had this rolling around in your head.
@srcoops Feb 2022
Very interesting lyrics. Nice guitar work. Thanks for your kind words on Music Lives.
@vaughan Feb 2022
Love This!!
@seemanski Feb 2022
Wow, what a track. There is a lot to love about this, the guitars are so crisp, clear and played extremely. The chorus has a killer hook. Great tune, good work.
@robynmackenzie Feb 2022
Ooh, dark. I just love that chorus--the double tracked vocals work super well. Great guitar playing, I really like the delay. This is awesome!
@loveonamixtape Feb 2022
Really cool vibe to this, has a sound that's one part 70s rock, one part 00s alt rock. The "life among the damned" verse is really nice, especially.
@chinacat Feb 2022
Great song writing, love the guitar tones and the overall production is amazing. As others have said, radio-ready (both recording and songwriting).
@jorh Feb 2022
The first verse is such a scene setter full of atmosphere, it had me hooked for the rest! I really enjoyed the perspective of being the protagonist too in the chorus. And obviously the guitar work was splendid
@klyma Feb 2022
black clouds rolling in, consumed by pain again
darkness cloaks your eyes, the hope within you dies
I am the smoke...
Heavy. Intense imagery over a restrained groove. Love the chorus!
@williamjames Feb 2022
Very cool guitar and vocal interplay in the chorus! Coll melody all around, your vocals carry so much weight!
@rev Feb 2022
Rockin' man...love the dystopian vibe!
@jessicagraae Feb 2022
Love the guitar work here. The lyrics are mysterious, yet revealing. Great to hear you again!
@judypie Feb 2022
Well I love the hook too! And everything else. Gonna be in my head, what a strong start dude!
@chroes Feb 2022
These are guitars I aspire to! So well played! Beautiful balance and great use of reverb and delay.
The vocals have a density and vulnerability that are exceptional.
@jerrypettit Feb 2022
I definitely could hear this on the radio...tomorrow! It's ready!
Your best so far, as far as I'm concerned. Very, very nice John! The lyrics, the vocal, the arrangement. Perfection!
@wobbiewobbit Feb 2022
love the pink floyd feel of this. i listened to this a couple of times earlier too, and was pottering in other window and i got totally lost in it. came back to comment... great chorus. fantastic sound. nice one indeed
@angelinapowersuit Feb 2022
Holy smoke I mean guitars ;-) Seriously, great intro and different driving parts throughout. Thoughtful arrangement overall and big, epic sound that matches the weight of your lyrics. "You lit the flame" turns the tides and now I get it. So is this what they mean by a co-dependent relationship? haha, joking. Great to hear your voice again, it's been too long!
@skibum1066 Feb 2022
Great guitar work. Sounds like a finished demo to me.
Lyrics very fitting for the age we live. Lots of smoke and mirrors out there. However, it is it is an extension of our own diseased national character. In the end, the love you make equals the love you take
@petemurphy Feb 2022
And what a hook it is!
Hiya John!
You are my first stop for commenting (I know, I know, I'm a bit behind. I've listened to quite a few songs, but have only just founf the opportunity to sit down and do some typing).
This is my third listen, and I'm very much enjoying this song. Very well constructed, excellent playing and production. I really like the interplay between the panned guitars.
Really impressive, all round.
Question - I always imagine you playing a Les Paul, but I hear some whammy bar in there on the solos. What are you using?
@unkept Feb 2022
Nice job all around, really like the panned guitars and the space in the verse, plus the great lines in the chorus. Great!
@nagavaeoe Feb 2022
Very cool song.
I like the lyrics. "I tell the lies that you believe, there is no cure..."
Fits with the melody perfectly.
Great guitar work.
@elesimo Feb 2022
Ah, John! This is amazing! You said it's a rough demo but it sounds so complete... it's hard to imagine this better! I love the guitars in this one, it's clean and every note has a purpose.
@mystiquemuse Feb 2022
Great piece. The solos were well placed.
@cleanshoes Feb 2022
Off with a bang! Although it's somewhat ominous overall, the way the darker-sounding verses contrast with the catchier classic rock of the chorus is excellent. Great performance all around.
@tamsnumber4 Feb 2022
Great hook and chorus, love this idea and great sing and production, what a wonderful start to FAWM!!!
@writeandwrong Feb 2022
Johhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnn, what a strong start!!! I love this so much I may have melted!! I loved it from just reading the title and you must, must do something with this post-FAWM!!! It has this Pink Floyd essence to it that I haven't heard from you before. I can see the video happening! Such a strong write and beautifully performed! "I am the smoke you need to breathe..." Wow... Strong bridge, memorable chorus, lyrics are tight...
@gubna Feb 2022
I am reminded of something but can't quite put my finger on it. Cool tune, man!
@auditasum Feb 2022
"Rough" "demo"?? Putting us all to shame. :D
@jessi14 Feb 2022
I really like production sie of the song! Fantastic! I like how you double the voice, such a nice effect. Nice guitars! Makes me long for old-fashioned, never old, handmade music! Love it!
@cblack Feb 2022
Wow, this was great! That chorus... So tasty! This kind of reminds me of Bowie, which is very much a compliment. :) Great solos too.
Great song! More like this please. :D This could easily be a single on a major-label album.
@dukemeyer Feb 2022
Great work, good sound and drive. Love the chorus - lyrics and how you manage to let the feelings flow. This should be a radio hit! (Are there still radio hits nowadays? Don't know ...;-) A pleasure for listening!
@headfirstonly Feb 2022
Very ominous! It's those chugging rhythm guitars that does it, I reckon. Some extremely tasteful soloing going on as well. London is often referred to as "The Smoke" by people who work there, so as a Brit, I get an alternative context for the lyrics, and it works; there are several lines which work very well in describing the place!
@aesthetic72 Feb 2022
The chorus hook here is spectacular. Great performance. Wonderful write and as a Canadian I don’t mind melancholy at all!:) love to hear your stuff again, John!
@sherrycanary Feb 2022
Powerful song and imagery.
You really captured the essence of our situation .
Soulful vocals and music.
Your song is essential
@billwhite51 Feb 2022
there is a lot of clangly rock and roll power in its guts, which strengthens the beauty of your vocal melody, fierce uncompromising lyrics raise this
timely power balled to anthemic levels.
@dragondreams Feb 2022
Oh yes. This hits the spot very nicely. Everything about this is "just so". Creamy guitar tones, great progression, and wonderful arrangement all add up to carry the story.
Love it.
@lvgd09 Feb 2022
Hey John are you did an excellent job on this. That chorus is really catchy great job
@sheilerk Feb 2022
That chorus!!! And then, after all that, “you are the one who lit the flame”!!!
Perfect!
@dukongp100 Feb 2022
I like the language for disease/smoke/breathe to make a good metaphor. It's a good hook, nice splashing of them drums too.
@darcistrutt Feb 2022
Your work always seems radio ready to me. The lyric feels like a nod towards addiction. I don't know if that's where you were going, but that's the magic of lyrics to the eyes of the beholder. Your layers are amazing. Great guitar work.
@wurzelfrau Feb 2022
Wow the lyrics are really good, and you delivered them so well. Liked the whole feeling of it!
@outinpublicdrummer Feb 2022
The lyrics are really pretty, love the laid back feel of this. :) well done
@nightwing521 Feb 2022
Wow! Good straight-up alt-rock groove and a nice gitter solo at the end. The lyric is excellent, though the two verses seem a bit disjointed. Not horribly so, but perhaps another verse between somehow joining the two conceptually?
Oddly, I had a criticism of the chorus, but as I wrote my description of what I didn't like about it (briefly, I had felt that it was giving mixed messages), I realized that I had misinterpreted it and it gives a solid, coherent message. Now I like the chorus 100%!!!
Very well done!!!
@gm7 Feb 2022
great start to FAWM. That is a nice opening lick and a catchy chorus.
All the elements of a ROCK SONG!!!
@radioovermoscow Feb 2022
Look, you can't just go uploading outtakes from The Wall on FAWM.
@bradbrubaker Feb 2022
Yeah, a totally ominous feel and the image of the clouds rolling is fitting. As someone with depression, the phrase "I tell the lies / that you believe" struck my emotional strings for sure.
@bunter Feb 2022
Cool first song, John. Great sounding demo and a polished production. "No cure for this disease" wow, bang in trouble!
@jorgevallentine Feb 2022
Hey John! Catchy chorus here and dig the dark vibe of the guitar tones. Keep it going!
@czep Feb 2022
Brilliant lyrics! Solid rock feel! Love it!
@stacyswinford2015 Feb 2022
The first thing I did when I logged on to this site was look for a new song by you. I am not disappointed. This is fantastic!!
@beyondthelimes Feb 2022
Ohhhh! Love those geeters. And that subtle modulation in the intro and chorus is a sweet touch.
@sapient Feb 2022
Man, this is TASTY!
That lead guitar!
That chorus!
That groove!
I came here hoping for some of that good ol' Staples genius and I leave satisfied :D
@wingandwaltz Feb 2022
Rock out @johnstaples ! Love this! way cool concept, great chorus, dark and delicious soundscape
@colgoo Feb 2022
Great metaphor and very well delivered. The ending was really powerful.
@spikedirection Feb 2022
Great chug on the verses! Brilliant guitar sound especially in the solos! Moody vintage 70s vibe which is right up my alley.
If I have your permission I'd really like to play this in the FAWM section of my radio show this Thursday?
@karlsburg25 Feb 2022
Oh lord I heard that opening delayed guitar riff and wanted in straight away . The chorus is both catchy and I love the chord progressions leading back to the solo guitar again . Powerful inspiring and a top tastic start matey . Woohooo
@celineellis Feb 2022
love that riff! and love the production on this, it really makes it. That chugging guitar in the background makes this feel darker.
@jackdawfactories Feb 2022
I love that guitar, and the switch to a major progression in the chorus is a great lift from that tense driving verse. Beautiful solo tone, too!
@mikeb Feb 2022
Your song was the first to appear on my board as the site went live this morning!
Great guitar tones.
@klaus Feb 2022
Surprisingly heavy song musically. This is like Sabbath meets Americana. I like the drama and dark images. Chorus is especially good and your vocals are top notch. I like it!
@thedutchwidows Feb 2022
Very nice. Some sweet guitar tones and a great vocal. That's a high bar to set yourself straight out of the gate!
@coolparadiso Feb 2022
great opening! love that guitar. You should love how it sounds! your vox pairs off great against the guitar. killer chorus