Feb 2022
Surprise, John!!
I created this chill instrumental track and asked you all if anyone felt inspired enough to track some vocals (or whatever) to it as a fawm collab, and John was the first to get back to me. He let me play around a bit with his vocal too. I'm sure he will add lyrics here soon and tell us a bit about his inspiration for the words and melody. :)
Happy fawming!
From John:
Thank you, Katie! As I expressed via email, this is way out my normal lane, which was a lot of fun.
When this came up as a possible collaboration, I just really liked the vibe of it and started vocally riffing along with it to see what sounded good, or if I would sound good on it. A basic idea came up, which I quickly recorded and sent to Katie, garnering approval.
I would never imagine comparing myself to Prince, and I'm still not. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention how this chill track reminded of one of my favorite Prince songs "Adore", and I used that for inspiration to try a variety of different things that, again, I would normally not do on something of my own. Here's to the power of collaborations and challenging oneself!
As for the lyrics, I think we generally would hear a track like this and imagine it venturing into what I called "baby baby land". I love a lot of songs like that; however, that wasn't as authentic to me personally as a song that talked about how we can be there for each other. This was all very stream-of-consciousness with a few minor refinements.
And on that note, I want to state again how grateful I am to Katie for posting this, being a source of encouragement, and using those amazing creative and engineering skills to put together this fun collaboration. Thank you!
P.S. John did not use any of his guitars on this song. :)
You get a little bit lost sometimes
Get a little bit of hitch in your rhythm
Let me be a compass for you
If you're gonna need relieving, let me comfort you
If you're gonna need a friend, then let me be there for you
Let me, let me be there
Let me be there for you
Well are ya gonna sit and worry maybe
If you are the fruit from the orchard
Climb the highest trees and valley low
I am willing to do what it takes
I will be there for you
Just let me be there for you
If you're gonna need relieving, let me comfort you
If you're gonna need a friend, then let me be there for you
Let me, let me be there
Let me be there for you
Do you wanna find your way?
I know you've got it in you
Everyone who knows you can see
We all stumble and lose our footing
We all need a little bit of guidance
Then we can be there for our friends
So if you're gonna sit, are you gonna be alone?
No you won't
Cause we'll be right there with you
Supporting you
Giving you what you need
Making sure that you aren't alone
Making sure you are with friends
It's a cold, cold, cold winter
But we'll be there for you still
@kahlo2013 Mar 2022
Yes! This is really awesome! I love the chill music which is perfect for the soothing and supportive lyric and John’s vocals are really perfect for this! Love the vocal noodles and the leap. Very soulful feeling! Love it!
@yewnorker Mar 2022
Thumbs up!
@elainedimasi Feb 2022
Vocally bold, musically chill, and lyrically caring - winning combination! Terrific collab. You know, I especially like the way it's as much "we" as "I" and it's the kind of "we" that means "all us friends" and not "you and I as a thing". A few of the world's ego balloons popped and disappeared when you two recorded this track, and the world is better for it ;-)
@ericdistad Feb 2022
This is such a great chill vibe and the vocals works so well. Love how the keys and guitar interact.
Great vocal work - the harmonies are so good! I does have that Prince vibe to my ears.
Lyrically this is fantastic ! It's a love song for a friend and I'm here for it!
Fantastic collab!
@scubed Feb 2022
I love the smooth, mellow vibe. Fabulous vocals, too! This is a great collab!
@triciatorresmusic1 Feb 2022
So very smooth. Love it!
@emory Feb 2022
What a great collab! The vocals integrate so well with this relaxed beat.
@nadine Feb 2022
This gives me the chills. You nail falsetto with a decent vibrato. Lots of emotion in the singing, super chill and funky instrumental. Some nice classical rnb vibes, I didn't expect. Great collab!
@jamesstaubes Feb 2022
I love Prince. I also love that you had fun on this. I also hear some They Might Be Giants. I like the delay on the vocals, it gives so much atmosphere. Love the vocal harmonies throughout. The lyrics are comforting and earnest. I like the sincerity. Good collab!
@greengrassgirl Feb 2022
Very nice! Love the vocals, just right for the track. An excellent collab!
@musicbykatie Feb 2022
@stevenwesleyguiles I was also having some serious FOTC flashbacks! I think its that "let me let me be there" octave harmony that is giving me all the Jermaine vibes! haha. Let's play fortnite.
@stevenwesleyguiles Feb 2022
OMG. Slow chill jams. This reminds me of a combination of New Radicals meeting Flight of the Conchords.
The bgvs are super dope too.