Feb 2022 country alt-country gospel randomcollab random-collaboration random
Loveonamixtape: I've gotten so lucky with random collabs in the past, and getting paired up with @bithprod was no exception! He sent me these *excellent* lyrics that I was super excited to sing as soon as I got them. I came up with the melody pretty quickly and then did a very spare arrangement, just a capella in the beginning then acoustic guitar, to really lean into the lonely gospel vibe I had in mind. But after sending it to @bithprod, he thought it was maybe *too* spare and upon listening again, I had to agree. So back to the drawing board!
I really kind of wrestled with this arrangement for a bit, but arranging, recording and production are exactly what I'm trying to get better at, so I'm glad I did, and I'm much happier with this version and think it does better justice to these lyrics while still keeping the vibe I had in mind. It's a bit of electric guitar in the beginning to add some color to the a capella part, then some tambourine and mandolin, with some occasional egg shaker, in addition to the acoustic guitar. The solo is a free midi steel that I think sounds *ok* for being free and for me having no idea what I was doing with it, ha, but ideally that would be some pedal steel.
Anyway, thanks again, @bithprod, for the collab and these wonderful lyrics!
Piece of Heaven
© Morten Maehre, 2022
I followed a meteor with my eyes
Watched it fly across the sky
Burning through the atmosphere
Knowing it could crash somewhere
Wishing it would hit right here
That’s one hell of a goodbye
Chorus:
Crushed by a little piece of Heaven
On a lonely, lonely night
Crushed by a little piece of Heaven
That’s the story of my life
That night the chapel shone brightly
A wooden cross stood tall and mighty
I noticed a crack running along the base
I pondered mankind’s state of grace
And somehow felt all out of place
I thought, You might as well smite me
Chorus:
Crushed by a little piece of Heaven
On a lonely, lonely night
Crushed by a little piece of Heaven
That’s the story of my life
Bridge:
I know some time you’ll pay the price
When you give your heart away
You think you’ve found your paradise
Then you’re hit by the truth one day
Chorus:
Crushed by a little piece of Heaven
On a lonely, lonely night
Crushed by a little piece of Heaven
That’s the story of my life
@danvaillancourt Feb 2022
Great sparse arrangement and (how it builds through track) works well for the lyric. Great collab. This really brings the subject to life. Great vocal delivery.
@standup Feb 2022
I like how Ashley's voice is the centerpiece here, with a guitar chord or two here and there. In the intro.
Piece of heaven is a great hook, especially when you see we're talking about a piece of rock hurtling down at 100,000 mph.
@dasbinky Feb 2022
Oooh, the sparseness here just serves the lyric perfectly. The build works well. Great lyric and melody. Wouldn't have pegged this as a random collab, it came together beautifully!
@vomvorton Feb 2022
What a great title / hook / chorus that is! Lovely lyric and a really great performance, love the super-sparse opening and the way it opens out into a fuller arrangement.
@paulh1237 Feb 2022
The melody here is beautiful and fits the subject matter really well, the fact it just came to you makes me very jealous! I think you can really tell that a bit of time went into building up this track and adding just the right amount of additional textures. "Crushed by a little piece of heaven" is such a beautiful line, it really cuts to the beauty and brutality of life simultaneously to me all in 7 words!
@apolez3 Feb 2022
Disturbingly sweet
@zecoop Feb 2022
The lovely spare arrangement leads perfectly into and out of the song, and when it gets going, it completely brings the listener with it. Wonderful melody, and these lyrics have such a sad and emotional pull. Everything fits perfectly and definitely conveys the feeling. This is a wonderful song and a great collaboration!
@timfatchen Feb 2022
I like the way this develops; I think you were wise to take it further. It's still spare, but not arid. Melody is lovely, and the melancholy feel -- makes me want to comfort the singer and say "there's more, there is more." (though perhaps that's a function of looking the Grim Reaper in the eyesocket) Excellent collab.
@kahlo2013 Feb 2022
This is absolutely gorgeous. The lyrics are poetic and melancholy in the most beautiful “crushed by a little piece of heaven,,.” Wow. Love the absolutely beautiful melody and vocals. The delivery is perfect - I love that acapella start and end, the build to an energetic emotive song with lovely rhythm, and the layered vocals of the hook, brilliant!!!
@skylermf Feb 2022
I love this arrangement, and your voice complements it beautifully. These lyrics are fantastic too! I love that line “crushed by a little piece of heaven”