David:
Such a fun collab to be part of, thank you guys! Patty sent me some wonderful, fun, clever lyrics that initially had me totally stumped. But then I started hearing it sung in Rich's lustrous baritone and it just sort of wrote itself from there. Georgie then went to work as a one-woman backing group, adding loads of cool stuff that I'd never have thought of. And the end result is a real team effort. Hope you enjoy!
Patty:
I can’t believe my good fortune in hitting the Trifecta here with David, Rich and Georgie. Together, they took some words on a page and made them into a song that’s even better than I ever imagined!
Rich:
I was just a hired hand for this project... My contribution here was limited but it was fun to be pulled into this by DT, the master of all things music. Patty’s lyrics set such a stage for this fun song with her sensational story telling. Then there’s Georgie’s background vocals…So good!!! Just feeling lucky to be a part of this…
Georgie:
I was flattered to be invited to be a part of this heavy-weight team of FAWMers! What David did with Patty’s lyrics was pure prosody. Richaaaay's voice was well suited for the role and I was happy to perform as his group of female backing singers!
Hit Man
Patty Lakamp © Copyright 2022
V1
It’s not a common profession
Takes a certain kind of mind
Good way to make a living
If you’re criminally inclined
V2
Mine’s a personal service
Can’t talk about what I do
Let’s just say I solve some problems
And you don’t want me comin’ after you
Oh, no, don’t want me comin’ after you
Ch
I’m a hit man
Death at the end of a gun
Hit man
And the world goes on
Minus one
V3
Yeah, you’re just an assignment
I don’t need to know why
But I’ve never seen a look so smug
On a man about to die
Oh, no
On a man about to die
Ch
I’m a hit man
Death at the end of a gun
Hit man
And the world goes on
Minus one
Br
Something in your face says
You already knew
I shoulda seen this coming
I underestimated you
It’s an occupational hazard
After all the jobs I’ve done
Staring down the barrel of a gun
Ch & Out
He’s a hit man
Death at the end of a gun
Hit man
And the world goes on
Minus one
He’s a hit man
Death at the end of a gun
He’s a hit man
And the world goes on
Minus one
@guatecoop Mar 2022
Wow, this is a winner. A huge collab that delivers with a swagger. It starts with the lyrics and everyone has played a great role in this. Classy tune and great collab!
@fearlessflight2014 Mar 2022
I’m in awe of that sprawling talking delivery of such a cinematic lyric. I can do that talk-sing thing and I love it when it’s done well like here. Great use of that ‘hit the road jack’ style of chord structure and the backing vocals are perfection themselves. I particularly like the feel change and how the hi-hat brings in the final refrain. Classy stuff guys - great collab!
@wolfkier Mar 2022
Ha, the noir bar is on fire here. Really nice smokey collab... that explodes into loveliness in that big chorus. Well done! All cylinders firing.
And bonus, I get to tit 2 tats at once. :) #tit4tat.
Thanks to both of you.
@robynmackenzie Mar 2022
This is perfect! I absolutely love the vocals, and that bass is amazing. A wonderful collab of all-stars!
@cleanshoes Feb 2022
Oh, you guys. I wish you could see the grin on my face. Every part of this is so very good.
@mandolinda Feb 2022
Shivers all down my arms. Wow, what a song. All the best parts.
I don’t know how you put it together from different countries, but excellent work here.
Came here to #tit4tat, but ok. Hit me
@gm7 Feb 2022
What a gem...I must be in movie theater
listening to a movie score...I have no other words. However, the sound effects and samples give just an TRULY authentic feel to this song. This was a lot of work and it has paid off. GREAT COLLAB ALL
@kristi Feb 2022
So much talent in one song! So easy to get totally immersed in this! I so enjoyed the drama, and the sleek and clever lyric is so well written. There's charisma crawling all over this! Enjoyed the little nuanced additions and the sly vocal and very cool backing vocals that totally surprised me! Excellent work ya'll!
@vomvorton Feb 2022
This is absolutely incredible! How does this kind of magic happen? The lyric, arrangement, performances are all stellar and that charismatic, super-low vocal is the icing on the cake. Loved it!
@cts Feb 2022
Sweet lord 'n butter. This has the feel of a show-stopping Broadway number. I have to say this is a powerhouse group of talents. This arrangement is top shelf and I'm going back for another listen. Before I do, though, let me say that y'all have left an impression on me...a deep impression. Thank you.
@kahlo2013 Feb 2022
Soooooo coooool! Dark delicious in all respects! The vocal delivery for this hit man is so strong and cool and Georgie’s background vocals are so awesome. The guitars the keys the jazzy feel the horns the snaps - all work brilliantly. Phenomenal music! Great lyrics - fun campy quirky - great smooth talking hit man! Love this!!!
@spazsquatch Feb 2022
Oh wow, great song and perfect <snicker> execution. Got a feeling this one could get stuck in my head.
@eas3637 Feb 2022
I loved this, and I'm going to be singing that crazily catchy chorus the rest of the night! Fantastic instrumentation, vocals, and lyrics.
@moonraccoon Feb 2022
Add my voice to the approving comments chorus that is as enthusiastic as @jibbidy34's YEAH-YEAAAHing.
@hbusse Feb 2022
Oooh, aaah, so slinky and velvety and bluesy. Those backing vox, yassssss. “The world goes on… (stop) … minus one.” And the meter/tempo change in the bridge, then the “ladies play me out” into that last chorus! Gold!!!
@tukayandryan Feb 2022
Bloody brilliant. Have played it on repeat today
@splittybooms Feb 2022
Phew! Right off bat that piano and guitar and putting me in a great place.
GOOD GOOGLY-MOOGLY!!! Those CHORUS VOCALS!!! I literally sat straight up and looked around my room like "who did that?!?!" lol
These lyrics are super slick cool, a unique subject matter captured perfectly (not that I would know anything about being a hitman...errr....heh...exit stage right...); they make this hitman so cool, I'm picturing a Billy Dee Williams - even though he's playing a bad guy, you still get caught up in the undeniable charm.
All that already came through in just reading the lyrics.
Then the way they were treated vocally - superb decision to go with this speaking style. Not only that, it was done so well! They delivered the cool cool demeanor of the hitman that was in my head perfectly! I mean...IS that Billy Dee back there??? lol
Seriously, such style is hard to deliver without sounding cheesy or rehearsed - this has NO such qualities, all cool side of the pillow here.
And then those background vocals, my goodness. They soar! And they capture that classic bluesy jazzy big band vibe with the "mmm"s and that "HIT MAN YEAHH YEAHH!" hits my soul!
The horns are outstanding and also so well done - such a great addition with those vocals.
And then the false end with the slowed down piano, so much flavor.
Then bringing it back up to play the hitman off.
OOOooohh weeeee this is such a big, wonderful, jazzy, perfect, memorable production of awesomeness.
One of the best things I've heard in FAWM, you all killed it!!!
@oaksnprairie Feb 2022
FAWM Noir! It’s so well done—I want to go to the underground lounge where this band is playing.
@jeff9 Feb 2022
You all absolutely nailed this! Everybody should be glowing.
@jeff9 Feb 2022
You all absolutely nailed this! Everybody should be glowing.
@geoff61 Feb 2022
This is a tour de force lyrically, musically, vocally, it is close to perfect.
@majordanby Feb 2022
Oh my!
This is fantastic.
What a great expose of all of your musical talents. I really love this. One of my favourites this year for sure!
It just keeps getting better and better! Wow! Mind blown.
@colgoo Feb 2022
This such a fantastic collaboration. The piano, horns and drums are fantastic, David. Great background vocals, Georgie. Rich, your deep storytelling voice is perfect. And Patty’s lyrics inspiring such a fantastic piece of collaborative story telling—this is what FAWM is all about!
@andrea Feb 2022
Wow and wow! I loved these lyrics when Patty posted them. You guys blew this away. It belongs in a musical on Broadway! Need this on Spotify :)
@andygriff Feb 2022
This is just brilliant from start to finish: lyric, tune, all backing and all vocals. An absolute triumph. Huge well done to everyone involved :D
@natalie Feb 2022
I am absolutely floored. Everything about this is the real deal! So, so, so well done ~ from lyrics to performance to arrangement to mixing ~ it everything is just perfect! Za-za-ZING!
@n24 Feb 2022
Incredible! I remember the lyrics coming on early this FAWM and wanting to hear the finished piece, this really does the lyrics justice. The cool calm vocals are beautiful and absolutely nail the collected hitman attitude. The complete shift of rhythm in the bridge is amazing, it doesn't feel jarring at all but it's a nice shift. The 'Hitman, yeah yeah' backing is really pleasing, absolutely spectacular. The rhythm throughout with the swing-band feel also just perfectly suits the track. I love the lyrics on this one, very cool and collected, I enjoyed them without the music but this is ace.
@metalfoot Feb 2022
Boy, do I feel like I'm late to a great party! Strong lyrics with a classic jazzy musical background and Rich's vocal and Georgie's chorus of female vocals... this was worth every moment you all spent on it!!!
Splendid. *round of applause*
@gwyn1234 Feb 2022
Utterly brilliant! It shows everyone involved at the top of their game and if this doesn't get the recognition it deserves...I think I might have to employ this dubious service to enlighten a few people! Seriously...fricking fantastic!
@ampersandman Feb 2022
Amazed by the sheer quality of this song, just outstanding.
@schuylerf Feb 2022
A hit man, literally!
@rshakesp Feb 2022
such fun y'all - beautifully understated, the relaxed feel of the carefree assassin! love the wailing backing vocals and trad band arrangement in the chorus. and the break is great time sig change really knocks the song to a different place. great work all.
@mariekevinkmusic Feb 2022
This is the most brilliant track I have heard this year. So much fun and so much quality. This would just fit straight into a performance of Chicago the musical. I'm going to play this ony stereo now. Loudly.
@thedutchwidows Feb 2022
This is all kinds of fantastic; every element is absolutely spot on. And that voice... wow. If @richaaaay isn't narrating a syndicated Raymond Chandler adaptation by the end of the year, then there's something very wrong in this world. Excellent work!
@billwhite51 Feb 2022
everyone plays real good on this saint james infirmary variation with detours. fine lyrics and vocals along with a class A production make this a seductive listen.
@codeenergy Feb 2022
Oh my god this turned fantastic! I could hear this in the movies. Holy smokes guys way to be!
@coolparadiso Feb 2022
Great opening. I was more down Louisiana way with Dr John. All round class song! Great listen
@crisp1 Feb 2022
"And the world goes on. Minus one." Love that! This one of those collabs that show how awesome FAWM can be. A great lyric by Patty, fun vocals by Rich and background vocals by Georgie and David putting it all together so masterfully. Makes me think of Postmodern Jukebox performances. What a treat!
@panch Feb 2022
Brilliant, a great listen. It all works so well, it's like a movie in song.
@radiobenedetto Feb 2022
There’s an interactive theater/club in San Francisco called Speakeasy. After you buy a ticket you get an email telling you to dress appropriately and find the man with a yellow hat at the corner of Broadway and Colombus and he’ll give you instructions. He gives you a note with an address and a password. Around the corner you find it’s a Chinese laundry. You enter, go downstairs and knock on a door. A man opens a sliding window on the door and asks for a password and once you say the word he opens the door and you step into a club straight out of the 1920’s complete with a bar, a cabaret, and secret door to gambling room. Everyone including the audience is dressed in 1920’s gear and you don’t know who’s an actor or who’s a guest as a series of dramatic events unfold throughout the evening…
THAT’s how this song felt to me—instantly transported to a different time and place to settle in for a good ole classic crime story. Patty’s lyrics form a great script. Rich’s voice is the perfect narrator. David …you’ve created a whole world here! The playing is sublime. Love the swing of the piano, and great guitar tone… but the kicker is that horns arrangement after Hit man. Very Dixieland. Really well arranged! Georgia, your voice pushes this from the page to the stage, showgirls and all. What a fun collab! You all knocked it outta the park!
@rayboneor Feb 2022
Whoa, you guys nailed it: the guitar, the piano, the voice, the story, the great vocal. The world goes on...minus one--that's what I'm talking about!
@midwayfair Feb 2022
Fantastic. I was trying to guess what the chorus was going to sound like before it got there, and it exceeded any expectations I had by a mile. Great work folks!
@seemanski Feb 2022
I saw the amount of collaborators and just had to listen. Glad I did, this is one of my favs this year. The words are so clever and witty, I'm so jealous of them. I really adore how you developee the story and that twist at the end was great. Delivered beautiful in that sleek deep voice and when the chorus hit and it smacks you in the face and I realised what this was about I was in love (yes I saw the names and not the title).
@jerrypettit Feb 2022
Just listened to the @greengrassgirl , Georgie and Gwyn collaboration thinking that the Pinnacle of music had been achieved.
And then I come across this one. Awesome, awesome, awesome!
Love the talking blues, @richaaaay .
Jeez, you guys are SO GOOD!!!!
@katestantonsings Feb 2022
Slinky film noir stuff! Classic and timeless with its professionalism. Nice work, everyone!
@sbs2018 Feb 2022
Ooooh-la-la! Seductive! Love it! I can so see this production number with dancers. Like something from “Chicago.” Well done!
@paulharrison Feb 2022
Cool take on the lyrics, folks! I remember reading the lyrics when posted and I didn't envision such a fun take on the music. Nice work/play by all of you!
@wobbiewobbit Feb 2022
wow i was so pulled in by those vocals, the hit man really HIT. so much style. great delivery and performances. FAWM supergroup! such a great arrangement too. fantastic big band sound and i love those up close vocals. great stuff. what a top collab all round
@nadine Feb 2022
I didn't know that I waited for this collab all the time! When I read the lineup, I had to listen and stop replying mails. David's arrangement and production skills, Rich with his smooth baritone blues voice, Georgie's versatile and soulful voice, Patty's skillful songwriting. This hit me damn hard! Hope I'm not the one shot. One of my FAWM favourites this year. Thank you!
@owl Feb 2022
Wow! This is so well done—love all the playing and performances, the lyrics tell a compelling story and the vocal phrasing on them is so skillful.
@oswlek Feb 2022
Total homerun. You could have told me this was a popular theme from a smokey 50's film noir and I wouldn't doubt it for a second. The attitude, the musical arrangement, the production, the self-aware wink throughout, the stunning female vocal arrangement, it's all perfect. A perfect treatment to Patty's fun little walk on her dark side. :)
Incredible work, everyone. My goodness.
@nahlej381 Feb 2022
Bustin this zong wide open! What a powerhouse! Super swanky…rich don’t come after me!!! Georgie you’re a mega talent, David you just go to hell!!!! Such a badass! Great lyrics patty! I recently watched a some interviews with the iceman that this reminds me of.
@brisk Feb 2022
Oh, this is amazing. I don't need to explain to you why this is amazing; it's quite self-evident. @richaaaay - have you considered become a gumshoe?
Oh, and the bridge was really great too, nice change of pace. The whole thing's making me think of the Mack The Knife dance out of Blues Brothers.