Feb 2022
From John:
What to say? @ericdistad and I have known each other for a while and even played shows together in real life, so finally collaborating on something with him was a lot of fun!
I recorded a quick voice memo of a random idea from the perspective of the subject of an unboxing video and he took it and ran and wrote the other 99% of the lyrics. As I kept going through this song musically it became weirder and weirder. The chord chart has more diminished and borrowed chords than I would normally have written. So thank you to Eric for letting this one be super weird and encouraging it.
This is definitely a song I would go back and refine, particularly the drums, as they are just loops that "kinda fit" or a few things where I clicked at random. It needs the touch of a real drummer. But I also wanted to get it posted and rebuild some FAWM momentum and get back into the other collaborations I've got brewin'!
I did the rest of the performance and used a fine, home-built Telecaster Deluxe (dubbed the Fukkin Muthacaster) cranked to the max and augmented with my trusty ebow.
The Box I Was Delivered In
Welcome to my universe
it's 14 inches wide
On the day that I was made
I was gently laid inside
I had all the things
I would ever need
cables, instructions
a lifetime guaranteed
now you want to cut the wrap
and pull the lid away
Why can't you understand
I really want to stay
Put me back in the box I was delivered in
Put me back in the box I was delivered in
Why'd you have to take me out of my home?
Saying 'hey guys', you extracted me from my biome
You're talking about my colors,
and all my useful features
You ooh and aww and blather on
about my modern look and feel
But if I may make one appeal
Could you put me back in the box I was delivered in
Oh please put me back in the box I was delivered in
(feedback solo)
But I just know you're going to wreck me
You'll never fix that giveaway
Cause you're so clumsy
Could you put me back in the box I was delivered in
Could you put me back in the box I was delivered in
Could you put me back in the box I was delivered in
(Are you doing it for clicks?)
Oh please put me back in the box I was delivered in
(Are you doing it for chicks?)
Put me back in the box I was delivered in
@elainedimasi Feb 2022
This brought an immediate huge smile. My gut thought it was because of the sounds my body was hearing, but my brain says that the opening line is ===brilliant and killer=== knowing nothing other than what the liner notes say, I'll give Eric 99% of the credit for it :-)
Wow that little "I" box takes off the gloves there doesn't it. Clumsy indeed. Nothing about this track is clumsy and that's a fact the size of a universe.
It wanted noise, it gets noise!
@tspoon Feb 2022
pretty cool idea and the delivery sounds great. super collaboration and combination of talents. funny yet still rocks a bit.
@nancyrost Feb 2022
What an opening line! And concept. That's some twisted deadpan humor. Love the attitude and the rhythmic stabs between instruments and vocals. And that catchy refrain. It'll be even more awesome with real drums, but it already sounds like a live band playing this.
@kahlo2013 Feb 2022
Love the driving bass in this and the great guitars. Fun quirky lyrics with such a catchy hook. Awesome vocals. Cool bridge. Great collab!
@nadine Feb 2022
Yes, I always wanted to know how presents feel before they're unboxed. If you ever plan to make a video, I want to see a camera inside a box and some weird faces around. Time Lapse. Getting real psychedelic.
Musically I didn't expect grunge to work so well with borrow chords. This rocks. And now I'm singing "put me back in the box I was delivered in" and wanna play with some bubble wrap. plop. plop.
@jmadison Feb 2022
This is so fun! I really like the musical changes throughout. I can only wonder where my mind would have tried to fix these lyrics if I didn't know that it was about an unboxing event. Great collab!
@dock Feb 2022
The title captured my attention, the music was wild and weird in a good way. The lyrics are sarcastic to fit the feeling of the music. A good production generally, but yeah, a real drummer could push this further over the edge.
@wylddandelyon Feb 2022
Oh, this is fun! The screaming guitar really works for this one. I agree about the drums, but only in a "this could be better" way, what you picked worked well for a "straight out of the box" loop.
@brisk Feb 2022
I'm bad with genres, but I'm getting a really satisfyingly... New Wave? kind of feel off this. It sounds awesome. All the modular bits of this song - at least, it feels like it's made out of lots of pieces - are held in place with that really nice chorus that runs through the whole thing. Guitars are lovely and churning - didn't notice the drums being suboptimal, but then I'm not very good at noticing drums.
Also, I agree, the lyrics have a weird ambiguity, the perfect ode for a rabidly consumerist society I guess!
Really enjoyed, great collab.