I asked to do a collab with Vom Vorton, who I've known for quite a while now. We agreed I would send over some lyrics, he would use them to make a basic backing and some vocals, and send the multitracks over to me for final mixing and stuff.
I was going to write something quite silly at first, but when I sat down to do the words, it went in a very different and much more personal direction. Transitioning has been a very slow and arduous process, coupled with the usual negativity from some people. I am lucky to have very supporting friends and family, but it's still pretty scary.
When doing my mix, I added some flanging effects on the guitars and also added some synth, and turned up Vom's vocals up a bit to make them the most prominent thing in the mix.
I would really like to thank Vom for doing this song. I must admit I found it difficult to listen back to him singing my words as they cut a bit raw, but sometimes you need to make stuff like that.
In a pub on a miserable afternoon
In a time gone completely insane
You look through the menu and try to pick
Outside and in pours the rain
Trudging to what they say is correct
It’s not where you belong
Your unchanged face stares back at you
And you wonder if you’ll ever sing your song
A man nearby talks of his messed up leg
Mentions pus and flesh gone blue
That’s not what’s putting you off the food
It’s the thought of what he’d do to you
Standing in what they say is correct
This isn’t where you belong
Your unchanged face stares back at you
And you wonder if you’ll ever sing your song
Fruit machines now have digital screens
For years football’s come from a cable
Everyone accepts those sorts of things
But where it matters, they’re still unable
All of a sudden while you’re looking down
Your Mum uses your true name
And you don’t care if anyone overheard
Because you’re no longer what you became
Living through what they say is correct
These times aren’t where you belong
Your unchanged face asks you a question
When are you gonna sing your song?
@greengrassgirl Mar 2022
I LOVE THIS!
Your unchanged face stares back at you
And you wonder if you’ll ever sing your song
And:
That’s not what’s putting you off the food
It’s the thought of what he’d do to you
Lyrics like this really grab me. They get to the heart of the heart, and really Connect. The music and vocals are perfect for this message.
Very nice collab! I found it because of @vomvorton's kind response about how to find the Archives of all our posts. So I thank him for that, and the both of you for this wonderful song.
@debrandio Mar 2022
You guys.. this is really so good, could be a list pink floyd track good. Beautifully played and wonderful presentation.
@sailingmagpie Mar 2022
This is great! The lyrics have a ring of Brutal honesty about them and it's cool how the song as the structure of a classic pop tune but the production gives it an almost otherworldly sheen. The bit about your mum using your true name is such an emotional moment. Love it!
@balancelost Mar 2022
Your collab from 2019 was one of my fave songs from that year. This is completely different from that of course. A very heartfelt lament. Stirring stuff.
@shortdan Feb 2022
This is a wonderful collab. The lyrics are really powerful. Melodically I'm getting slight Bowie vibes from this actually ('Hours' era maybe). Some really cool instrumentation throughout too. Enjoyed this lots.
@angelinapowersuit Feb 2022
“Your unchanged face stares back at you,” so effective. Somber tone of the music supports the lyrics well, nice how you showcase the vocals though. I know the feeling of discomfort and vulnerability after sharing earnest and raw lyrics, kudos for your courage, sending a big virtual hug!
@adforperu Feb 2022
Some really powerful lyrics here. There's something really poignant about Vom's dry vocal, stopping dead at the end of lines, really gives time for reflection of @chriddof's heartbreaking lyrics. The arrangement is excellent here too; the arpeggiated guitar lines are so dreamy, and the moving between the brassy synth, and organy synth is really cool.
@rayboneor Feb 2022
This is really moving. So many of the verses hit hard. There's a welter of detail about the day--the man with the messed up leg, etc.--all leading to the gut punch: the question from the unchanged face. Somehow the synths have a warmth that underscores the emotion. And the flange guitar is superb. Your Mum uses your true name--there's a line to make one cry
@thedutchwidows Feb 2022
Wow, a really powerful song, but understated; I love the way the mundane details of the everyday contrast with the complex inner monologue. It's a really well-crafted lyric, particularly given what it means to you. I find it difficult to do raw, heartfelt emotion in a song without missing the mark, but this absolutely hits the bullseye. And it's beautifully delivered too. Very nice collaboration!
@jimdgreen Feb 2022
folky synth is not a genre music I though of . . . but it dam well works.
@paulh1237 Feb 2022
Powerful. Musically, the bass in the background is understated but great and those brassy swells in the second half of the song are ace. The verse with the mans messed up leg is especially well written and impactful to me. Great song.
@owl Feb 2022
A bit of a heartbreaking listen, thank you @chriddof for sharing these intensely personal lyrics and thank you @vomvorton for putting them to music so perfectly. I like the sound of the flanged guitar and the the synth washes behind it that add so much mood. The leg verse and the fruit machine verse in particular really struck me as encapsulating their respective messages in a vivid, concise, and powerful way.
@karlsburg25 Feb 2022
Wow they are some of the most powerful lyrics i've seen on FAWM this year. I had a read before i heard the music and wondered how they'd be reflected. And well done @vomvorton for producing a quite magnificent tune to fit the depth of the lyrics. I love the acoustic riffing prior to the verse. Really beautiful stuff guys
@richaaaay Feb 2022
Serious stuff. The line "Your unchanged face stares back at you
And you wonder if you’ll ever sing your song" hits hard.
Very personal but worth putting out there. Nice collaboration.
@vomvorton Feb 2022
You're very welcome, I'm glad you liked what I recorded, and I love the extra layers and FX that you added! It was an unusual experience singing somebody else's lyric when it's clearly so personal, but I'm really grateful that you asked me to do it! Really love the result.
@frenchcricket Feb 2022
Well this hit hard, having been in that exact place, if not that exact pub. Don't think I've ever heard your lyrics, Michelle... they are very honest and raw and beautiful. Somehow the fact that Vom sings your words lends the hook line a kind of irony. Beautiful collab.
@plushbaby Feb 2022
Love the tone of the guitars in the instrumental sections and the organ/synth sound that comes later in the song really adds to the mood.
The chorus melody is really great, the where you belong line really resonates and pushes through with your delivery. There are some great lines, the image of looking at 'your unchanged face' in the mirror is really strong.
'Fruit machines now have digital screens' is the sort of observation I really enjoy in a song and seems to sum up that sense of belonging you're singing about. Feeling out of place, but maybe with not many places to go...
Great work!
@kvnwoodruff Feb 2022
Great storytelling and matches the vibe of the instrumentation well. I love that synth too. Well done you two!