This entry is another slight detour from my usual sound, though when I started recording on the Zoombox, I found all the new options for rhythms and effects shifted what was normal, moving my recording in all kinds of new and interesting directions.

The tune has a mellow, bouncy kind of feel, very Euro. I think of The Stone Roses for some reason when I hear this, though I don’t know if the comparison is apropos. Regardless, I think Matt Hunter, my college suite mate, band mate, and musicologist when it comes to all things Euro would approve.

Lyrically, the song is a love song gone awry, a commentary on the difficulty of feeling genuine and finding connections in a post-modern world where image dominates and lovers are tainted by packaged notions of what relationships should be. Not particularly original, I know. But the lyrics (the chorus especially) are clever enough in their own way to do justice to the groove.

LYRICS

The Witness

A boy is staring at a girl.
She sees him standing there;
She tosses back her hair
And glows.

The girl smiles at the boy.
He’s seen this scene before
Played out on some TV.
He thinks she isn’t real,
The moment’s lost appeal.

The girl watches as the boy
Numbly turns away. Dismayed,
She feels betrayed, upstaged
By newer forms rolled out
On golden screens
And glossy magazines.

Once upon a time I might have had a reason,
A reason to start hoping I could be like you.
Forcing myself to feel a tender moment,
Feeling is something I could never do.

Pacing up and down these empty avenues,
The only thing I fear is that I’ve got nothing to lose.
Let it linger, let it hang around,
The little lie that tells you you’ve got both feet on the ground.

To listen to this tune, click HERE. To download, right-click on the link and select “Save Link As.” For best results, apply headphones. Thanks for listening!

(Written, performed, and recorded by David Stahler Jr. All rights reserved.)