As I finish up posting my second weekly video in the various places it can be posted, I am stunned at just how many details must be attended to from start to finish.  A week is almost not enough time just for the technical aspects of the thing, let alone getting a song written!

I was laughing right from the start of this project as I strategically placed my camera-laden tripod wherever I needed it to be to gather the shots I envisioned for my opening credits sequence.  I very much want this to be a mini-mini-series that has the potential to take on a life of its own if people decide they like it and share it with friends/keep coming back for more.  When I started conceptualizing the ending credits sequence I originally had something like this in mind:

I wanted to use as many of the silliest and random Hollywood film crew titles I could think of and have scrolling credits all with my name as the one filling the positions--because I have done it all myself.

Of course, I couldn't figure out how to make the credits scroll since I'm using new and unfamiliar software to edit my videos, so I decided to keep it simple, and somewhat serious.  After all, I do want the music and the concept to be taken seriously. 

In the end, however, I have to remind myself that what I have embarked on is a strictly "demo" quality project.  No matter how cool and fancy I am with my twinkle-lights-saftey-pinned-to-an-old-bedsheet-backdrop, I'm still pushing the envelope trying to write a complete song and have it performance-ready in just a week.  I mean, I've written plenty of BAD songs in a week or less.  But I want these songs to be good.  And a week actually flies by pretty quickly when you aren't paying attention.

So even though I'd love to have all kinds of high-tech and slick production values, there simply isn't time, and I don't have all the tools at my disposal anyway. 

Like this week's video, for example.  In a perfect world I would sing along to the  footage until I had the phrasing nailed, and then redub the vocals with a better mic set-up.  In reality, I just don't have that kind of time available to me right now.  Especially if I want to keep to the weekly schedule.  Which I do.  So that's the way it goes.  I'll tweak every week, and hopefully it won't take too long before I have a really solid system in place.  In the meantime...

This week's video is kind of imperfect sound-wise, even using the mic set-up, which I didn't have the first week.  In the end I still didn't get the sound I was looking for, so I defaulted to the audio saved in the original video, using only a tiny bit of the extra audio track for support.  Despite my best efforts, I feel the audio is a little muddy and that the lyrics get a bit lost. 

So for anyone who needs a little help... here they are!  Enjoy and see you next week!


The One Who Stays
By Kim Davidson
(c) 2009

Here’s a little bit of history, it almost killed me last time

One minute everything was perfect, then it all turned on a dime

He was the one who said he loved me, he was the one who raised the stakes

And then just like that he took it back, and he shrugged and walked away

And I still struggle every day with the understanding why part

It’s far more risky than I realized to give someone your heart

But here I am again, on that old familiar ledge

Don’t feel like stepping off this time, though you’re down below with arms outspread

And you’re asking me to trust you, and I really want to try

But your words will not convince me, ‘cause it’s words that make up lies

Yeah I’ve been so broken baby, but I still want to believe

So if you want me to surrender, then this is what I need

CHORUS:

Could you be the one who stays?

Could you be the one who stays?

Maybe you could be the one who stays...

Well he said all the same things that you’re saying to me now

And it all turned out to be a joke, so you know I can’t allow....

Myself to lower my guard and fall for it again.  ....

Even though you’ve never hurt me, and I know that you’re not him… ....

But he was just as good as you are ‘til he threw me to the wolves....

So I don’t need your empty sweet words--baby, I need proof!....

(CHORUS)

BRIDGE:

I don’t want to be this way, always holding something back

But there’s nothing you can say, yeah you’re gonna have to act…

So show me what you’re made of, show me that it’s real

And never give me words, give me something I can feel...

CHORUS:

Could you be the one who stays?

Could you be the one who stays?

Oh if you could be the one who stays...

Maybe I could finally let this pain and doubt fall away

(CHORUS)