Song Notes:
I got the idea for the song while remembering a University of Western Ontario, Gilbert & Sullivan cast party I attended on a cold night in the mid 1970s. The estate was off of Springbank Drive in west London and it was close to the Thames. It had beautiful oak panelling throughout and hard wood floors. The house and gate posts were made of smooth, river rock.
I arrived earlier than the people I knew in the cast, so it felt quite awkward while waiting for them in this estate house. The cast members who were there already were quite distant as they carried on in their cliques. It was almost a carry-over of the personalities they were playing on stage that night. There was a short, jean clad person wearing a tux and tails jacket and he had on these enormous furry, animal slippers. He shared a welcoming smile and walked in and out of the back kitchen. There were several groupings of female cast members who'd giggle quietly and look over at me ocassionally and when they did that it made me feel even more uncomfortable.
I don't think the show was The Mikado that night, but I had attended most of the productions by the G & S Society over the years and Mikado was certainly one of them. When I finished the music and lyrics in 2015 I substituted my feeling of the awkwardness I felt this evening and imagined how it would have felt if I was jilted by a girlfriend who started an affair with the leading actors - Nanki-poo. This Mikado character seemed perfect for this story. I added the Kreighoff painting "in the entrance hall" as Kreighoff painted many classic Canadian winter scenes.
I asked several people if they knew the house and they thought that the property was made into a subdivision and the house was knocked down.
I recorded the song in St. Louis at Brian Hermason's home studio. I knew the song would be a challenge as it's a long, ballad-rock song and required a subtle, constant build. The plan was to create a soundscape like Pink Floyd or a late Beatles tune and in some ways that's inherent. The emotion and vocal story telling took the song in a unique direction.
It's a straight up monitor mix, so a balance of tracks hasn't been addressed. The drums are a constant loop so shaping the song with a drum kit and its' dynamics will be supportive. The song also requires a few other overdub refineries.
I had a few songs ready to record for my St. Louis visit and wasn't exactly sure which song would be the best one to record. My son, Lee, was working at a construction site in West London, a week before I left and texted me to ask if I could drop some lunch off for him. I did, drove up the hill and had an urge to check out the beautiful houses on the street. Directly behind the house that Lee was working at was the stoney, stately manor. That was the affirmation I needed.
I got the idea for the song while remembering a University of Western Ontario, Gilbert & Sullivan cast party I attended on a cold night in the mid 1970s. The estate was off of Springbank Drive in west London and it was close to the Thames. It had beautiful oak panelling throughout and hard wood floors. The house and gate posts were made of smooth, river rock.
I arrived earlier than the people I knew in the cast, so it felt quite awkward while waiting for them in this estate house. The cast members who were there already were quite distant as they carried on in their cliques. It was almost a carry-over of the personalities they were playing on stage that night. There was a short, jean clad person wearing a tux and tails jacket and he had on these enormous furry, animal slippers. He shared a welcoming smile and walked in and out of the back kitchen. There were several groupings of female cast members who'd giggle quietly and look over at me ocassionally and when they did that it made me feel even more uncomfortable.
I don't think the show was The Mikado that night, but I had attended most of the productions by the G & S Society over the years and Mikado was certainly one of them. When I finished the music and lyrics in 2015 I substituted my feeling of the awkwardness I felt this evening and imagined how it would have felt if I was jilted by a girlfriend who started an affair with the leading actors - Nanki-poo. This Mikado character seemed perfect for this story. I added the Kreighoff painting "in the entrance hall" as Kreighoff painted many classic Canadian winter scenes.
I asked several people if they knew the house and they thought that the property was made into a subdivision and the house was knocked down.
I recorded the song in St. Louis at Brian Hermason's home studio. I knew the song would be a challenge as it's a long, ballad-rock song and required a subtle, constant build. The plan was to create a soundscape like Pink Floyd or a late Beatles tune and in some ways that's inherent. The emotion and vocal story telling took the song in a unique direction.
It's a straight up monitor mix, so a balance of tracks hasn't been addressed. The drums are a constant loop so shaping the song with a drum kit and its' dynamics will be supportive. The song also requires a few other overdub refineries.
I had a few songs ready to record for my St. Louis visit and wasn't exactly sure which song would be the best one to record. My son, Lee, was working at a construction site in West London, a week before I left and texted me to ask if I could drop some lunch off for him. I did, drove up the hill and had an urge to check out the beautiful houses on the street. Directly behind the house that Lee was working at was the stoney, stately manor. That was the affirmation I needed.