recording regrets.

[sadie]

i recorded this song called "back to new orleans" the other night for my husband's uncle. the cd was in the door about an hour ago, and i know i should listen to it, but i don't want to. i'm quite unhappy about the whole thing.

we recorded in this guy's basement who said he'd been in recording for like twenty years, but the mic was set up all wrong, and i didn't say anything. and it was so hot in the soundproof room-turned bedroom that there were pools of sweat on my lower back.
and the guy who wrote the song and played rhythm guitar (whom i really do like) was all anal about phrasing and shit the night before, cramping my style (=O), and then after i recorded the lead vocals with him in mind, said "just do whatever you want with it. i have complete faith. you're awesome."
but it was late and i had to get my son home and i have no more free nights for weeks and he wants to get it out ASAP, so he can send it out to oprah and shit. and he was ecstatic about what i'd done.

but i wasn't. i wanted it to be more than just a thrown-together, tragedy-profiteering scheme. i wanted it to be my something in the name of this horrible tragedy. i know it sounds corny, but it's true. i wanted to really feel what i was singing, to channel from somewhere the hurt and anguish and engulfing grief and supplanted belonging that these people have been forced to endure. i wanted the harmonies to be just right. i guess i just know it could've been so, so much better.

okay. i feel better now. i'll let you know how it sounds 'cause i know you're just-dying to know.

[kahljorn]

That's a sad story.

[sadie]

sad. yes. i listened to the cd and it's not nearly as bad as i thought it would be. but the harmonies are way too loud, for one, and it just sounds thrown together. i'll post it if i ever get my pc fixed. at present, my laptop is ravaged even, so i can only go online at work.

[sadie]

eek! i just found out that a regional radio/tv company wants to use the song for a hurricane katrina memorial video they're producing.
and kevin's uncle wants us to come play it at his church one sunday. kev-kev doesn't want to, but i think it might be fun to growl for some methodists. he already asked if we could leave after we sang. :P

[sadie]

so i sang it for my advanced class, and they really liked it. maybe they just want extra credit.

[sadie]

another teacher came up to me while i was making copies the other day: "i didn't know you sang." um, yah. "i saw your name in the paper. it said you recorded some song about new orleans." um, yah.

someone else told me they heard it on the local am radio station.