Day 4: The Snap
“Have you ever been told
that a heart’s grown cold,
and it came as a big surprise?
All at once, what was all
hellos and hugs,
become the sounds of
all sad goodbyes...”
Today’s Songs
What a Shame
Lex Land, 2019
These Foolish Things
Eric Maschwitz & Jack Strachey, 1936
You had heard some stories before.
But you knew them better than all that.
They could never… not to you.
The two of you were too close.
Until, well,
today…
Today’s Cocktail:
Bourbon Soda
Reason:
Emotionally, you’ve been completely suckerpunched. No other image portrays shock and heartbreak quite like a person, sitting, defeated, leaning forward at a bar counter sipping bourbon out of a rocks glass late at night.
There’s still a little fizz, a lingering shadow from the lighter “before.”
Recipe:
2 oz bourbon
sparkling water
this one’s pretty straightforward: for a stiff one, use a rocks glass. for something more sip-worthy, use a highball. pour bourbon into your chosen glass with ice, top with soda water. If you have bitters, a few drops will give it some nice dimension. For the true “on-theme” masochistic effect, don’t add anything to it.
For an almost-no-alcohol variation, add a few drops of bitters to your soda water.
For a completely free-from-alcohol variation: with a smoky black tea or herbal cinnamon tea, create a “concentrate” by steeping just a little hot water (not a full cup) over your loose leaves or tea bag for the recommended time. Use your tea concentrate as a substitute for bourbon.
While making your drink and taking your first few sips, use this performance of pianist Keith Jarrett performing one of the most devastating songs of all time as your soundtrack.
Today we’re just closing Side A of the album, and right on time, where things were light and gay and exhilarating- there has been a change.
We are plummeting to the depths, and are only getting started…
1
What a Shame
Have you ever been told
that a heart’s grown cold,
and it came as a big surprise?
All at once what was all hellos and hugs,
become the sounds of all sad goodbyes,
And you wallow and pine
for all the lost time,
and expect all the tears you’ll shed,
And you babble and whine at the midnight chime,
and these are the words it says?:
“What a shame-
you thought you might just fit.
Yet what remains?
Did you learn anything from it?
You showed the hand you were dealt.
The deep admiration you felt
was the bet, and you lost the game,
But at least you played.
What a shame!
What a shame!
You thought you knew the stakes,
and what could replace
his tender warm embrace?
Just when you thought you’d found light
in the dead of the night,
you awake to find that’s not the case,
At least you got a taste-
but what a shame...
Tick, tock, now you’re sleepy,
quite alright to go ahead and dream.
Rest now, for you’re weepy,
and this darkness will be gone
in the bright of the dawn.
What a shame...
you thought he’d be The One.
We all make mistakes,
but now it’s said and done.
You took the hit from the toss,
but in the end it’s his loss,
for you really are quite first-rate -
Yes, it could have been great.
What a shame!
Yet another smothered flame,
what a shame!”
SONG #1
What a Shame was written in the spirit of ballads, torch songs, and other early-to-mid-century songs painting the picture of some lovestruck fool crying into their beer in some dive late at night.
Some that come to mind are Drinking Again, One for My Baby, or even Lush Life, or… surely countless others.
Reminds me a little of the “Dark Cafe Days” Joni Mitchell talks about in The Last Time I Saw Richard:
“And he told me, ‘All romantics
meet the same fate
someday- cynical, and drunk,
and boring someone
in some dark cafe.
You laugh,’ he said,
’you think you’re immune,
Go look at your eyes:
They’re full of moon.’”
Drinking Again:
Lush Life:
One for My Baby:
Me and My Shadow:
(notice the Album title?! 😜)
Each month, I write and release a song exclusively for and to the members of The Vault, (the songs include prompts actually submitted by members, as well). Once a year, I supercharge this process and create a song per day in an annual challenge I call “7 Songs in 7 Days.”
What a Shame was written during the 2019 iteration of this yearly songwriting bootcamp, and it was not only one of my personal favorites from that year, but also, I felt, one of the strongest in that batch.
This is the original writing document for this song (June 11, 2019) - I call these the song “worksheet.”
Many songs we know from the early 20th century feature an introductory section before the primary “meat” of the song. Because in jazz and other earlier songs we don’t refer to sections as “verse” and “chorus” like we do for more modern music, we call this introductory section a “verse.”
It is reminiscent of “recitative” in opera - where, while the whole work is sung, not everything that is sung would constitute a “song” per se. For this reason, there is a distinction: in opera, the big, emotional, relatable, and memorable moments happen during an aria of a work, and the sung dialogue that takes place throughout the rest of the work, what pushes the actual plot along, is referred to as “recitative.”
It’s not really surprising that you’ll find these “verses” at the top of so many of these songs, as so songs that we just call “standards” today actually originated in stage productions or musical films.
Of course, my song is not from a stage production or musical film, but I love to include a “verse” when I write a song in this style. It’s a fun challenge, and helps frame the “aria” part of the song (the relatable, emotional moment) with some more context.
Here are some other tunes of the era that feature an introductory verse:
Night and Day
“Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tom…”
Bewitched
“He’s a fool, and don’t I know it…”
Singin’ in the Rain
“Have you ever suffered that horrible thing…”
2
These Foolish Things
(Remind Me of You)
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you.
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumblin' words that told you
what my heart meant
A fairground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you.
You came, you saw, you conquered me.
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be.
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings, but who's to answer?
O, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you.
How strange, how sweet, to find you still
These things that are so dear to me:
They somehow bring you near to me.
The smile of Garbo, the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
A song that Crosby sings...
These foolish things remind me of you.
SONG #2
These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) is another standard often included in the “Great American Songbook” genre that in reality originated outside of America - by brits again, Eric Maschwitz and Jack Strachey.
Maschwitz wrote this along with some other tunes for a late-night revue broadcast for BBC. Among the others? A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.
Legend has it that cabaret singer Jean Ross - a former love interest from Maschwitz’ youth - inspired this timeless song from 1936.
There is a set of lyrics that is typically sung in this piece, but because the form is rather short, I was looking for an interesting way to make the moment last a little longer. Fortunately, there are many variations of the lyrics that have been sung over time, and I was happy to include some that just-so-happened to fit my sentiment -
These songs that I love so much, the common interests we shared - they remind me of my former friend, and it helps keep that memory of the good times close.
Since we’re in the habit now of including a Nat King Cole arrangement of just about every song on the album so far, and because the album cover portrays EXACTLY the sentiment I am talking about for today’s songs, I had to include it.
Also to note: here he uses even another set of different lyrics which are not often sung by more contemporary vocalists!