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Credits: The bass, the keyboards, the rhythm guitar, and the solo guitar are played by Cem. The drums are programmed by Cem. The vocals are sung by Cem. This song was written first in the fall of 1993 and later composed in February 2022. This track was recorded in October 2022. It was released in December 2022 with the rest of the album.
Conception: After finishing the family songs, I wanted to work on other pieces based on my ideas. I picked up on a song I wrote when I first came to the USA in 1993. I remembered the chord progression and the melody but not the verses. I decided to write one non-instrumental piece that followed a standard song structure with an intro, verses, chorus, bridge, solo, and outro. I wrote the lyrics (shown below) after several iterations with some help from my son. Following my guitar instructor’s suggestion, I changed the drum beat, the bass, and the rhythm guitar melodies and also introduced a bridge to keep the listener’s attention throughout the song. Further, I embellished the vocals with solo guitar phrases. The toughest part was the vocals. In the beginning, I searched for vocalists but then decided to record it myself after learning the Flex Pitch feature of my DAW Logic Pro X. Finally, I had to introduce keyboards to support my voice.
Execution: The song opens up with an energetic rhythm. The solo guitar embellishes the intro. As the rhythm changes, the vocals pick up. Towards the end of the verse, the bass speeds up, and the solo guitars are introduced to build momentum for the chorus. The second part of the chorus is embellished further with the solo guitar. Song transitions to the second verse. After the chorus, the bridge slows down the song. The vocals ask the listener to reflect on the verses. A short solo picks up right after the bridge. After the solo, the song closes with a short verse and a fading chorus.
Mechanics: The song is written in B minor with 4/4 measures at 120 bps. The main piece is composed of four chords – Bm, G, Dsus2, and A (1-6-3-7). The bridge is composed of four chords – F#m, A, C#m7, and E (5-7-2-4). The solo guitar uses mainly the B minor scale emphasizing triad structures (the first time in this album). The drums, the bass, and the rhythm guitar change across different sections of the song (the first time in this album).
Lyrics:
Watching the days pass me by, searching for meaning before I die.
Craving for comfort, any reason to stay alive.
No use in getting mad. We have been dealt the same bad hand.
We love. We hate. We dream and wait, then realize
It is a lie. A big lie. It is a lie. Can’t deny the big lie. It is a lie.
Living in an illusion to deal with all this confusion.
In a story we tell that can never end that well.
Lost in a dream space, wasting time in this lonely place.
We wonder why we laugh and cry, then realize
It is a lie. A big lie. It is a lie. Can’t deny the big lie. It is a lie.
Maybe we can break this spell. Nobody knows, who can tell.
Millions tried and failed before. Could not see a way out from this hole.
Can we handle what we seek? Maybe we are all too weak.
Our lives are passing by, and we all chose to live with this lie.
We live and die. We wonder why, then realize
It is a lie. A big lie. It is a lie. Can’t deny the big lie. It is a lie.
Here are private notes.