"I know it's over
You know it's over"
The first two lines of "Boats Against The Current" that Eric committed to paper defined the song. This would be a break-up song, perhaps the ultimate break-up song. The third line needed some embellishment, so Eric made a few adjustments to his lyrics, crossing out and replacing one word for another to strike the perfect balance:
"But the story isn't ending
And we find ourselves pretending"
He changed "And" to "So" in the fourth line and then alternated between words for the last:
"And the years are slippin' away"
"And the years keep fadin' away"
"And the chance is slippin' away"
For the moment landing on:
"And the years keep slippin' away"
Disgarding everything but the first two lines, Eric then put pen to paper and completely reworked the balance of the stanza.
"I know it's over
You know it's over
We're just going through the motions
But we're sailin' separate oceans
Worlds apart
And you know it's breakin' my heart"
It's hard to say just how many steps were in between the first iteration and the last—perhaps all of the changes were done in Eric's head—nonetheless, the first verse was quickly 100% complete.
Then, at the piano, Eric jotted down chords and melody next to the lyrics of his first verse.
"I remember waking up at 4 a.m. one night with a couple of verses,'" says Eric, "or a verse and the chorus idea almost fully formed in my head. I had a notebook and pen next to my bed (as was my custom, back then ) and I just scratched out a few notes and went back to sleep. I heard the music so clearly that I didn't even get up and go to the piano to try it out. I woke up the following morning and went right to the piano. The song just kind of fell out, all at once, lyrics and music. I refined it over a few days, but it wasn't one I had to struggle with.
"I remember, at some point, wondering whether I should write a bridge for it, but, as with 'All By Myself,' I realized I had said everything I needed to say in the verses and the chorus. Sometimes, the song tells you when it's finished. Sometimes, as a writer, you work very hard to get it just right ('Nowhere To Hide') and sometimes it's almost like taking dictation ('Boats').
"Therein lies the great mystery that is songwriting. As Forrest Gump said, it's like a 'box of chocolates.' You never know which one you're gonna get."
Coming up next…the second verse.
6 comments:
I've always been enthralled with Eric's story how the song wrote itself. It's amazing to see the actual writing ... you can see how the song progressed to become what what it finally did. You get a small glimpse into how his mind works.
It's interesting to see the tiny changes - changing the word "and" to the word "so" - things that you wouldn't assume would make a big difference, but it's those small touches that make the song what it is - pure genius.
I can't wait to see more of Eric's notes - I always find things as simple as people's signatures, or handwriting, gives you a picture of the whole person. I'm sure the folder contains some pretty interesting stories.
Thanks so much Bernie for posting these journals, and Eric for allowing us to read them.
The notes in the margins are actually the notes of the melody. Interesting, that when I wrote them down, I was thinking in the key of "C", probably because it's the easiest key to visualize in when you're basically asleep. The song eventually wound up in the key of "G" because that was where the vocal felt right, but "F" is really my favorite key for piano. There's something really warm, dark and beautiful about the key of 'F" major. "G" is a little bit sunnier. I probably chose it because I wanted the dichotomy of "Row Row Row Your Boat" to be both sad and sunny. "G" major worked.
Eric
The original phrasing seems more perfect than the edit. I'm really glad to see these. Keep them coming, and thanks!
SSLittleD
Trust me - G was perfect. When I first bought the record in '77, my mother had a rather fast turntable - so it was more like A-flat on her console stereo. Brought it back to mine and heard G. Perfect key for an opening slow song (D comes in a close second for me).
BMP
I'm a guitarist, but I'd love to be able to play this song on piano (so the key of C sounds good to me - no black keys ;)
Is there somewhere to find or purchase the music?
even though i love i was made to love you & all the great eric's music my favourite cover of boats is by camilo setso check www.allonsongwriters.monsite.wanadoo.fr & my blog http://gloubiboulblog-stephorchestra.blogspot.com
Post a Comment