Suggestion: Read while listening to the song. 😉
I checked my old backup drive: the first recordings of this song were made in 2007…
To release a track 17 years later on my album Hidden Treasures (2024) is a weird experience, but a very liberating one…
It’s a testament to the inspiration, my resilience, the overcoming of my limiting beliefs, and finding myself again after a burnout.
For those who have been there, it’s no surprise – that takes time.
The name of the track says a lot. It’s about drawing a line in the sand and saying “This is me. This is what I have to offer. So make up your mind, but don’t push me around any longer”.
We often let things roll without setting boundaries. Sometimes we just need to confront the situation and move forward.
For those interested: in the section below, I dive deeper into the creative process.
How It Came Together
The inspiration started to flow while I was playing around on my acoustic guitar in drop D tuning. It’s the guitar part you hear all the way at the beginning. I recorded that into my DAW – as I always do with new inspiration, and added software drums and bass.
Once the groove settled, a rhythmical electrifying rock-blues riff came to me that is both strong and full of bluesy friction. This took place over the course of a couple weeks maybe.
Building a song is like a giant puzzle. You have all these pieces that you are slowly putting together, following the inspiration that you feel in your heart.
It’s a divine space of sounds, emotions, melodies, textures, chords, rhythms… It’s a beautiful place to be, and I am truly grateful to have access to this limitless source.
The sections of the song naturally flowed. I wanted to create some contrast with the attitude of the A section, so I chose a more gentle expression in the B section. There is a sense of hope that slowly moves into some tension before going back to the main riff again—including an improvisational solo guitar section that I played on a ’88 ES-335. I unfortunately don’t own that beauty anymore. I still love 335’s though – especially those from the 60s – which is definitely on my wish list.
In 2012, I took my demo as a guide track to record the final parts at Stagg Street Studio in LA – co-produced and recorded by Jorge Velasco. Drums were played by Iajhi Hampden, and bass guitar by Mike Torres (both touring with Macy Gray at the time) – amazing players, and I am honored to have them play on my record.
I continued recording in The Netherlands in 2013, where Mike Roelofs laid down some beautiful hammond parts for this song.
Having dedicated musicians play on your songs brings so much more than just the performance. It’s a layered experience that brought a lot of depth to my project. It’s their expression, their skill and talent that lifted my music to a higher level.
I also re-recorded all guitar parts, and added some new ones (even a resonator). I used my Gibson Les Paul Standard for the lead guitar part, but that improvised solo played on that 335… I just couldn’t part with. The vibe, sound and expression just resonated with me even after all those years.
So, there you go.
Take it or leave it.
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