Happy Day

A song about the pleasures and disappointments of meeting somebody new.

LYRICS:

I met her once at a party
When I brought her some wine
She said I think that I know you
I think I met you online
It was a happy day
It was a happy day

Every morning I woke up
To a dozen emails
That she wrote after midnight
Filled with breathless details
It was a happy day
It was a happy day

She'd laugh when she saw me
And say let's drink until dawn
But her phone would then ring ring
And then she'd be gone
It was a happy day
It was a happy day

She'd go weeks without calling
And my calls were ignored
She'd say she was busy
Her status message said bored
It was a happy day
It was a happy day

Every once in a while now
I will see her online
And she sends me a message:
"I want to see you sometime"
It was a happy day
It was a happy day

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by Astro Zombie (5 comments total)

This is a great distant cousin for that M. Ward song where he says "she's got one magic trick. Just one and that's it: she disappears."

Is that the uke? I like how it sounds arpeggiated with the distortion.

"... it's like now you see her, now you don't. You think you're going to get to know her, now, well you won't..."

She disappears.
posted by micayetoca at 4:44 PM on May 21

Yeah, it's the uke. I have been adding filters to make it sound like a big rock guitar, because -- well, I guess because that's the music I am writing, yet stubbornly insist on playing ukulele.
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:47 PM on May 21

Nice uke transformation, AZ. (I play a tenor. You?) For the longest time, when home recording all I had was an acoustic guitar, so I it was always process process process until I got something crunchy and nasty out of it. Fun times.

This puts me in the mind of a Stephin Merritt tune. Yum!
posted by barrett caulk at 11:34 AM on May 22

It's a bit linear? If you introduced some kind of rhythmic pulse or percussion about a third of the way through and then gradually added to it, it might keep the intensity building? 'cause it's actually quite an intense thing you've got going here and it seems to me that you need to keep ratcheting that up - but subtly. Liked the idea.
posted by MajorDundee at 4:52 PM on May 22

I love the distorted uke! The stacked vocals have a really nice gospel feel. Reminded me some of last year's Byrne/Eno album. It's a great juxtaposition of textures. Great song.
posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 6:26 PM on May 22