Over

Back to the 4-track cassette box. This was a breakthrough song for me.

Up until this point I'd been happily playing in bands and writing forgettable indie-pop nonsense, but always felt I was missing something. For some reason I decided to start writing much more personal songs, and this was the first out of the gate. It was an immediate hit with both the band and the audiences. It's the only song of mine which has been covered by other people. I quite like how it starts out sympathetic but by the end it's sort of creepy.

In terms of the sound, I was totally pusihing what you could do with 4-track. There are stereo drums, bass, at least 6 tracks of guitar and three vocal tracks in here and it was a nightmare to bounce it all together. But I really knew exactly what I wanted it to sound like. I'd been obsessed for years with the sound of the Lotus Eater's THE FIRST PICTURE OF YOU (and still am to an extent) but it was totally out of fashion by tne mid 90s. However I just went for it.

I didn't know what I was going to do for the solo, but I had an idea of just playing two notes, but on as many guitars in as many different ways as I could fit on 4 tracks. I really like the way it turned out.

The only thing I regret is the heavy chorus on the clean guitar... I never played it like that live and don't know why I put it on here.

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posted by unSane (3 comments total)

OVER
words/music © J Brownlow

First of June, the sun so bright it burned your skin
You couldn't bear to be touched
Stumbling down that same old hill, you wouldn't meet my eye
Amd I said, "Don't it seem a long, long way from there to here,
Don't it seem like yesterday just disappeared", and you said
"Don't you know it's over? Don't you know anything at all?"

CHORUS
And I said
"I don't think it's over,
I don't think it's over,
I don't think it's over" x 2

Four AM, your favorite room. Wide awake, I open up the window.
Went back to bed and closed my eyes. Thought of your skin soft against your pillow.
Maybe I just got it wrong and didn't understand.
Found your number, watched my fingers dial, and then your voice said:
"Don't you know it's over? Don't you know anything at all?"

CHORUS

Drunk again in Camden Town, spent my last pound on I can't remember
Streets so shiny from the rain. Summer's here but I feel like December
And I don't really want to know who's going on with you
All I really want to do is have you back, but you said:
"Don't you know it's over? Don't you know anything at all?"

CHORUS to end
posted by unSane at 10:13 PM on June 28, 2010

Great sound, especially that solo. I hadn't read your description yet, but I also thought the heavy clean guitars on the chorus were a touch out of place. Not sure what could go there instead? What did you do there live? I have to say, I felt sympathy for the guy throughout the song, and I think that's because of your quality, earnest vocals.
posted by Corduroy at 11:06 AM on June 29, 2010

This was a really hard song to play live as a 3-piece. We did much better with it when we played it acoustically, which we did a few times on radio interviews. I used to have a compressor, volume pedal, and a RAT distortion pedal, plus a chorus going into two amps, to try to fill out the sound, but it was never a huge success on this song.
posted by unSane at 7:30 PM on June 29, 2010