The Sun Still Shines (when your heart is breaking)

A quick semi-impromptu-one-take-in-my-pajamas recording of a sad little Wilco/Elliot Smith-ish song that's been buzzing around my head. Using a crappy MXL mic which I really don't like, but was the closest to hand.

Features my shitty Travis picking which I'm ashamed to say I've only just learned. And not very well either!

The sun still shines though your heart is breaking
And the moon don’t care what mistakes you’re making

And the world still turns
When a fire burns

The dawn still breaks when the girl is leaving
The earth still spins when the boy’s deceiving

But the stars look fine
Most anytime
And the night will fall
And that is all

The wind still blows when your can’t stop crying
The seasons change but you won’t stop trying

And the earth might crack
For the love you lack
But the summer rain
Will come again

• play
• pause
• min volume
• max volume

posted by unSane (6 comments total)

Nice, man.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:54 AM on September 5, 2011

Apart from "You And San Fran" (a personal fave of all the uploads on MeFiMu) this is close to the best I've heard from you. The lo-fi recording is perfect and your vocal is spot-on. Good understated lyric too. A wee boaby-dazzler as they'd say in my home town!

Oh and I'm hearing a band version....with a plaintive pedal steel and some backing vocals..........not too much mind you, just enough.......
posted by MajorDundee at 11:45 AM on September 6, 2011

Cheers, you two. I really only had the first line and the riff yesterday morning but the first line suggested a shape for the whole thing, and the riff really perked up once I finger picked it instead of flat picked it. I've been doing a lot of finger style playing recently and its made for much more contemplative songwriting. I did try to keep the lyric really stripped down and simple too so I'm glad that worked out.

I can hear some harmonies and a pump organ part...
posted by unSane at 12:13 PM on September 6, 2011

i didn't know the term "travis picking" before this, so thanks x20 for pointing me toward that... I quite like the song itself; would be interested to hear a full band version but it's solid on its own as is.
posted by dubold at 3:39 PM on September 6, 2011

Thanks. This is a good, cheap introduction to Travis picking -- there's plenty on the web but a lot of it is contradictory. It's doubly confusing because what Merle Travis did isn't regarded as Travis picking these days...

I found it a godsend for accompanying myself on guitar, as a way of avoiding plain strumming or alternatively arpeggios that don't really have a rhythmic pulse, or alternatively are sort of metronomically eighth-note.
posted by unSane at 3:50 PM on September 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is one of my favorites of yours too. I really love finger picking. Regardless of style or technique, it always makes the experience more personal, especially for a song like this. I'd love to hear more like this!
posted by snsranch at 7:06 PM on September 7, 2011