Songs: Make The World Go Blind

notes / gigs / releases

You've got the sharpest tongue that I have ever seen
I know the average, and you're above the mean
You've got a dirty mouth, I've got a filthy mind
Lend me experience, I'll pay it back in kind

Let's have an affair
And make the world go blind
Let's have an affair
And make the world go blind

I couldn't give a shit for what you've done before
The only flowers here are growing on the walls
You don't need loving looks, and I don't want to talk
Let's do each other until we can't walk at all

Let's have an affair
And make the world go blind
Let's have an affair
And make the world go blind

And at the death of night
We'll make the bed of lies
And say we tried
To make the world go blind

He waits for Sunday papers as he's walking back
She hears the early morning noises of the flat
Another victory you think you might have won
But it's so hard to tell when staring out the sun

Let's have an affair
And make the world go blind
Let's have an affair
And make the world go blind

We both know why we're here and
We both know what we're after
This is not the time or place
For music or laughter
Future reminiscences
Politely declined
There's no time for taking pictures
When you're making the world go blind

Published by Wipe Out Music Publishing

I honestly can't remember a terrible amount about how this song came to be written. I recall sitting in the sunshine on the little chair in the kitchen with my back to the wall getting quite Excited about it, but the notes I wrote at the time on my website say that it was written late at night and came from nowhere. I must have really liked it then, and played it a LOT - the thing I DO remember is that it used to have really high singing in the choruses, and sounded (in my mind at least) like Radiohead.

CHALLENGING myself, that was the idea. Similarly, the "death of night" bit was me trying to write the MUSIC as it happened, rather than according to RULES, and that's why it's all over the shop (and thus took us AGES to work out how to play). From the start it was a Band Favourite though, as it gave VENT to our more ROCKIST aspects, and the recording of the basic track was very easy indeed. My favourite bit is behind "and say we tried to make the world go blind" in the middle - listen! That's ME playing proper ROCK GUITAR! I was SO proud.

Originally the words ended after the chorus after the middle bit, so what is now the "We both know why we're here" bit was originally a lengthy PROG JAM, intended to be fading out. However, I got to thinking that it sounded too good to do this, and during the lengthy period between recording and mixing worked out new words to go there. The whole song's pretty BLEAK as it is already, but I wanted to make more of a Point about the Degradation of this kind of One Night Stand lifestyle. Someone very close to me had recently broken up with his girlfriend in very unpleasant circumstances, and had embarked upon a SPREE of such unpleasant behaviour. I found it all extremely nasty and upsetting, so I wrote that bit as a result.

I also talked to him on phone and in-pub, I wasn't just using LYRIC POWER, and it all worked out OK in the end, so fear not gentle reader, sleep well.

So anyway, it was a long time between basic track and vocals, and for me it was a time filled with FEAR. In the safety of my kitchen and in the deafening ROCK of the practice room all was WELL, I could WAIL the high bits as much as I liked without fear of REMARKS, but naked in the studio (not really naked, obviously, the heating wasn't working) it was a different matter. On this song even more than any other I must pay tribute to the TACT of Mr Kev Reverb. I had SEVERAL attempts at singing the chorus with the vocals RISING throughout, and after each he would make constructive comments, my favourite being "Mmm, some... interesting notes in there." Bless.

Not the most confident singer at the best of times I GAVE IN, and recorded a really dull monotone version instead. When we came back to it a few weeks later to do the TRUMPET, however, The Reverb was UNDIMINISHED, and he made me do it again. And again, and again, and indeed again, GOD BLESS HIM, until we'd worked out the vocal "melody" and performance you hear on the track. Honestly, if you think my singing's a bit ropey be aware that but for the grace of Kev it would have been a LOT worse.

Let's also pause a while to listen to that fantastic ROCK VIOLIN. If Tom was in the studio he'd usually give me a lift home, as he lived just around the corner and is a Nice Man. Unfortunately I'd usually have just spent four hours drinking LAGER and getting A Bit Excited, so he would have to endure me going on and on, all the way home, about how GRATE we were and a variety of Thoughts And Opinions About Recording Techniques (much like what you're reading now!). Around the time of this song I was expounding about how he should see his role as LEAD GUITARIST, rather than fiddle player or something, and was encouraging him to ROCK OUT as much as possible. He recorded this track live with all the effects up LOUD, and I knew then he was MADE of SHEER ROCK.

And while I'm at it, may I also commend The Mighty Rhythm Section? It still AMAZES me to look back and see Tim drumming there, as he is GRATE and he's toured America and EVERYTHING, and look, there he is in MY band! BRILLIANT! And Rob DOUBLE ROCKS on this one - listen to that trumpet! Isn't it BRILLIANT?

So yes, the words may have fallen out quite easily ("I know the average and you're above the mean" is NOT something I'd have written had I been concentrating) but there was some ROCK POWER invested behind the scenes. ROCK!