We are one week out from the release of Always Been, and I wanted to share an early demo of “Bethany", one of the songs we’ve already released from the record.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how the gift of Giannini classical guitar from Steve Selvidge jumpstarted the songwriting that became Always Been. The first song I wrote towards this record was “Bethany".
I’ve never written a song that was such a starting point. It was not only the first song I wrote. It was the first song I showed Adam. It was the first song we recorded. We sequenced it first on the album. It is the foundation of the whole record. Writing “Bethany” opened up Always Been, and I became focused on making the record a whole world that the listener could walk into.
I had been thinking about this character- a disgraced former reverend. His world had come undone, partially due to his lack of actual faith. He was now staying at his parents’ summer place in the offseason, wandering the Delaware shore, trying to figure out where it went wrong and what he might do next. The details came easily. Sometimes songs just reveal themselves, and this was one of them.
The story in this song was fertile enough to provide me with the material for the rest of the record. When I wrote the next song, I imagined another part of his life and story. In “People of Substance”, he’s trying to appeal to his ex-wife. In “Crumbs” he stays with his sister. Both of those characters and situations are first mentioned in “Bethany".
I’ve never been much for fussy demos. This is a version where I’m simply singing into my phone’s voice memo function. This is how I do almost all of my demos. I figure if I can get a song to the point where I can play and sing the whole thing into my phone, then it’s ready for the next steps.
When I brought “Bethany” to producer Adam Granduciel, he helped me find a more laid back feel that suited the song and suggested a few small chord changes. He also added the solo which shines on the recorded version. But the seeds are all here.
Listening back, I know where a few of the details came from. I haven’t spent much time in Bethany Beach, but I have done a decent amount of time in Fenwick Island DE, and you drive through Bethany to get there. The line about caddying strikes me- as a teen, I knew some kids who caddied at a golf course. There were sometimes adult caddies around that gave an air of sorrow. Harrisburg is a place that is dear to The Hold Steady and the THS community, as we met our old friend Jersey Mike there.
Anyways, it’s fun to listen back here and think about all that was to come - many more songs, a bunch of trips to LA to work on the recording, late nights on the 101 coming home from the studio, etc. Some of it culminates next week upon release, but it will also be celebrated at the show we’re playing at Bowery Ballroom on Friday May 30.
Always Been is still available for order, and the limited edition companion book Lousy With Ghosts is also there, for now.
I look forward to sharing this world with you.
CF
Photo by Dan Monick
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