If you are at all familiar with previous Steve and Chris releases (including the first three 52 song project songs), you know Chris tends to write pop songs, Steve veers to love songs. So in the spirit of the New Year in the world, a new Environment Minister here in Canada and a new zodiac sign throughout this galaxy, queue a new genre for 52 song project: hate songs.
Song
Discussion
STEVE: I must first make a disclaimer about this song: to all those I have known, know now, and ever will know whose names in some way, shape or form sound, or look, like the name Elisabeth: I can assure you this song is not about you. (These people include, but are not limited to my brother’s girlfriend, my sister, several people I worked at summer camps with and my presumably dead cat. Oh, and the Queen).
CHRIS: You guys, Steve is hilariously and adorably terrified of insulting someone with this song. In fact, he could take his disclaimer even further and guarantee that this song is about no one he’s ever known (or even any person who has ever existed at all), but for some reason he doesn’t want you to know what it’s actually about. Which perplexes me, because I know what it’s about and can’t imagine anyone being upset, but Ima go with it.
STEVE: Terrified. I just mainly don’t want to hurt anybody. As much as possible, I live my life along the lines of peace, love, respect and all of those other overused and often misrepresented words, so I am essentially quite trepidatious about this, my first hate song.
CHRIS: You guys! Adorable! Anyway, what I find truly trepidatious is that this is by far the most rushed we’ve been to get a song out on time. In fact, even as we write this late (LATE!) Thursday night, the final mix, which must must go online at 9 a.m. Friday morning lest we violate our official contract with you, dear listener, is not yet done. So this week has been a bit nerve-wracking, but I’m feeling good about it now.
STEVE: Yeah, I agree (good about it), but me too (first time I have felt the pressure of writing 52 songs) (err… only 4 songs in). Starting to realize what we signed up for. This week’s song, I believe I can venture to say, goes into new territory for us: unaffectionate overtones, with a bit of a bluesy undertone. It is also our first pseudo-interactive song as it contains as much of a “raging guitar solo†as I can muster at this time (which was listener suggested).
CHRIS: It was also a remote collaboration. Steve wrote and recorded the main bits, then sent the files to me using Dropbox, and I did some editing, mixing, and added backing vocals. I then sent the files back to him so he could finish the drums and bounce the final file. Anyway, the first time I heard this song it got stuck in my head, and I respectfully hope it gets stuck in yours too.
STEVE: … hope it gets stuck in yours too. Gets stuck in yours too. Stuck in yours too. In yours too. Ella. Ella. Eh. Eh. Eh.
Lyrics
Oh Elisabeth! I hate you so!
Oh Elisabeth! You really suck my soul, suck my soul.
You make my young grow old
Oh Elisabeth, I hate you so!
I came to you, one night last year
For some shelter from all my fears, from my fears
I wanted hope, all you gave me was tears
It’s time for me to drive back north, my dear
Oh Elisabeth! I hate you so!
Oh Elisabeth! You really suck my soul, suck my soul
You make my young grow old
Oh Elisabeth, I hate you so!
Every one of your hours, feels like a day
I wanted to leave, but you got me to stay, me to stay
Your heart is of concrete, cold, dark and gray
And your eyes are two black holes several light years away
Oh Elisabeth! I hate you so!
Oh Elisabeth! You really suck my soul, suck my soul.
You make my young grow old
Oh Elisabeth, I hate you so!
I always tried to love you
I have a good heart that’s always true
But you strangled my smiles, you choked them blue
Oh Elisabeth! I hate you!
Credits
Chris Tindal: Backing vocals
Steve Salt: Lead vocals, electric guitar, percussion (tambourine and synth drums), bass
Words and music: Steve Salt
Illustration: Claire Salloum
Produced by Steve Salt and Chris Tindal
Another great song…Great work guys! I love how the song abruptly ends with the “Elisabeth I hate you!”
Nice one fellas! You’re 1/13th of the way through… keep it goin!
Is it Elizabeth New Jersey? Is there a prize if we guess?
Doug, where on earth did you find this information?? You may be on to something here…
Editor’s note: This post has been edited to remove JD’s many swears.
salt.steve: guitar solo approval?
raging enough?
me: oh! I forgot
I tried to listen this morning
salt.steve: hehehe
me: at 8am
but it wasnt up yet
salt.steve: 9
me: ill live blog my listening
good start
salt.steve: solo is hidden a little behind vocals
me: john mayer ish
salt.steve: woah, really? interesting
me: maybe john mayer with some seeger
bob
seeger
I like the guitar
standard Eagles
dooby dooby dooo wah
yeah, I know that riff
salt.steve: hehe
me: this needs some lap steel
and you know it
salt.steve: I HATE steel
blue rodeo, that is where I draw the line
me: that’s what this needs
I don’t know what’s going on in this part
I don’t like the break down here
oh
salt.steve: no, yes, you do
me: that was dissapointing
salt.steve: bahah
me: At the end there
it needs to come back!
how does it not come back@
wtf steve
salt.steve: leaves you wanting more! hit repeat
me: come back with the choros
no, that needs a pause and then the chorus with gang vocals
salt.steve: I know, but at your suggestion, my songs have been too long so i cut this one short
yeah, that is what i was going to do
me: I could have accepted the break down if the come back was there
but with out the come back
salt.steve: but it was at 3:13
me: im just confused
you know what you need to do
Bring it back home
add the extra 43 seconds
gang vocals
roaring guitars
go the extra mile man
salt.steve: score?
me: this song was good
but
I wouldn’t put it on the LP until it’s finished
you listen to that whole song now
and tell me that it doesn’t need to come home with the chorus one more time
you know it does
salt.steve: oh I know!
but the lingering leaves you longing, and you know it
me: no.
salt.steve: like watching an open ended movie
me: this song is not comparable to inception
it may be comparable to the Muppets take Manhatten
salt.steve: this song IS inception
compliment taken
me: I N C E P T I O N
E L I Z A B E T H I O N
salt.steve: woah
that’s just weird
so
?/10
me: solid 6
salt.steve: I need to know before I sleep
me: bring it home
i’ll give it a 9
that last missing minute
salt.steve: nice, I’ll take the 6, and rock it out to a 9 when we do it live
me: is worth 3 marks
yeah fair enough
always thinking
that live cd has gotta have something ‘special’ about it
I actually had a brief conversation with the cd store guy about this topic today
regarding Pearl Jams new live cd
aaaanyways
salt.steve: go on
me: Well
I asked him
if it was any different from their other albums
other live albums
cause they have hundreds
and he said no
so I says
So its just for people who can’t get enough pearl jam
and he’s like yeah
salt.steve: hehe
me: and im like, well, I can understand that
then he says, well, I guess the setlist is different
and I said, well I gotta go man, have a good one
that was the conversation
salt.steve: 10/10
me: yeah
You should listen to the Lifegaurds
Waving at Astronauts
is it good?
no
but you should listen to it
salt.steve: ok deal.
gotta sleep for now tho
cheers johnny d
me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev0ETlX9nss
Lifeguards-Paradise Is Not So Bad
chow man
Sent at 12:36 AM on Saturday
salt.steve: son
that is good
aand good night
me: yep
I should point out, JD, that Steve actually did originally want this song to come back with a big solo/chorus at the end (and even recorded the rhythm guitar for that bit), and I cut it short because A) it was getting close to 4 minutes, which makes me nervous, and B) we did NOT have the time to make it work. Live show, though. That’s where the magic will happen.
I blame Mubarak for the way you’re feeling and hope that this song has removed all hate from your heart for the time being. Tasha is still singing the song, and may I suggest that if you decide to produce this one that you get her to do some back-up during the chorus!! She also hates Mubarak a lot and can really tap into it!
This song was stuck in my head for most of last week. The ending catches me off guard every time. I love the song, but John is right… driving finish would make it quite fantastic.
love the bluesy feel of this song, even though it’s a hate song.
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