In Our Time is a song composed and recorded today, just as my One Day One Song Challenges dictates. However, the song had been stuck in my brain for a long town now. That is, the refrain including the hook and the arrangement. I wanted it to sound like an old Van Morrisson song, approx. No Guru No Method No Teacher phase.

The song started out at 6 p.m. when I sat down before my piano and gave the song a try. I had the song in my brain beforehand but not the words. I knew, I wanted it to be a song of the end of my own youth. Highschool almost over, the next stages of our lives in front of us, but having a good time.

9:00 p.m. - After the usual dinner break, back in the studio. The B3 organ took all of fifteen minutes as a basetrack, ten minutes for the bass track. Then added the first runthrough of vocals. The horn section was a bit more elaborate. I had to compose the little refrain booster, then played it on the (virtual) saxophone, copied the tracks and transposed them for trumpet and baritone sax. My own little horn section. To make it fuller I added the six-piece Memphis horn section on top.

10:15 p.m. - Background vocals. In the key of F I am stuck with my range one-sidedly, it only goes up, not down. Why didn’t i go to the key of A? A mystery.

11:15 p.m. - Song done. Actually, I am quite happy with the result. “Fetzig” as Germans might say. Shoot, I just missed Champion’s League.

Learnings:

Write better. I missed several lines because I couldn’t read my handwriting.

Do not record the song in the key you wrote it in. Optimize for vocal range!!!