Behind the Music (ryan)
the way this tune emerged really captures the vibe of village for me; it took a village to create. i wrote the song's chords and verse lyrics, todd wrote a beautiful melody for the lyrics, then robin wrote a great hook to my chorus part. keo's vocal improv added that special touch to the bridge and ben made the final arrangement adjustment.
a note of interest:
i improvised on the piano while i recorded Keo singing. the music i played is not the actual song, but rather something she could improv over easily and that was harmonically consistent with the song. then i found a few sweet moments in her performance and, in effect, "sampled" her. recording her this way sort of bypassed her intuitive improvisational constructions and allowed for a surprising, spontaneous and unique result when her phrases were transplanted. this technique also mirrored the sampling work i did for many instrumental parts on the record--i mine a small audio fragment, divorce it from its original context, and recreate it in a family of others who've gone through the same process. this is what God--and hip-hop--have always done.
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