Happy Thanksgiving and Throwback Thursday!
Broken Things; A History
By JAKE RYAN
I have often described the act of songwriting as a very spiritual experience. Your body is like a conduit for something greater to channel through; and once the creative floodgates are thrown wide, you just let it move you.
Imagine you’re a magician pulling silk handkerchiefs from your sleeve. In this instance you are unaware of which color comes next, how many there will be, or how they all got tied together in the first place! It’s a very wonderful thing.
The story of “Broken Things” is nothing like that. This time I was the magician pulling silk, but most were grey, they were not tied together, some were in my pant legs, others in my shoes, and I wasn’t entirely sure they were even of the same cloth.
This is the broken story of “Broken Things.”
Inspiration
Many pieces now comprise what I consider to be one of my favorite compositions. Many folks have wonderfully approached me after its performance and proclaimed it to to be their FAVORITE! That really warms my heart:) It is to those I dedicate this story!
The song is not so subtly about a girl, of course. A special someone that found me in a pit of self-loathing. We found each other, rather. Each lifting the other. And for that I am forever grateful and indebted. I was resurrected. Fate had other plans from there, however, and the broken pieces of “Broken Things” were discovered through every season of 2014.
Swatch #1 -- Will I Remember This?
The first lyric to “Broken Things” was actually the pre-chorus/bridge section:
“Could I, could I have engendered this? Will I, will i remember this?”
(See, I did write that.)
After what I remember to be a fun spring day of hiking and running around my Bloomington homestead, I sat in my car, alone in my thoughts, and wrote those lines. Well, the second sentence/question there.
Needless to say, I was bothered and curious, but it was some time before I revisited the thought.
Swatch #2 -- Came Summer in Shades
In late spring, on the cusp of summer, the first verse came to me as I ran around in the rain, exploring with an... altered state of mind. I had broken from the group to pace the quiet space beneath the canopy in the park behind the Monroe County YMCA.
In its earliest form, “Broken Things” was called “Came Summer in Shades,” based entirely on the first verse. It was the only swatch of silk I had at the time, as I had not linked it to the previous lines. Sounds pretty optimistic and lovely as a verse, huh? But that was the only lead I had for a great while.
Swatch #3 -- Composure Breaks...
‘Composure breaks across a face as fine as painted porcelain’ came in early summer as I drove back to Bloomington from her house in Indy. The thoughts of uncertainty crept in, and I rearranged an old lyric -- ‘a sliver of light and a face of fine porcelain / met my gaze in the darkness of night’ -- into -- ‘composure breaks across a face as fine as painted porcelain.’
I knew the relationship was changing, and this lyric bore with it many apprehensions and questions.
Swatch #4 -- Soft Spot for Broken Things
The concept of ‘having a soft spot for broken things’ came at summer’s end. I sat my body lakeside and westward to the settling sun. As the tethered stars blinking into the pitch above, I realized how drawn I was to broken people. That I, myself, was broken also. The echoed sentiment is that everybody’s broken, but I feel a strong affinity for those that possess some hidden crack, something they hide so very well and carefully. Perhaps it is because I feel like I can relate or help them move past it and grow as a person. At least, that’s what I thought at the start of that realization about my nature.
Soon after, I would see that love and adoration alone cannot fix a soul that is not ready or willing.
Spinning It Together (Swatch #2 & #3)
Around the time I met Nick, “Came Summer in Shades” had undergone many transformation. Lyrically, I had only just tied the verse to the beginning of the chorus, the ‘Came summer in shades...’ through to ‘composure breaks across...,’ but I had no idea how that was supposed to make sense.
How could the verse be so positive and nice and the chorus so... not. Here’s a great spot to insert some of the melody and comping!
Comping -- One-upping Charlie Jesseph
My first live performances were in a metal band, from high school through sophomore year. That dissolved, and I found myself back at writing folk and singer-songwriter stuff. My first performance of that material was at Max’s Place in Bloomington, IN. There I had a chance to get my performance legs back, garner encouragement, and be inspired by local legends. Charlie Jesseph was one of those, with his milky soul vocals and superb live execution. He comes from a very musical family and knows far more theory than I ever will. Part of “Broken Things” was me sitting there in the booths at Max’s Place scheming, “I can do that... I will do that. I’m coming for you Charlie Jesseph!”
Now, be sure to note that Charlie and I have a great friendship, and I never bore him any animosity. His expertise did inspire me to take my voice and chordal arrangements to the next level.
Throughout this period of my writing, I was digging on some sweet major chords that incorporate a 5th in the bass. A second inversion, if I’m not mistaken. Here’s the C chord I use in “Broken Things” as it became:
(Wow, I don’t know how to shrink that photo.)
“Think It Wise,” the single from our upcoming album, features many cool inversions like that. Both came about at a similar time. Both inspired by Fleet Foxes. I think I was trying to create chords that were more complex in the low register, and therefore more interesting when played rhythmically. Or maybe because I have hearing loss in higher frequencies, and the bass spectrum is more interesting to me... whichever!
Originally, “Broken Things” had a completely different groove in a completely different key. I threw out the chord progression multiple times and started from scratch. Eventually, I had the form as it is now, with a simple progression and interesting voicings.
If you are ever struggling to find inspiration over a chord progression, try spicing them up. I’ve found many self-taught guitarists use way more open strings than musicians that followed a very specific structure when learning guitar, be it chord books or scale charts. Often, you can achieve a LOT of space and fullness by incorporating open strings in your chord voicings. Try it!
So, I had a semi-jazz progression that was sure to make Charlie salivate! Next came melody.
Melody -- Bobby McFerrin meets Jason Mraz
The melody for “Broken Things” would not be what it is without my good friend Jimmy Goddard. He has a falsetto like the Bee Gees with emotion kin to that of first love. After jamming with him in the fall of 2014, I wanted to amp up my falsetto game. It completely transformed the verses, adding a super gripping quality. You have no idea how hard it was to execute at first! I strongly encourage all musicians to:
“Write above your ability!” -JR
It my be hard now, but if you can imagine it, you will achieve perfection eventually. The best thing is not to feel daunted by that next level vocal line, or that super difficult finger-picking part you’re working on. You have all the time in the world to write it now, the rest of your life to perfect it (if necessary). Just challenge yourself! Eventually it will be easier, and you will be better!
Anyway, Jimmy inspired the falsetto in the verses. The melodic inspiration in the chorus I can only attribute to subconscious inspiration. I would start whistling the chorus and finish whistling Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Or just switch over to Jason Mraz’s “Only Human” for fun partway through. There’s nothing more fun than seeing inspirations after finishing a tune. Or the strange similarities you hear throughout its creation. It always rings true that we are a product of our environment. Everything we listen to, talk about, everything we do.
“True writers READ. True musicians LISTEN.”
Listening is important. Emulation is intrinsic. Make a point to expand your listening pallet and see what happens! The conduit of songwriting channels things you would never associate together. Like how your mind might weave the aspects of a day into a funky dream.
Knotting #3 & #4
The biggest breakthrough for the song came in the fall. I was pacing the floor, as is my wont, playing through “Came Summer” repeatedly. The chorus only had -- ‘Composure breaks across a face as fine as painted porcelain...’ -- and nothing else. At some point, I sang up to that point and the -- ‘I have got such a soft spot for broken things’ -- fell into place. It was one of those moments where you just stand there in a wash of emotion and surprise. This song that I had played a thousand times, no doubt knowing its purpose all the while in my subconscious. I always encourage songwriters to play through their projects indefinitely, even when they’re not “feeling it,” because at some point it may just click. So, now my chorus was finished and meaningful and everything I’d hoped it would be. It was a powerful moment.
Tying It ALL Together
After forming Mighty Brother in the fall of 2014, we looked at every song each one of us possessed. It was a long list! But we knew the album we wanted to create needed certain songs and qualities. So, we demoed every one of them to each other, sat in our piano/dinning room and fleshed out an album tracklist. “Broken Things” almost didn’t make it on. I had the first verse and chorus, but it was missing something that linked the vibe of the verse to the chorus. I wasn’t sold on it. Nick told me I had a week to finish it so we could start demoing in December. Exactly one year ago!! Ah! Just realized!
This week last year I was pouring over the lines of “Broken Things” and writing and rewriting. As you can see..
And also here...
I chatted with Charlie after an open mic, and he advised bringing the feel and intensity of the song down between the verse and chorus. That advice, and Nick’s subtle hints and impressions as I demoed line after line to him, shaped the rest of “Broken Things.” Swatch #1 -- ‘Will I remember this...’ -- filled out spatially and linearly in the bridge section.
For the album, I was to finish “Broken Things” and the lyrics to “Shake the Night.” Both on the album now, of course, but neither were completed this time last year. I realized these two were different answers to my relationship problem at the time. Opposite answers, actually. So it was a feat to delve into both directions for the music and inspiration. For me, songwriting has a way of providing clarity as well as muddling.
Tracking and Arrangement!
In the spring of 2015, Nick and I were inviting friends over to jam every Sunday. Hearing the soundscape fill out with bass (Quinn Sternberg) and percussion (John Valdez) was very rewarding. A big thank you to Nick for helping me communicate my vision to rhythm section! It’s so useful to have a drummer as a co-writer! John and Quinn nailed it, adding their own flair to the timbre of the song.
Came summer, we found ourselves at the Sleepwalk Record studio with the one, the only, Eric Day. John and Quinn laid down the rhythm with superb execusion, and I set to work on the guitar and vocal tracking a month later. We double tracked the guitars at Eric’s urging, I added a fun solo more or less in studio, Nick threw down those tasty harmonies, and I added those sweet guitar harmonics you hear in the pre-chorus:) It was really the most important aspect to the song, I feel.
But wait... There’s More!
At a last minute request, John Valdez swung by the studio during alt percussion day to add congas to the track. He steps up to the mic with a, “I don’t know what I would do... I’m completely unprepared...” and lays down some phenominal congas track to it, as if it hadn’t been keeping him up for weeks. Next, he grabbed a triange, A TRIANGLE, mind you, and tracks a really cool triangle layer. I don’t know that I’ve ever noted the triangle in a track before... I listen for them these days. And now you can too!
Ok, Wrap It Up
Alright, alright. “Broken Things” came together better than I could have thought, and it is a testimate to songwriting tenacity. I’m not the most motivated songwriter, by far, so I found that I could not have finished this song, one of many starts and stops and false-starts, without deadlines. And that allows me to part with some songwriting advice! (I just love quoting myself.)
“If you’re struggling to finish a song or lacking motivation, set deadlines!” - me
Do an open mic and attempt new songs every time. Set a date to demo that song you’re working on. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me and take a whole year to finish a damn song... Allow for some solace that it might turn out real tasty anyway. But keep at it! Lord knows I have a dozen that are already going on two years uncompleted... There will always be new songs, so just push through them. Find a songwriting partner that either encourages you, threatens you, or helps you finish those projects.
Peace for now, friends! I hope you enjoyed this glance over the shoulder. There are many plans in the works! Listen to “Broken Things” on our full-length album on iTunes on December 17th!