Like a Brat (2020 Version)

Robert James

2013 was a decent year, song wise. I came up with a few good ones during the RPM Challenge in February, and one good one during NaSoAlMo in November.

This version is faster, shorter, has a bunch of new key changes, and has a little bit of fat trimmed. It’s also a lot busier in the guitars and the drums. At the last minute I decided to add the radio tuning at the start. The 2013 NaSoAlMo was seven songs all connected with sound effects. It was meant to feel like you were tuning an old radio and hitting the different songs on different stations. Clever? not at all. Fun? Not really. Worth keeping for this version of this song? Probably not, but I did it anyway.

Someone I care a lot about was having trouble with a boss who greatly undervalued him/her and this song was written in defiance for him/her.

When I started this project five years ago I added scratch guitars to this song. I played my Fender Strat and instead of using a slide during the weird little breaks I used the whammy bar. On the original recording it was a slide. I think the whammy bar was almost… almost… cool enough to bring back for this recording, but I had to stay with my Gibson guitars and go back to the slide, even though I am the worst slide player on the planet Earth.

Speaking of guitars, everything here is a Gibson ES-335. All of the rhythm parts used a Fender Bassbreaker 15 amp. The leads used that Fender and a Vox AC15. There is a Klon KTR overdrive pedal on all of the rhythm parts, and a RYRA The Klone on the leads because with each passing moment I become more and more obsessed with Klon style pedals. Shoot me.

You feel the change is coming
you know the end is near
the situation is numbing
and the next move is so clear

what’s with this lack of respect
where do they get off with that
its what you’ve come to expect
acting just like a brat

I get it
I do
they can’t keep up with you
he’s threatened
you know
he knows you’ll steal the show
it makes sense
you see
that fear would be the key
so stand up
be strong
don’t have to play along