The Quiet One

uglifruit

Written/recorded for RPM2017 (album in a month).

The last song I wrote for RPM2017 (being entirely written and recorded on 26th and 28th Feb). It should be obvious that this is a tribute to George Harrison - I’d listened to the album “Brainwashed” in the car a few days earlier. The slide guitar parts were all compressed, hard, and doubled tracked for an approximation of that signature George Harrison ‘slide sound’ that he seemed to nail as soon as the Beatles dissolved.

The lyric is (also pretty clearly) a reference to lots of GH ‘things’. Beatles/Harrison nerds should try to spot them all. I was reminded of how many great songs Harrison wrote when looking at things to pop in here.

Being a song about/for/inspired by a guitarist, I took the opportunity to litter it with guitar - something I don’t often do. There’s basically an acoustic guitar solo tucked in there. Which isn’t very GH, but is quite pretty.

The chord at about 2m25 is me trying to evoke the opening chord of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’. It’s not in the same key, and I don’t have a 12 string Rickenbacker, but it is close enough that I’m pleased with it.

The dying seconds of this song see me doing an ‘old George Harrison’ impression (vocally) on the line “I me me mine was fine”. I’m not sure if it’s distasteful or charming.

The quiet one
Has got ‘Something’ going on
And he need you
He’s the darkest horse
He can’t afford his sweet lord
Cos he’s so fine
No thanks to Allen Klein

I’m inclined to believe all things must pass in time
Isn’t it a pity the quiet one’s gone

The quiet one
Told us all ‘here comes the sun;
Now the taxman’s been and gone
And he gently wept
Eventually accepted all those years ago
It wasn’t bad
(When he was fab)

Isn’t it a pity?

Isn’t it a pity
The inner light’s gone out
Without you
Within in my mind
I’ve got it set on you
As comfortable as an old brown shoe

The quiet one
When northern songs were done
Still gave us Harrisongs
La la lalala
Lalala
Hey George

(It’s been a long long long long time
Since I me me mine was fine)