Song Sources: “Blue Eyes”

This is part of an ongoing series about the recordings on our new album, due out in March 2011. To read more in this series, click on the category “Song Sources: Stories behind the recordings.”

“Blue Eyes” is a classic rock and roll song. Not usually much to say about those, right? My intention was to take the basic structure of a purely fun song form and see if I could add a nice twist. In this case, the verse lines could be construed as lies. After we recorded this one in the studio, I said to Jen and Chris, “I pretty much live in fear that some day, someone’s going to notice that all the narrators of my songs are assholes.” So let’s dig a little deeper into this one.

Yeah right. You know what’s better than me yakking about one of my songs? Bunnies. Here’s some bunnies:

And here’s some more, drawn by Lexa Hartman:

Okay, I’ll at least say this: The song contains Chris’s favorite moment on the album, in the third chorus when Jen adds yet another backing vocal on the “Oh.” This is our superpop/Powerpuff Girls moment of the record.This song also has my favorite percussion instrument on the album, a vacuum cleaner tube. Enjoy.

Here, as usual, for those interested, is the full song with the chords:

intro: E / A

A
Diamonds all shine in the dark
E                                                      A
Lovers don’t  fade from the heart
D                                Dsus2          A
The arrow never misses the mark
E                                                 A
Diamonds all shine in the dark

In winter the trees all stay green
Poets all write what they mean
The blind can see what’s unseen
In winter the trees all stay green

Chorus:

E                                 D                          A
Someday when I call you to my side
E                                                               D                           A
You’ll come dressed in gold like rain in the sunrise
F#m         A       F#m        A
Oh, Oh my blue eyes

Bridge: E  / E7

Some hearts stay intact when they’re stung
And withstand all the slips of the tongue
The air holes words that are sung
Some hearts stay intact when they’re stung

Heaven is a home in the sky
Where good people go when they die
You can have what you want now if only you try
Heaven is a home in the sky

Repeat chorus

Guitar wankery over the verse

Repeat chorus

Credits:

Jon Patton: Guitar, vocals, bass, and some piano craziness

Jen Parde: Piano and vocals

Tim Taormino: Drums

Chris Freeland: Percussion

Mixed by Chris Freeland at Beat Babies Studios, Woodstock, MD

Mastered by Mat Leffler-Schulman at Mobtown Studios, Baltimore, MD