Alecjweatherwood’s Weblog

Sometimes, all it takes is a moment.

The moment Sebastiaan sent me the mixdown of Better Days, the first track I recorded for One from the Heart, I knew that this album was going to be a fact. Up until then, I had always toyed with the idea of really going the distance and paying money to record my songs in the quality I felt they deserved. Then, at the actual recording session, things went smoothly, but it wasn’t until I heard the completed song for the first time that I felt yes, this is good enough, this is something I would listen to myself. And that has always been my threshold: if what I make is not interesting enough for me to listen to, then why would I bother other people with it?

Listen to Better Days at El D’s MySpace (third track):

www.myspace.com/alecjweatherwood

The song has an interesting history; I made the beat back when I was studying at University College Utrecht, and in those days one can say that alcohol was never far away. So, I had a few beers with my friends and suddenly I was struck by an irresistible urge to make music; I ran to my equipment and did not leave it for the next few hours. The result was a file on my computer with the beat entitled ‘beer beer beer’, by way of respect for the drink that got my creative juices flowing. At the same time, I made the hook, which came naturally (as if the beat was asking for it) and the first verse.

The second verse was added later, and originated from something else. As it happens, I was asked, being the resident rapper, to write a rap for a promotion DVD for the aforementioned University College. This verse turned out to fit so well with the beat and verse I had written earlier for Better Days that I could just fit it in and produce the beat around it.

Not only in terms of flow, but also in terms of meaning the song congealed very nicely. I once planned to name an album A Celebration of Diversity, which is basically what the second verse is all about: enjoying crude and sophisticated humour, seeing traditions from Homer to poetry slams, respecting smart literature and smooth music (from Toni Morrison to Tony! Toni! Tone!) and so forth. The second half of the verse is dedicated to the College, where I describe my studies as ‘dancing in the dark’, a reference to the great Björk/Von Trier movie. And yes, I was actually at one point member of the Poetry Committee, which was amusingly called “The Big Bad Nightingales”.

In the sequence of the album, I knew from the beginning that this had to be the second song. The second song on a hip-hop album is for me always an important point: you have to draw in your listener with the first full track after the intro and set the tone for the rest of the album. One from the Heart is essentially an optimistic journey with some somber, bitter and sad moments, so it’s only right that it starts doubtingly with Rooftop Reflections (Winter) and then flowers into the main theme of optimism.

Stay tuned for part 3 where I will delve deep into Rhymes and Riddles.

Trust me. I’m telling you stories.