Summer Is Gone

 

I started to think about the idea of putting a band together to play songs from the first two albums live. Songs like Estelle, Stand My Ground, Save Me Now, No More to name a few were ideal, but some of the other tracks with big arrangements, not so much.

To this end, I intentionally started to write some simpler guitar based songs which could easily be replicated live. Summer is Gone was the first of these.

Unusually for me, this song has only three chords. I feel that it only needs the three chords and there is enough in the dynamics of the arrangement to keep the listeners interested.

The ‘Summer’ concept is of course a metaphor for the intensity and whirlwind that happens at the very start of a new relationship. It can never be like that forever, but that’s ok.

I started writing and recording this song in about August 2023. Having recently worked with the incredibly talented drummer Steve Dutton, I asked him if he could play live drums on the track. He very kindly agreed, and once I had his parts loaded into the project, I very quickly recorded the rest of the instruments and vocals.

As I learn more about the craft of song writing, for songs like this I feel it is important to get to a hook as soon as possible. This is why before the singing starts in verse one, there is a little guitar hook. I also feel it is important to have dynamics. Starts, stops, accents etc.

So this song is not complex, long, ground-breaking or clever, but I think it fulfils the brief of being a good live song which would hopefully, get the audience on their feet.

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