Maybe It's Maybelline

This song is fiction. I was playing bass @ the barbershop one morning and I started working around this progression. I sang some words and happened across her name. Maybe I was thinking of the makeup. Maybe I was thinking about the Chuck Berry song. No matter what I was thinking I knew that was her name as soon as I uttered it. When the time came for me to actually sit down and write the song I @ least had her name.

It got closer to the end of the month and I knew I had to sit down and hammer this one out. I recorded the guitar and felt that it was very spirited so that became the arrangement. That gave me the framework I needed to write words. I knew needed three trips through the progression and a solo.

I started to see the three verse/chorus pattern as 3 acts to a play. The first verse had loosely given me the setting. This dude was either perpetually abusive or maybe things just got out of hand once. Either way he lost her and she was now with somebody that's probably awesome and treats her like gold.

To continue the story I used a muse, Ms. November 2009. Kelley Thompson's age and measurements where used for imagery. This established that Maybelline is young and hot. He really blew it. He's older than she is, I picture him in his early 40's, and the chance that he'll ever get a girl like this again is slim. She made him feel young and I get the feeling he really loved her.

In the final act I think we see that his actions have destroyed them and the guilt is heavy. On top of that the pain of living without her is taking it's toll. He knows he doesn't deserve her and actually wants her to be happy. He starts drinking heavily and his future looks uncertain. The saddest part of all is he has no one to blame but himself.

Erik laid down the solo needed and gave my some nice flourishes over the end. I hear the lead as the sound of a man crying over a glass. Then he grooved on the conga and rounded out the tune. Jay put a spit shine on it by tweaking the levels and adding some reverb. I dig how it came out and I love how rootsy it sounds while being a little poppy. Only one problem. We couldn't name it Maybelline. I would never step on Mr. Chuck Berry's toes like that. It would be crime against rock. It was Erik who suggest the name we settled on and I think it's perfect. Very tongue in cheek. A pretty cool tune overall.

Maybe It's Maybelline

Route 9:
Erik Brackett- Lead Guitar, Conga
Craig Morin- Guitar, Bass, Vox

thanks Jay for making it sound so good