Alpha Male

1 week ago by @reinderd

Alpha Male

reinderd

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Liner Notes

I said I'd return to the theme of escaping to safety from "Our Lives Are Crime" this month, but I didn't expect to do it so soon. But I needed an easy thing to work on and this song has been on my docket for … decades! I started it in the late 1990s as just a groove, possibly not even with the same chords, I don't recall, but definitely with that same chug. I set it aside, then returned to it in the late aughts and came up with the title and a completely new set of lyrics; I replaced the lyrics again when I recorded the backing track in 2023, used 10 seconds of it in a 10x10 challenge in 2024, and now I finally #finished it.
Well, sort of. I left room for a melodic guitar part and a guitar solo if anyone wants a go.

Finishing it happened at the expense of the ambiguity that was present in what I had. I resolved it, and made it clear that in this case, the narrator is not a good or trustworthy person. Whether the titular alpha male is? Probably not, but the narrator definitely isn't safe to be around.

Vocals were done in a single take - I did three full takes, the first of which was a rehearsal that I didn't record, the second had a technical issue, and by the time I got to the third I was already starting to lose my voice from going too hard on the manic expression during the previous attempts. Not that it matters that much; I don't think I had a better take in me and I don't want to keep my neighbors awake all evening.

@wylddandelyon 's "Finish It" challenge: "We all have songs we never finished. Maybe they need a tune, or words, or they have only a chorus or a key line or two.

I challenge you to finish some of them, and tag it #finished "

Lyrics

Verses F-C-G-Bb-C
Choruses D-C-F-C-G x2, then F
Guitar solo section 12-bar structure in G followed by G-D-A-C-D

Verse
Your alpha male
He struts his stuff
Well stuff his strut, baby, ain't you had enough?

He's like a peacock
A golden goose
I've got a warning for you, time to cut him loose.

Your alpha male,
He doesn't want you
Responsibility is not his favorite thing.

He find you useful,
He'll find you wanting.
He'll keep you in his cage till all you do is sing.

Chorus
I've got news for you about your man
Time to run away while you still can.
And the man you should run with is me

Verse
He’s off the rails
He’s gonna hurt you
You need to get away and isolate from him

Just come with me,
I will protect you
Don’t waste a minute girl, today it’s sink or swim

You bring the cash,
I bring the passports.
A new identity and everywhere to hide.

We’ll find a gig
A good street corner
A shared investment where you keep me on your side

Chorus
I've got news for you about your man
Time to run away while you still can.
And the man you should run with is me

Solo section
Modulated section
Verse

Your alpha male
He had it coming
Under the floorboards is a fitting resting place

No more abuse
No more gaslighting
If there’s a problem I will tell you to your face

We’ll stay off-grid
And off the record
And we’ll establish our perfect comfort zone

Just one more thing
It’s not safe out there
Stay in the area don’t venture out alone

I've got news for you about your man
Time to run away while you still can.
And I’m sinking my claws into you.

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