FAWM: "Somebody Else"

Somebody Else

1 week ago by @davidtaro · @danvaillancourt

Liner Notes

David Taro - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Lyrics
Dan Vaillancourt - Vocals, Bass, Mandolin, Banjitar, Electric Guitar, Tambourine, Lyrics, Production/Mixing
Mason Rosenfeld - Drums

David says: I wrote this little verse/chorus that suggested an alt-fock-rocky-kind-of-a-vibe, which I felt deeply unqualified to give it by myself. Luckily, I know someone who's very good at that kind of thing! Step forward @danvaillancourt, mandolin, banjitar (?!!), a friendly live drummer, and a talent for writing brilliant bridge sections for other people's songs. Dan also brainstormed lyrics in the verses and choruses, so this felt very much like a collaborative affair!

Dan says: I am always excited when David sends me a song idea to help with and lets me come along for the musical ride. Plus this was a good excuse to write a mandolin solo for a proper newgrass breakdown. David always has good mix feedback, which usually includes making me sing more (instead of just hiding behind the banjitar…) and of course he always sends a few extra tracks of his own to add in for a little extra ear candy and polish. Here we go! 🪕🤘🎶

#folk #newgrass #folkrock #realdrums #mandolin #banjo #rockandroll #upbeat

Lyrics

V1
Maybe you do
Maybe you don’t
Feels like the whole wide world is waiting

Maybe you’ll fail
Then when you fall
Those vultures you call
Your friends won’t be there then

Chorus:
But all this thinking
This negative thinking
Your heart keeps shrinking
While you stand there blinking
Back the tears you’ve tasted
All the money you’ve wasted
Been all these years
Pretending you were somebody else
Somebody Else (4x)

V2
Maybe it’s real
Maybe it’s fake
Maybe the drugs you take ain’t working

Maybe you could
Here’s hoping you can
Cast off the hangers-on and also-rans

-Chorus-

Bridge:
Looking back to your youth
When you lived out all your truths
Is it too much to ask
Before you put on your mask
To hide from yourself
In front of everyone else

Ending chorus:
And it’s got you thinking
Yeah it’s so convincing
If you follow your heart
And you’re back to the start
So alive and youthful
Could you change, be truthful
After all these years of
Pretending you were somebody else

Comments

@treerose 2d

Oh my gosh! I wasn't expecting this to be this fun! I can totally see a whole room of people singing along with the chorus!

@owl 2d

Really fun groove, I love the layers of acoustic instrumentation (that solo!) and the vocals are wonderfully rough and raspy without sounding harsh. Love the “somebody else” response backing vocals too—great touch.

@philnorman 5d

The pop-Americana thing (Lumineers / Mumford & Sons) just shines through. This is delightful from the lyric to the production to the perfect backing vocals at the end of the chorus. With a time machine back to 2010, this is a fucking hit. We can quibble over "newgrass" at the pub.

I love the cadence and rhythm of the lyric, especially in the chorus. And oh, that chorus. So well written and so catchy, and the last variation holds up just as strongly. Most of all, I adore the heart and spirit of this -- it's insightfully cutting yet so encouraging. Gold star collab. ⭐

@anthonykapfer 5d

i know everyone has already mentioned the chorus but god damn! that chorus is really something. the whole song is great. this should be a hit single. the vocals are top notch. and this mix is killer. i’m listening on headphones. this is ready to go. put this on the damn radio!

@ambroise 6d

The madolin on the musical bridge picked me like a flower!

This could be a tutorial on how can you make something bring and ampowering out of sad material.

@sunnymae 6d

Love this "newgrass" "popgrass" or whatever grass you guys ingested for this tune. What a freakin' great collab. Yes...great bridge. Kudos as those are my achilles heel. I pretty much suck at them. Love, love this Guys. Uplifting, rockin', beat strong, great vocals. Yay!!!! Some good noise here. PS...oh and those lyrics in the bridge...you hurt me good. Truth be told!

@n24 6d

I'm loving the blue grass/folk vibes, that banjitar Singapore out beautifully and the solo is great fun. That steady bass drum in the verses really carries momentum. The lyrics are really poignant considering that uplifting tone, its a nice juxtaposition and leads nicely to that challenge of maybe it's time to stop pretending! Amazing collab, I love the full band feel and production, it's amazing what you guys can churn out in FAWM, so slick!

@angelinapowersuit 1w

Oh, I like how this sits in my headphones. . . and wow, what a power chorus! Nice, nice, nice! I love everything about it - the lyrics, the layered vocals, the energy you give it both instrumentally and vocally. "To hide from yourself
In front of everyone else." Ouch. . . great job!!!!

@gwynjones 1w

Blimey! This sounds great...what a combo!
As a mando player of average ability, I have to say full marks to @danvaillancourt for that tremendous solo...
Great listen...fab song and production!

@bradbrubaker 1w

The call and response of the "somebody else" and the octave up background vocals, yes. Can't say I was expecting mando solo (and is that background banjo?), but it just made a fun song more fun for me.

@eric 1w

That chorus! So strong and catchy and i like the changes at the end! Ooh nice mandolin solo too! This is a real great co-write, with thoughtful lyrics and everything you need in a song to make it bump!

@jerrypettit 1w

Loved this--especially that Chorus!! Really nice vocals throughout--really a great song. Very nice collaboration! ❤️

@oddbod 1w

Another big catchy chorus. You sure know how to write them. It's a mashup of genres folk/pop/bluegrass but it sure works well. Not unlike a 70s Rod Stewart/Faces song possibly (you remember...when he was good).

@ayeahmur 1w

You two work together so seamlessly it's like listening to an Actual Proper Band who've been writing together for years. For me, the highlights here are that beautiful lively solo and the big old stompy shouty chorus that - in a just world - would have gig audiences yelling their heads off with delight. Cracking work, gents.

@nadine 1w

When I see these two names I know this will be full production madness and I'm so glad you did. How many guitar like instruments can you add to a song without being too overwhelming? Mission accomplished. Also good to hear David and Dan both cause your vocal style is so different.

@celineellis 1w

Yesssss! That chorus is in another league! Great arrangement and collab. The cross genre feel of this is perfectly universal to grab a lot of listeners!

@thedutchwidows 1w

The doubled vocal on the verses is so good - the high part is ace. And it just opens up into the chorus - bam! Big! The solo is all kinds of cool! Not sure I'd even heard of a banjitar before. And a final little treat at the end - that last note on the 'else' is *insert chef's kiss emoji here*. A great collaboration!

@loveonamixtape 1w

Ooh some great quiet loud quiet pop dynamics that work so great and those extra vocal layers at the end of the chorus are great and !!! is that the banjitar on the solo????? AHH it's so good! This has a really fun 2010s indie vibe, but @davidtaro's soulfulness and the arrangement elevate it far above the stomp-clap 2010s indie genre into something much more interesting and fun!

@richaaaay 1w

That chorus is so darn goooOOOooooOOOOooooddddd. Love this tune. It's the energy, the catchiness, the rhythm of the vocal phrasing....Just so darn goooOOOooooOOOOoooodddd. Love this tune...

@paul_pedersen 1w

What a jolly combination of talent and musicality! That chorus is FIRE.

@hbusse 1w

That chorus is absolutely killer. What a LIFT. Love the banjitar in the mix.

@paulharrison 1w

Now that was a fun listen! Lots of great energy, cool vocals, and yeah, that mando was a nice surprise and well done. Great production you guys!

@marilisa 1w

Oof, this is so good!! Love the mandolin and all the vox, and the production as always is out of this world. Nice one!

@coolparadisoMod 1w

Big banging chorus really makes this song. Some good words reminds me of the verve a bit. Got good grit and very catchy

@billwhite51 1w

i really love the two voices, how at times they complement each other and at other times harmonize beautifully. the hard rhythms of the chorus are a surprising shift from the verses, I also like the way the chorus goes on longer than expected. the bridge is terrific as is the mandolin solo. Great collab. I listened twice and am listening stlil. Cheers!.

@the3queens 1w

I especially love when the chorus kicks in! So powerful and driving fun. Nice play of opposites in the verses.

@klyma 1w

Hot track! Quite a good chorus you've written here. Damn! Really love the heart shrinking from negative thinking. Bravo.

@sbs 1w

Takes me back to the 60s - second time today I’ve put on my go go boots and started doing “The Jerk” (in my head). Great David vocals - kudos to drummer!

@zervas1 1w

Hey that's catchy. How like how you use non rhymes to leave the listener hanging where we should be hanging. In general very cool rhyming patterns. The band is super tight. "Feels like the whole wide world is waiting" in first verse is brilliant because it's sets us up for the chorsu and rest of the song. We are all waiting..... to find out what this song is about?

@nahlej381 1w

Very cool lyrics! I really love this. I do hate when the drugs don’t work…they have one job dagnabit!!!

The production is top notch and the performances are spot on. Too many cool ear candies to comment on, every change up is a breath of fresh air and I love love love it!