Song Description — “Time and Emotion” by Dean R. Chandler

“Time and Emotion” was born from one of the darkest chapters of my life. I’d just gone through a painful breakup that left me completely shattered — I genuinely didn’t want to be here anymore. Everything stopped: my drive, my emotions, even time itself. I felt empty, broken, and stuck in the wreckage of a love I couldn’t repair.

Then, out of nowhere, came an extraordinary twist of fate. A few weeks later, I was given the incredible opportunity to record my demos with my musical hero, Gary Numan, at his Outland Studio. I was just 21, he was 35 — and for three unforgettable days, we worked together, talked about music, life, and heartbreak. Gary had this quiet wisdom about him. When I told him how lost I felt, he just looked at me and said things that made me feel like I had an older brother watching over me.

Those conversations changed me. I left his studio feeling alive again — determined to stand up, dust myself off, and grab life by the throat. Gary helped me see that heartbreak wasn’t the end, but the beginning of something new.

“Time and Emotion” captures that transformation — the moment between despair and renewal, when pain gives way to purpose. It’s a song about losing everything, finding a spark in the darkness, and realising that time only truly stops if you let it.

Written in 1993. Originally recorded and released on my debut album Time Machine – Reflecting Shattered Dreams in 2014. AI-reimagined in 2025.
The moral of this story: when you feel like giving up — don’t. You never know what good things are waiting just around the corner.

A song about survival, gratitude, and the power of a musical hero to change a young man’s life.

TIME & EMOTION

[Verse 1]
I listen to the sex musician stories from the heart
I'm listening to the people as they're tearing me apart
There is no emotion, no argument or gain
I can't watch the time go by, it's driving me insane

[Chorus]
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again

[Verse 2]
Looking to the future, looking for the light
I'm looking for anything to make a better life
I've waited for a long time now, I must make the change
Now I know the reason why love has turned to pain

[Chorus]
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again

[Bridge]
Stand up, look around, opportunities to be found
Don't waste your life or lose it all, find a key to your golden door
Stand up, look proud, time is running out
So take a chance and move them all, find a key and take it all

[Instrumental]

[Chorus]
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again (oh-ho)
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again

[Bridge]
Stand up, look around, opportunities to be found
Don't waste your life or lose it all, find a key to your golden door
Stand up, look proud, time is running out
So take a chance and move them all, find a key and take it all now

[Chorus]
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again (oh-ho)
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again
Time and emotion, my time and emotion stops again

[Outro]
Love has gone and now I'm all alone
Time moves on and I am growing old
I can't change this love and pain, please go

Time Machine - Echoes of Shattered Dreams

Time & Emotion

About

I’m Dean R. Chandler — a London based songwriter, recording artist, and storyteller. My music is rooted in a lifelong search for meaning, weaving together themes of love, loss, faith, alien contact, and humanity’s future.

My upcoming double concept album Human Odyssey (set for release in January 2027) is the culmination of decades of writing and reflection. It’s a narrative journey that begins with a search for God and ends with an encounter with extraterrestrial intelligence — exploring not only what it means to be human, but also where we might be heading as a species. Musically, it draws inspiration from the epic storytelling of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, the synth-driven edge of Gary Numan, and the emotional depth of artists like Tori Amos and Chris de Burgh.

I previously released Time Machine – Reflecting Shattered Dreams (2014) and continue to revisit my archive of songs written across 35 years, reimagining them with today’s tools and sounds. Some pieces remain intimate and acoustic, while others expand into dark rock, industrial, or orchestral landscapes — but all are connected by a focus on emotional honesty and cinematic storytelling.

Beyond music, I’m fascinated by the intersection of creativity and technology. I’ve been experimenting with AI-driven composition and production to bring old demos to life and to spark entirely new works. For me, these tools are not replacements for human artistry but extensions of it — ways of unlocking stories and emotions that otherwise might have remained hidden.

At its heart, my work is about connection: to the past, to the future, and to the unseen mysteries of existence. Music, for me, isn’t just entertainment — it’s a chronicle of transformation, a conversation between spirit, science, and sound.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-r-chandler-b19715382/
www.deanrchandler.co.uk