YOU BRING LIFE TO THE CONCRETE CITY

2001 Best Of Collection

Piece inspired by romanticism in the city: love within concrete walls, poetry beneath artificial light...

Three vocal parts (translated lyrics below) became in very different moods in the songwriter phase, so I couldn't fit them in the same tempo. Working hard on transitions, I got the following solution:

Intro: ad libitum
A: 6/4 & 5/4 at 147bpm
B: 4/4 at 220bpm
C: 4/4 at 293bpm

Such ABC pattern is repeated twice, structured with some city scenes, and 2nd 'C' part includes a guitar soloing lesson by https://soundcloud.com/paco-ray, old friend of mine, technical consultor and personal luthier ;)

Pic: edited photo taken from home studio window where I recorded some city sounds for the track.

LETRA / LYRICS:

DAS VIDA A MI CIUDAD      /      YOU GIVE LIFE TO MY CITY

En la ciudad donde vivo,     /   In the city where I live,
llena de romanticismo,       /   full of romanticism,
el cariño que has perdido    /   the affection you have lost,
ven a buscarlo conmigo.      /   come to look for it with me.

Las farolas en la acera,    /    The lamps along the sidewalk,
con su fija alternativa,    /    with their constant alternation,
iluminan, no iluminan,      /    illuminate, do not illuminate,
el escenario de mi vida.     /   the stage of my life.

Entre bloques de hormigón,   /   Among blocks of concrete,
somos capaces de pedir perdón. / we are able to apologize.
Entre bloques de hormigón,   /   Among blocks of concrete,
somos capaces de sentir amor. /  we are able to feel love.

Caminando sobre asfalto,   /     Walking on asphalt,
abrazado a tu cadera,     /      held on your hip,
entre coches aparcados,     /    amid parked cars,
duerme la ciudad entera.    /    the entire city sleeps.

Eres tú toda la vida      /      You are all the life
que esta ciudad necesita,   /    that this city needs,
compartiendo cada esquina,   /   sharing every corner,
calles de melancolía...     /    streets of melancholy...

Entre bloques de hormigón,   /   Among blocks of concrete,
somos capaces de pedir perdón. / we are able to apologize.
Entre bloques de hormigón,   /   Among blocks of concrete,
somos capaces de sentir amor.  / we are able to feel love.

ER21HC01 - (C) Ruizzo 1995 - (R) Francés Records;) 2014

Das vida a mi ciudad (2nd solo by Paco Ray)

“The Silent Pain” in the soul and body when it is difficult to know if you are in the right place at the right time... In a world where wars still persist, power and money devour people. It is sometimes difficult not to simply give up and hide in your shell to protect yourself. However, you have to get out of it and continue to move forward despite the pain.


Cette douleur lancinante dans l’âme et le corps lorsqu’il est difficile de dire si on est au bon endroit au bon moment…Dans un monde ou les guerres perdurent encore, Le pouvoir et l’argent dévorent les gens.  Il est parfois difficile de ne pas tout simplement baisser les bras et se cacher dans sa carapace pour se protéger.  Il faut pourtant en sortir et continuer à avancer malgré la douleur sourde.

La Douleur Sourde

To equality, democracy, freedom, and hope 💙

A joyful jazzy march to dance the tightrope to 🗽

80-85 bpm

Ordinarily I use original LoFi audio that I have recorded from live subjects, but in this song, I use a single sample in my outro from a campaign video of Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, PA, October 27, 2024.

DAW: Apple Logic Pro X
MIDI: Akai MPK Professional 
E-instruments:
Concert Grand
Deep Organ
SoCal Ballad Piano
Upright Ballad Bass
Crystals and Voices synth
Rolling Chords synth 
E-percussion used:
Studio Brush Kit 
Warehouse Kit shaker
Classic House Remix Congas

Cover art is a derivative illustration with additions and alterations to the following photos:

Statue of Liberty in the afternoon by Eldar Kamalov in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_of_Liberty_2.JPG

 Didier Pasquette walking a tightrope between the twin statues atop the Liberty Building in downtown Buffalo, New York, as part of the opening of the 2010 Beyond/In Western New York art exhibition, by Dave Pape in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Didier_Pasquette_BIWNY_1.jpg

.

Tightrope

Stämmor Före 1991

Förlåt att jag inte lyssnade. 494 ( 1982 ) Margareta Theorin ( Margareta )

Introduction in English:
Some of my friends accuse me of having a longing for death or even of glorifying death. In fact, I often deal with death in my lyrics - as I do in this song and the whole album that will be released in the next 12 to 15 months. 
But as with previous songs, I always say that I can enjoy life all the more by fully accepting death as an inevitable reality. Many people who try to suppress this fact constantly feel an underlying, agonising fear that tends to keep them away from the wonderful aspects of life. 
In addition, recognising that death is a constant companion from birth leads to even more profound gratitude for every day that I am allowed to live. 
The song ‘Rendezvous with Death’ was written at a time when I was at an important turning point in my life. During this phase, I realised that I had to let some things ‘die’ in order to continue living well. In this respect, this in-depth rendezvous was necessary in order to move forward again. Another example of how death and life are inextricably linked.


Lyrics in English

Rendezvous with Death

The dead comes very quietly
He sneaks up behind you unnoticed
He has stolen your lifelong dream
So don't even start making plans for the future

In the most beautiful kiss he takes your joy
In the greatest rush of life he simply unplugs you

He cradles you gently in his lap, lulls your mind, sings you to sleep
Before you awake, he draws you all the way in to himself 

He is waiting for you in the treetop 
Lean in, he takes you to himself
With every branch he has already grasped you
The dead

Deutscher Originaltext

Rendezvous mit dem Tod

Der Tod kommt auf ganz leisen Sohlen
Er schleicht sich unbemerkt von hinten an
Er hat Dir Deinen Lebentraum gestohlen
Drum‘ fang‘ erst gar nicht mit Zukunftsplänen an

Im schönsten Kuss nimmt er Dir Deine Freude
Im größten Rausch des Lebens stöpselt er Dich einfach aus

Er wiegt Dich sanft in seinem Schoß, lullt Dich ein, singt Dich in den Schlaf
Bevor Du erwachst zieht er Dich ganz zu sich hinein 

In der Baumkrone erwartet er Dich 
Lehn Dich an, er nimmt Dich zu sich
Mit jedem Ast hat er Dich schon erfasst
Der Tod

Rendezvous mit dem Tod (Rendezvous with the dead)

Rendez-vous mit dem Tod (Rendez-vous with Death)

Back in the day in my pre KORG days I started off like many do performing cover versions. This is one of my all time favorite songs so it had to be done.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2001) Queen Cover

Radio Gaga  (2001) Queen Cover

Rendevous (2001) Jean Michel Jarre Cover

7 Seconds (2001) Neneh Cherry Cover

Oxygene (2001) Jean Michel Jarre Cover

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Bohemian Rhapsody (2001) Queen Cover

Magi©ian™ (Making music make a difference)