The Mountain

You'd Adore Me Now

TPB#406 Intimate Friends 2

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

The lead in to "How can this be?" (https://soundcloud.com/stefanlanfer/how-can-this-be) - Zechariah's song, grappling with news from the Angel Gabriel that he and his wife, Sarah, though they are old, will soon have a son, and name him John. From "Don't blink" - the modern folk Christmas musical that centers on the minor characters with major insights, and the minor moments often overlooked in the lives of the major characters of a story we might have thought we already knew inside and out.

Text:

Our story begins with a message from Heaven.

During the reign of King Herod, in Judea, an old priest, called Zechariah, was in the temple, alone at the altar, burning incense, when an angel appeared to him.

He was terrified.

But the angel said: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; the Lord has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. And, in the power of Elijah, he will prepare the way for the Lord.”

Now Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for this, for years and years. Yet they were now so very old, they had long since given up hope of it being fulfilled.

The angel’s promise seemed too impossible. Zechariah couldn’t help but ask,

 “How can this be?”

“Because I am Gabriel.” was the reply, “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to tell you this good news.”

“And now you will be silent until your son is born and you give him his name, which is John.”

How can this be? (dialogue track)

The story:
A rock-musical adaptation of the best-selling book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

Background:
The Alchemist is essentially our attempt at writing a rock-musical within a pop context. I had just finished the book and the protagonist, Santiago, really resonated with me. The book was gifted to me. My god-sis found that I was quite lost and needed some direction. I actually have a couple of copies of the book now because I tend to buy them at airport bookstores for flights.  

Tim had also begun taking his guitar playing a lot more seriously. He always did, but it was around this time that he really formalised his learning by plowing through theory books. We took as somewhat classical approach to the song. I went to the library to borrow tapes on musicals because we didn't have Youtube. Tim was listening to more classical music. Jon and Jarell had always known what they were doing. It somehow always came more naturally to them when determining the vibe of a song. 

The intro and first verse were written to capture the feeling of a monologue on stage. Because, the song loosely follows the three-act structure (of a play), the breakdown was heavier to represent the confrontation of a second act. The chorus was written last since the song ends with it. We actually had a lot of trouble writing it because M.I.’s approach to choruses was always “big, loud and preferably catchy”. 

If I remember correctly, we'd actually finalised the guitar parts and Jarell came up with the idea to do a drummer-boy baroque-style beat with only the snare. We loved it, so Tim and Jon adapted. Harun recorded the bass and we demanded a brief solo from him. - Illyas 

Trivia:
- The Alchemist is Jon's favourite M.I. song. 
- Tim did not provide vocals for the song because we wanted to remain true to the source material. Santiago was alone on his journey.

Lyrics:
Wandering lost, wondering where this road will take me
A shepherd boy no different from his sheep
This fork might bend, but will it shape for me?
To each his own, so I'll dethrone the destiny that life has set for me

Don't cry
Fall into my arms, I'll sing you to sleep
In time, 
I will return to you my queen

The eastern sky has lightened to mourn the night
Omens have spoken, nothing will break my stride
In search of a treasure residing beyond the brine

No reprieve, I don't need relief 
Faith has kept me on my feet
Cos there is nothing I won't give 
To feel so alive

Credits
Written by: Timothy Adalia, Jonathan Chua, Illyas Lim Effandi, Jarell Monteiro & Harun Rashid
Lyrics by: Illyas Lim Effandi

Vocals: Illyas Lim Effandi
Guitars: Timothy Adalia
Guitars & Keyboards: Jonathan Chua
Bass: Harun Nur Rashid
Drums: Jarell Monteiro

Recorded and Produced by Neil Lim

Moving On (17/1/2016 9:44:45 PM)

The Alchemist

Stefan Lanfer writes indie folk singer-songwriter songs with the soul of a storyteller and the heart of a seeker. With a vibe somewhere between Ben Folds and Cat Stevens, his music blends lyrical introspection, spiritual resonance, and quiet power. This song library is for fans who want to feel something and collaborators looking for material ripe with possibilities and ready for their magic. 

SoundCloud is Stefan's songwriting sandbox, with work tapes and rehearsal tapes, multiple versions, works in progress, different drafts tracing the evolutions, and ideas from listeners always welcome to help these songs figure out and become what they want to be before they launch into the wider streaming world. 

Thanks for stopping by. Come back anytime. Bring a friend. 

Backstories collected on The StefStack: https://stefanlanfer.substack.com/ - "a SubStack stuff sack of Stefan stuff"

How can this be? (dialogue track)

Stefan Lanfer

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