So, this was a long and hard one (said the actress to the bishop!).
The letter is a new song and video.
Let's start with the song.
I had a sketch of a song on my phone and I had added a bit to it in a music program.
I played it to Naomi one day and she said it sounds good. I told her to get some lyric ideas written down.
She came down with some bits and the story of a weird dream.. All of this gradually turned into bits of lyrics which seemed to be about someone writing to someone else because they were apart. "The letter" turned up in the lyrics so the track was called The Letter.
The version I did in the program had a bit of synth on it, that bit at the beginning after the synth intro, and I thought it sounded a bit 1980's, like Ah-ha, Duran Duran, something like that. So that was the idea to go with- something simple Ah-ha/ Duran Duran style. Spent a few days dancing about the flat listening to Save a Prayer by Duran Duran and other 80's stuff.
This explains why we did a home recording of Save a Prayer, because we were listening to it all the time. Eventually we learned it and recorded it just for fun. You can listen to it on the Youtube (UStube) channel.
So, back to The Letter.
I got the rest of the track down and recorded my bits (ooer, no, missus, stop it!) (the Germans aren't going to get that reference at all! Sorry Germans!)
Anyway, Nom came and recorded her vocals.
Then comes the video. It had to have a bit of that 80's vibe- big hair, suits and tie hanging open at the collar, bright lipstick and skin tight dresses etc.
We would have loved to have filmed it on a beach like Save a Prayer, but alas there is no beach for miles around and the kung flu means you can't even get to the Netherlands to a beach there. Next option? A castle-thingy.
The location is actually two castles. The opening shot is of Haus Kemnade, a moated house that is now a museum and restaurant, the rest of the video is Burg Blankenstein or Castle Blankenstein, both of these are, rather conveniently, just around the corner.
We spend two days in Blankenstein (and didn't once see the monster-oh, no, wait- that was Frankenstein...forget it!)
The first was time it was the sequences with Nom's little black number and me in the white Kurta with the long trailing cloth.
The second day in Blankenstein, equally warm and sweaty, was the rest of the shots with the suit and Nom's pinkish dress.
On this day we were very luck to have Nicole Merkes to help us out playing camera person.
I wanted 360 degree panning shots around us dancing. This is a thing you can't do on your own.
Nicole was nice enough to suffer the indignity of being dragged about by two weirdo English people to shoot a pop video in the heat in public.
Thank you Nicole for your patience!!!
Ms. Merkes was last seen engaged in hand to hand combat fighting guerrilla warfare in the jungles of Bulgaria...or somewhere.
There are two crappy scenarios for editing a video. One is not having enough footage (which means you have to use the same shots twice- which is shit). The second is having too much- this means you have to leave out lots of nice footage that you would like to keep in, but the video is too short.
The Letter was the latter (did you see what I did there letter and latter? Brilliant. If I can only get lettuce in!?!) The letter was too much footage and a track to short.
But that's the deal, you have to do what the song tells you.
So that was The Letter. It was enjoyable, but also work. Both video days took about 4 to 5 hours just to do the shots.
We hope you enjoy the track and the video.
Please help us along if you did by LIKING, COMMENTING, SUBSCRIBING and SHARING.
All of these things cost you nowt (nothing for the Germans) and really help to grow a channel. It also give us nice feedback after all the hard work which is nice.
There are already two other tracks finished and waiting for a video.
At least another one was supposed to be done in my holidays, but that didn't happen, so it will have to wait.
In the meantime there is also another track finished (almost) that just needs Nom's vocals, but she is away for 2 weeks now too so that too will have to wait.
But there is lots then for you too look forward to or to look at and say "yeah- I'm not fucking interested Rob"....
it's the latter isn't it?
Yeah, it's the latter.
Okay, well bollocks to you. I'm going to do this stuff anyway, so you may as well get used to it! In the meantime I hope you get puss-filled scabs on something secret!!
Just joking!
Or am I?
Anyway, enough of this madness. Have a truly spiffing Sunday.
Enjoy the last of the summer as best you can.
Be content and stay healthy. Be nice to others (unless they are not nice to you, in which case feel free to punch them in the face!)
Do regular, light exercise, keep your brain fit by learning stuff and trying new things and follow a healthy diet with lots of salads and lettuce.
Told you I would get lettuce in somewhere!!!
Have fun. Love Rob and Nom
The lyrics are below with the usual link to Google translate.
THE LETTER
If I could fly, I'd fly home to you.
I ride on the winds of a the storm.
If I could swim the oceans so blue.
I'd do anything to get home- to you.
The ghosts of the night are conspiring to keep me from
finding a way to your heart.
But try as they might, there's no way they'll stop me from
fighting my way through the dark- to you.
If I could sing these words to you now,
this letter I'd cast to the flames. But that is much more than the fates will allow,
toys that we are in their games.
< Go to Google translate
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