Songcrafters.org

This song's going on 32 years old... :o
12 years older than I was when I wrote it!

I borrowed the title from one of my favourite madrigals, The Silver Swan by Orlando Gibbons:

"The silver swan who living hath no note, when death approached, unlocked her silent throat. Leaning her breast against the reedy shore, thus sang her first and last: and sang no more."

Anyway, back in 1983, I was going to be a rock star, obviously, and the lady was going to be a famous actress, and we were going to be FABULOUS, darlings... And, at the time, she was insisting that she wasn't going past 21 years old if she hadn't become famous by then... I put two and two together and came up with this.

The song's been sitting somewhere in the middle of my "maybe" pile for a couple of years now. A few weeks back, when I discovered that it's someone's 50th birthday soon, I thought "well, I'd better do this one next, then..."

Andy, This is superb, The vox, the playing, and the recording,
Pure Magic,
its a keeper for me.....

Alex

Its good to breath new life into older songs. This sounds great. Lots of layers and very well produced (I expect nothing less from you Andy). Great guitar sounds and excellent use of light and shade - lessons for us all, well me at least :-)
B

Just faved on tother side .... Great stuff ...

This is fabulous. I love your voice and the dynamics of the song.

What a great song man, I really dig it. I'm not usually a big one on hard panned guitars but I love it hear (on cans). Those drums are fantastic & that bass line really is very cool.
Rock On!

i was hooked by the first two lines. and you are a rock star.

I love the original Silver Swan, I love Elizabethan music, and I love your song! Professional is written all over it. Wonderful! Stellar production!!

oh my !!


You never disappoint Andy !!!

I don't even know what to say right now !!!

Just a big BRAW for now !!!

I saw a new Andy Russe and clicked with great anticipation.

Just what Gier said... and the dynamics are fantastic, as is the playing and recording and singing and writing. Magical stuff Andy.

Terrific stuff great vox and guitar and what a excellent listen, greatly impressed!

Now that's a great song. Every part of it is exemplary but the arrangement is just spot on.  Magnificent production on top of a great song.

Absolutely love it.

Paul

HI Andy great 2 hear this song . one of your very best in
my opinion . has that JOHN COUGAR FEEL . ! enjoyed my
listen and on this day a marvelous BUMP CHEERS NEIL .@!

This is impressive song in many ways. You got really great sound in vocals and guitar arrangement is excellent.Very clear and good sound.
Song has great dynamics.
Piano ja harmonic lead gtrs give nice add to song.
Great work!


Gary

Superb!! Brilliant songwriting and performance! Your song has so good nuances - silent and "rock" spots! Excellent work. Thanks for sharing the story behind the song!

Another great post from you. You arranged this one particularly well.

By the by, I thought the line was, "Don't use your ass weapon yet" until I checked. Provocative and cheeky.

Blooby

Ah lovely. and a great story behind the song. I like the attitude, it will be ready when it's ready. Sometimes there is something nagging me too about some of my songs and i know there is something that needs to change but cant put my finger on it. I haven;t got as much patience as you though normally!

Anyway this is just great. I love the laid back style of this and puts me in mind of Steely Dan, maybe with a bit more balls. Really enjoyed this!

Sorry, this a bit of a sad self-bump.

... and the rest of the story :(

I wrote this in 1983 and sent the lyrics to the lady in question. She came to get me and we were together for just over two years. It all fell apart amid recriminations and almost violence. I moved to London, she went off to university. It took me about 5 years to get over her. We last met face-to-face a few weeks before my first marriage, and I knew I was over her and we could be friends. But I understand that my fiancee told her to get lost.

We got in contact again via twitter (I only joined it to contact her) in 2012, a good 20 years later. We've been tweeting and emailing since. Very quickly she warned me that she had terminal cancer.

Last year she was 50 in August and she really wasn't sure she was going to make it. So I recorded this as a birthday present and got it "out" as quick as I could in case she didn't. I'm not really sure what I was aiming for in the recording, it wasn't quite how I imagined it, but she loved it (remember she used to see it live with the band I played it with in 83-85 - they hated it btw!).

She was my muse in the early 80s, nearly everything I did musically or performance-wise was inspired by or directed/judged by her. I've never found anyone else who has been able to help quite like she did. She was always brutally honest when she thought I wasn't doing enough or good enough - "it's OK, but the chorus is a bit sh1t" etc... So when ever she said "I like it" I always knew what that meant.

Since 2013 she had been increasingly becoming my quality-control-assistant again, but via email. I'd send her new lyrics, then demos... rough mp3s, sometimes videos. And just like it had been in the 80s, "thumbs-up" vibes from her meant something was definitely worth continuing with as an idea.

The last few songs of mine, especially The Dressing-Up Box, Dancing Girl, Cold, Boho & Blazey - they all went through her before they got posted. Dressing-up Box got remixed because she thought the vocal was naff - it turned out that it was the bass that was mixed too loud, the performance in the vocal was hidden. She never knew how to fix anything or what was actually wrong - but she could explain what she felt/received as a punter, and she always knew if it wasn't as good as it could have been. Her "you could do better" was always permission to do it better as well a criticism... enabling me to reach further... And, in my experience, for what I wanted to achieve, she was always right.

This one, Silver Swan, I couldn't do like that. I already knew she liked the song. I'd gone off it in the 80s because the other guys in the band thought it was "rancid", "corny", etc. And it was bluddy hard to sing live with any feeling. I'd made noises around this time last year that I might record it, and she jumped right on it with a huge YES PLEASE!! So I knew I had to do it... and hopefully get it "right" without her help. When I finished it, my wife LOVED it, then when I sent it... the lady loved it.

Yesterday, she died. I've been expecting it for some time - in fact I thought she'd gone before Christmas, and I faced her death without knowing for certain. But she rallied, made it through New Year.

But now she's gone for certain. Right now I'm not sure I ever want to try to create anything again...

RIP Ally Sixsmith xxxxxx

Oh I'm sorry for your loss Andy, I'm sure she was really touched that you recorded it for her before her passing.

Go and create your music, I'd like to think she's still listening x

Well done, well arranged, played and performed. Good dynamics

so sorry for your loss Andy. my thoughts are with you.

I'm sorry for your loss too Andy !!

I hope you continue to make music tho' ... the world is a little bit better with your music in it !

I'm sorry for your loss, Andy.

I read this the other day and have been trying to find something to say that might be positive.  I felt much the same way as you when my long-time collaborator Mark Drozdz died.

All you can do is hang on in there.  And know that there are a few people out here in this little corner of the interweb that enjoy listening to your music.

Paul 

I'm sorry to hear about Ally's death. She must have been quite a lady.

This is a powerful, professional tribute any woman would feel proud to have inspired. I love it - once again you set the bar a little higher for your fellow BR-1600 owners!

Best wishes, Andy.

Many, many thanks everyone :)

This is seriously good, mate. Knowing the back story makes it all the more poignant. Thanks for sharing this - it's just superb!