I Want To Breathe

[StephenM]

The accordion, which was my grandfathers, the photo of it, inspired me to write a song with it.... and since my playing it (I almost never touch it, it is an antique) reminds me of gasping for breath...that is where I went... I had no idea today that I would write this... I had a drum track from my 37 year old pilot son.... who fell in love with banging on them...so I looped the best 1 min of them...added bass.... and then thought I would use the accordion as an intro...then kept going...
The song reminds me of my sister Linda who died of lung cancer (the duck in the photo was hers) at 60, gasping for breath....it reminds me of me...running... and just life sometimes in general... and then there is the covid thing...folks literally can't get air...into the blood... then watching my mom at 89 gasping for breath... so the frantic sounds of the accordion, out of synch at times and desperate....fit the idea of the lyrics to me...  and around 15 seconds in you will hear my ladies blender....kind of fit so...

Running through life, trying to catch my breath- Just breathe, just breathe.
Like an accordion, my lungs will work....
running through life, I can't catch my breath.... Breathing, chasing, panting, wanting air!  air!  fresh air!  fresh air!
I stare out the window for fresh air- like a dog with his head out the window of a car- I can't breathe
Tell the man in the hospital bed, with a vent coming out of his head, he wants to breathe, he wants to breathe.
It's like a prayer coming up out of my soul, a prayer coming up out of our soul - I want to breathe, breathe, breathe....ah, ah...ah...ah
Like an accordion, the bellows drawing in-pushing out, drawing in-pushing out...I want to breathe, I want to breathe... I have to breathe, I have to breathe.

[Bluesberry]

Sweet baby jesus man this is deadly...wow...what can i say I am hearing so much great stuff here...a bit Syd Barrett (and he just had a birthday two days ago would have been 75)...a bit Flaming Lips (Wayne Coyne vocalish)...a bit f_u_c_ing fantastic.....screw the influences I am hearing...this is totally original and new sounding...Kate Bush (Breathing)....I said screw the influences I am hearing, and this time i mean it....this is really frigging good man...I love it. Good job on the recording, and vocals are spot on....I like your style...

[cuthbert]

Very interesting (and topical)! I really liked the arrangement and the ideas you expressed here. Bass and accordion are a surprisingly good combination, and your vocals sit very well in the mix as well.

Nice one, man!

[T.C. Elliott]

Never in a million years would I have guessed that an accordion/bass/drums arrangement would be as good as this. Yet, here we are. I like how you used the pic/accordion from the pic in the lyric. That's very well done.

[Ray Brookes]

That is a beautiful looking instrument and you've created a cool song to match, Stephen.

[pjd1]

Love this Steven you have brought that accordion to life with the story you have told , you come up with some really cool ideas, and music to match the theme , this works perfectly and tells a brilliant story

Dunny

[Pete C]

Cool song Stephen - I totally get it with the accordion sounding like someone struggling to breathe. Amazing !

Pete

[Ferryman_1957]

I bloomin' love this! It's off the wall and totally brilliant. The way you used the accordion is really clever, and it also sounds great - you created a synth-like pad that spreads nicely across the stereo image, but you control the pulsing of the sound brilliantly to fit the rhythm and the lyrical content. T really liked the bass as well, it's a great bass line and a wonderful sound, your son did well on the drums as well. Great back story too.

It's all very well recorded. The vocals come across really well and the lyrics are great, very clever. All in all a fab listen, and innovative as always. Well done!!

 

[chapperz66]

Bloody hell Stephen.  This touched a nerve with me - in a sort of good way.  I saw the title and had to listen - being a chronic asthmatic I had a  certain empathy for the title.

Great song but a little too close to home for me to be totally comfortable.  But despite this, it is very inventive and cool.

Paul

[Kenneth]

Creative, and I  get the sadness.  Lost my sister as well.
Good tune Stephen.