I wrote this chorus about a year ago, reflecting on a vacation fling. It wasn’t a lyrical idea I felt deeply connected to; I just wanted to play with sounds. In following the imagery and metaphor, I found myself landing on “we can’t turn back” and I was conflicted about it. The last line of a chorus is too powerful a position for a statement that I might not believe. I generally think we can always go back, in spite of whatever embarrassment or complexity may emerge in the process. In the moment I was eager to get into production and I didn’t have any better rhymes, so I left it. It’s funny from where I stand now; that may have been foreshadowing.
This song has become something of meme in my inner circle. So here I am, finishing it a year later to close the loop.
My production reference was Soup by Remi Wolf. I love how she writes these bold, mature concepts with an unbridled innocence in her vocal performance and pure joy in the arrangements. I still don’t have the guts to write a really bombastic “oh” hook, so I leaned on bell synths and reverse cymbal risers. This is a demo before mixing, but I’m not sick of the song yet so I’m using it for an assignment in my online course. As I get feedback, I’ll come back and update with the final mix. KM
Turning Corners
A seltzer can sweating in my hand
Black cherry fizz on my lips
Sharp surprise in your dark blue eyes
You’re choking back a grin
The house lights are coming up
So we take it outside
It’s a hundred degrees
This isn’t real life
But it might be real nice
If we turn this corner
We could tilt too fast
Feel the shift in pressure
Too intense to last
Hear the wheels squeal over bumps in the road
Wind whipped hair, leaning in real close
See the streetlights shine like asterisks
Some chances we take, some chances we miss
The wall is tall but it’s starting to crack
If we turn this corner
No we can’t turn back
Emotions sway like the ocean waves
And you don’t bring sand to the beach
I know the rules, we can bend them so well
And some things are best out of reach
So tell that to my dreams
If we turn this corner
We could tilt too fast
Feel the shift in pressure
Too intense to last
Hear the wheels squeal over bumps in the road
Wind whipped hair, leaning in real close
See the streetlights shine like asterisks
Some chances we take, some chances we miss
The wall is tall but it’s starting to crack
If we turn this corner
Then we can’t turn back
If we turn this corner
I might see you
You might see me
We might see all we need
We might keep gaining speed
If we turn this corner
I might see you
You might see me
We might see all we need
It might be destiny
If we turn this corner
We could tilt too fast
Feel the shift in pressure
Too intense to last
Hear the wheels squeal over bumps in the road
Wind whipped hair, leaning in real close
See the streetlights shine like asterisks
Some chances we take, some chances we miss
The wall is tall but it’s starting to crack
If we turn this corner
Then we can’t turn back