Video-Live #6 "Need You Now" ~ Lady Antebellum
Sixth song in the Video-Live format on our Youtube channel!
While we wait for the next Studio-Clips, we're keeping up the pace of one new video per month minimum posted on the networks. And SIX, hehe ^^.
Just a reminder that people who subscribe to our Newsletter can not only choose which song will be the next to be featured in these video-lives, but they also receive the audio the following month. 😮 Wouldn't that be a shame to miss out? And it's totally FREE! 🎉
1. Our choice
In our 3rd poll, another title had been eagerly awaited by our moderators (well, especially Truelle and Rower). Hopes were high. But “Shallow” came out on top. So here we are. A real duo, since we share a lead verse, and an energetic track with high dynamics and our traditional guitar-piano duet. It represents us well. Classic for us.
2. Title presentation
“Need You Now is a country pop song by American country band Lady Antebellum (renamed Lady A). It is the first single and eponymous track from their second studio album, Need You Now, which was released on January 26, 2010. It wins four Grammy Awards in 2011, including Song of the Year and Recording of the Year, and is the first country song to win these awards since 2007 and only the second of all time.” (sources) Not bad, eh?
This is a perfect example of a folk track with vocal harmonies just the way we like them. The three singers carry their choruses with power and even grit in their voices. The point is simple: it's late, you're terribly lonely, and you have the terrible temptation to reach out to someone when you're not planning to at all. The song doesn't give away the tone of the relationship (do you want to go back to someone you've broken up with, or someone you've had a fight with, or just someone who isn't there and that makes you sad?) The protagonists then grab their courage in both hands to brave fate, because they'd rather be disappointed than feel nothing at all.
What a telling situation! And would I go so far as to say that we've all experienced the following two scenarios (give or take a few details)? Joining up with an ex/loved one, on a whim in the middle of the night and either falling back into a toxic vicious circle and bitterly regretting it, or rejoicing at having dared because it was really worth it.
So, is it a case of “I'm sinking into my toxic relationship” or “I like to do crazy things for the person I love and who respects me”? (You might think that the two are identical, but in the 2nd case, there's the notion of mutual respect, which is healthier).
Here are the lyrics:
Need You Now
Her:
Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor
Reachin' for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore
And I wonder if I ever crossed your mind
For me it happens all the time
It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now And I don't know how I can do without I just need you now
Him:
Another shot of whiskey can't stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time
It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now And I don't know how I can do without I just need you now
Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothin' at all
Her: It's a quarter after one I'm all alone and I need you now
Him: And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without I just need you now I just need you now Ooo, baby, I need you now
3. Our version
So, what's your personal take on this track? In the original, there's bass, drums, electric guitar and an extra 3rd voice (and the piano only plays the intro theme). Already, it's impossible to sing the guitarist's voice. So we share the two lead vocals as on the original. No big change from the original. We did agree on the duet endings and slightly shortened the ending, which was too long for an acoustic version.
When we wanted to add this song to our repertoire a few years ago, I relied on an acoustic version on Youtube for the piano, thinking it was an official version (Cloud having told me that it was unlikely to have come from Lady A. in fact - I was a bit disappointed at the time, but I liked the suggestion so I kept it). In the meantime, I thought I'd fill in the bars without vocals in the choruses, so a few little melodies stand out a few times in the song.
Alex (Tritok), had suggested that I add some PAD in the bass, to “feel” certain passages. Tempting! It's something we've never recorded on our chain before.
As for Cloud, he used various official versions (notably live performances) to capture the essence of the song (and also worked on his guitar/vocal independence on certain passages).
4. Filming / Mixing
You don't change a winning team. We used pretty much the same positions as on “No Surprises”, to save time and because we liked the shots so much. That said, since it's impossible to redo something identically, we ended up with slightly different shots (wider shots, slightly less rotated positions). You have to play the 7 differences game between these two Live Videos haha.
We hadn't had time to make a demo for “Need You Now”, so we finally got a convincing result after the 20th take (which seems to be a good average for piano/guitar recordings), finishing just before midnight... [We already know we'll have to change our shooting schedule with our new neighbors, huh huh].
Given that Cloud's previous 5 live videos have struggled to find suitable poses for our Youtube miniatures (also known as “thumbnails”), we thought we'd have a little pseudo-shoot session after our shoot. Well, it's a difficult exercise. We're not directed by anyone. We do whatever we want. And above all, we say anything. At the same time, after 10 hours on the job, saying incomprehensible things seems completely normal.
As for the mix, Alex had less trouble than for “Torn” (what a scoop!) and he had a lot of fun balancing our new piano plug-in, the Modern D, which is incredible. And dosing the PAD (programmed here as a split keyboard, only the notes below C3 are concerned), which only comes into play at key points in the song (we can't stress this enough: enjoy the headphone sound! !gasm).
5. Last but not least
Do you like our version of “Need You Now"? You could receive it for free in high quality in your mailbox if you subscribe to our Newsletter (max one per month, only in french sorry!, and we don't sell your data) before November 7, 2024... After that, all you'll be able to do is listen to it over and over again on our Youtube channel (which also suits us).
Thank you very much for your invaluable help 🥰. These Live Videos are financed thanks to Twitch subscriptions and bit donations during our live broadcasts (Mix/Mastering + equipment). What's more, your comments on Youtube, your likes, shares, make us better known and bring definite credibility with programmers. 🫶
And the last Video Live of the year?
With December just around the corner, we've got a Christmas song for you 🎄. And since we want you to listen to it over and over again until December 25 inclusive (until you're sick of the festive season, in fact), we'll be sharing this track with you at least a week before the official distribution of presents.
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