Song picture
Distracted
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Sorry, what were you saying?
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Trash-pop, guitar rock and melodic miscellany.
Not so much a band as a bloke with a guitar and a laptop, The Smivets deliver a genre-bending blend of pop, rock, punk, prog and many other monosyllables.
Song Info
Genre
Alternative • Brit Pop
Charts
Peak #45
Peak in subgenre #3
Author
Steve Smith
Rights
Steve Smith
Uploaded
February 19, 2017
Track Files
MP3
MP3 5.5 MB • 160 kbps • 4:48
Story behind the song
One of my musical goals for 2016 was to write a song lyrics first, then set them to music, which is not my usual MO. Actually I went sort of mad and did 4 songs this way. I will never do this again - it is a nightmare. Without any music to guide it the lyric wanders around like a lost puppy - no rhythm, a random number of beats to the bar, no melody will fit etc etc. You try making "Puccinian" scan... After weeks of migraine I came up with a tune, only to find that it was exactly the same as Nails, so I had to toss it out and start again. Aaaargh. Anyway it finally got done. Bloody thing.
Lyrics
I was distracted, OK? It read like one of those funny insurance claims But insurance is no laughing matter It's all about assessing the risk And all of those get-out clauses Marked by an asterisk It wasn't that I didn't care It's just that my mind was elsewhere And caring became Something of a background task And a simple show of human emotion Just too much to ask And, oh, what a Puccinian tragedy What a crying shame Though it's fair to say no-one died Still two lives ended all the same And it's what passes for drama To the man of inaction Too much lost too easily To a fatal distraction I didn't think it was anything, you see But it brought my world crashing down around me It's a brutal lesson But one we all have to learn: On what slender spindles Our biggest moments turn And, oh, what a Puccinian tragedy What a cry cry crying shame Though it's fair to say no-one died Still two lives ended all the same And it's what passes for drama To the man of inaction Too much lost too easily To a fatal distraction
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Comments 9
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Rodrica Rudge
Mar 05, 2017
I really like the way you write...whether it's lyrics first or not. I guess it can be difficult writing that way, but what made it easy for me was teachers ramming iambic pentameters and dactylic pentameters down my throat for years, lol! Love the expression in your vocals, the music is catchy without being contrived - sounds like the perfect hit to me and one that publishers would grab if they could.
Drumnjon
Mar 04, 2017
VERY COOL LISTEN SETH! ALWAYS LOVE YOUR VOCALS! JUST BRILLIANT !!
The Footnotes
Mar 03, 2017
Great songwriting, however it fell out of the hat. Hints of the great "Squeeze" perhaps, but in a uniquely Smivet way. Classy arpeggio chord sequence and everything seems right with the world when there's good music like this in the air, composed and played to perfection.
Ascenzion - Al Massey
Feb 26, 2017
Oozing with atmospheric exuberance. I loved the intro...nice punchy verses with a great arrangement.
Dollar Bill and the Unmentionables
Feb 26, 2017
I've been enjoying this over at Larry's Showcase, and hey here it is at the CC station! But it's not as if I need another excuse to play (and play and play) this slice of greatness. Fan-dang-tastic.
Carlo D'Anna
Feb 25, 2017
Hot licks and snappy lyrics! Great original tune.
FusionFall Project
Feb 24, 2017
Right smart production mate! punchy hooks, powerful delivery and angst, this has all the makings of a Pop hit :)
gabe stenziano
Feb 23, 2017
however you assembled the pieces it sure did turn out well. it has an interesting chord progression and a wonderful guitar solo. i also liked the vocal with that slide to falsetto. all around great job.
Swampman And The Machine
Feb 21, 2017
Killer guitar cuz and the vocals really are clear and the lyrics very catchy love the flow of the song excellent music