Singled Out: FranKo
09/09/2009
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(antiMusic) Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today FranKo frontman Tommy Bastow tells us about both tracks included in their single which hit iTunes this week. We now turn it over to Tommy for the story:
Night Time was one of the earliest tracks that we wrote - and being nearly two years old, there is still something very special and unique about this one and it's a killer to play at gigs! Beau came up with the bass line on the piano long before FranKo were formed� it was an idea "floating about" I remember him saying. After a half an hour phone call with Chris (our bass player) the line was converted from piano to bass guitar. We built the chords for the verse around this line and then came up with a chorus for the song - the melody came quickly, as did the lyrics, and we pretty much completed the song in one band rehearsal, which is rare. The inspiration behind the lyrics comes from the attached feelings of the anxiety you get when you're going out and the excitement that comes with it. Also, the need for excitement that we all crave "looking back on day, and speaking out for more" shows the frustration which often is spent waiting to go out! I think that communicates to the audience - it's definitely an exciting listen and is an upbeat number. It's also a song which absolutely everyone can relate to, which always helps. The track has some definite pop elements but throughout the song there's an underlying feeling of mischief and anarchy which gives it its FranKo sound. After the guitar solo, there is an epic build up to the climax of the song (the last chorus) � and when we play this live (usually it's our last song) they go crazy for it, especially for the first time listeners.
Today: This song took AGES to get right � we've been gigging with it since the very beginning, but some changes have been made over time. I remember writing the lyrics to this one when I was filming- Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging. On set you always have hours upon hours of time waiting around so I thought I'd make use of the time. After spending about an hour doodling on a page I began to write lyrics, I thought of all the things which make me happy and then figured out how I could turn those into lyrics for a song which Rich had already recorded a demo for. The song has simple and catchy lyrics which make you feel good. Prior to writing the lyrics I was indulging in the likes of "What a Wonderful World" and "Perfect Day"; both beautifully written songs. At that time I wanted to write a song that focused on what's good in life instead of usually writing about what's bad or corrupt. The lyrics and melodies were changed around a number of times, but when we recorded it in late 2007 we were happy with the end result. I remember going to record the vocals with Rich at Jim Lowe's recording suite in the Townhouse in London - it was a tiny room with rugs all over the walls and incense burning. It was also filled with guitars from famous artists which Rich and I were more than happy to mess around with!Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the songs, listen for yourself and learn more about the group - right here!
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