Singled Out: Ryan Humbert's Mayday

"Mayday" is a song that started off in a very different spot from where it ended up. When I wrote it originally, it was faster and with completely different music. The band even played it out for a while. It was fun and sounded like something Sonny & Cher might do if they were still putting out new music. However, lyrically it was much darker than the melody and tune led you to believe.

While I was trying to figure out what to record for this album I came across "Mayday" again. After playing through it I realized the music wasn't allowing the lyrics to do their job properly. I ended up scrapping the music completely. I changed it from the key of B flat to the key of D and started from scratch, coming up with a new melody and chord structure. I didn't change even one word of the lyrics though.

After playing both versions for the band, they agreed with me that the new version was far superior. We ended up recording "Mayday" in Nashville, with Ken Coomer (Wilco) on drums, in it's new, darker and more introspective clothing. That version is what you hear on "Sometimes The Game Plays You."