Week 9 – ‘The Recluse’

by Frank Hamilton

No two ways about it – this weeks been a bit rubbish.

After 8 weeks of songs, blogs and boundless enthusiasm I’ve all but had enough of #onesongaweek.

This can be attributed to a few things:

  • There’s still so much I want to make happen (videos, decent website etc). Not easy with 2 hands and £0.
  • The vibe in my house isn’t exactly happy-go-lucky (though it has got marginally better in the last few days.  Maybe).
  • Mike Skinner, Danny Wallace and Rio Ferdinand still haven’t replied to my tweets about a #onesongaweek collaboration. Ouch.

I guess I knew it wouldn’t be a stroll in the park.  As creative folk we live and die by the sword – when things are good life’s great but when things are bad everything in the world is completely and utterly shit.

I’m not complaining because it’s a feeling only those of us who love and care deeply about our jobs get to encounter (which makes it really special) but I do wish I’d considered how this project would react with such a way of life.

If we imagine releasing a record to be like driving from Lands End to John O’Groats it’s fair to say most normal artists would spend a year or more in the car.  They’d navigate in a careful, considered way and try to pick the best route possible before arriving in deepest, darkest Scotland and eventually deciding if they’re happy or sad with how the whole thing turned out.

One Song A Week requires me to complete this journey in a few days, once a week for the rest of 2012.  It’s not easy but this is my 9th road trip and I can confidently say that the journey isn’t a problem.

The problem is arriving in John O’Groats and having to decide whether i’m happy or sad about it another 43 times this year – That’s a lot of times to live or die by a sword that doesn’t even exist!



The Blurb:

This weeks song is a lot like this week in general – I don’t really want to talk about it.

Obviously the song’s about something (funny that).  It might be a person, a way of living, an object or a habit… but then again it might not.  If you can guess what I really, truly wrote it about then you deserve a medal (but you should probably keep it to yourself).

I’ve also had a bit of fun (as much fun as you can have when everything in the world is shit!) with the production.  There isn’t even an acoustic guitar in it!

Favourite Lyric:

I really like a line in the first verse (‘haven’t left the house for days / wouldn’t do it if they let me‘) but let’s talk about the 2nd…

“You’re the only thing I know
And now the kettle looks half empty
And I’ve stayed awake all night to show
Just what you mean to me”

When you put all your eggs in one basket and things don’t work out the glass (or kettle in this case) is never half-full.  This can’t be helped.  One thing that probably could be helped (but we all secretly love doing) is staying awake all night and trying to pass it off as a show of affection.

It’s not affection… you’re just going mental!

On that note – it’s 3:49am.  Night everyone x