- THE SONG BLOG -
My co-writer Debra Alexander and I wanted to write a love song that wasn't about falling in love but about being in the middle of a relationship and trying to dive down to a deeper level, one where you look beyond the surface to the beauty underneath and try and help mirror that beauty so you can see it in yourself. Of course, getting there can be a real struggle and I particularly like the way the chords in the bridge and the solo section of the song emphasise this. You can see the lyrics below.
This struggle was also captured in an unusual experience I had performing the song live for the first time. Back on Feb 28, 2008, I was asked by my artist friend Zara Diniz to participate in an art-jam fundraiser taking place in the CBC atrium in Toronto. I performed "Underneath" which had just been written a few weeks earlier while 5 artists reacted to the song. At the end of the performance, one painting caught my eye by Mackenzie Keelor that you can see below. I purchased it and brought it home. The vibrant colours and the combination of the hope of the dove and the risk of the flames captured this process of growing deeper in a relationship. When I decided the album was going to be called "Underneath" I thought it would be cool to incorporate the painting somehow in the design. When I tried to track down Mackenzie I found her on Belinda Pattersons' photography site and discovered they worked together. I also discovered Belinda did some unusual photography. Check out the video below to see what happened. We're having fun trying to decide which photos to use!
- THE RECORDING -
Having already done more of a rock version in the live recording at the Rose Theatre, this time I wanted to go for more of a roots vibe on the tune. We went for some driving acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass and also had John Showman on the fiddle who brought a kind of unpredictable tension in his playing that mapped on to the idea of being on the edge of something new.
Recorded at Canterbury Music in Toronto. Engineered by Jeremy Darby. Overdubs at Jeddart Music in Mississauga. Mixed by Chad Carlson at Hippo Sound in Nashville and Mastered by Hank Williams. Produced by Justin Abedin & David Leask. Lead & BG Vocals - David Leask. Acoustic, Electric guitars, Banjo & Mandolin - Justin Abedin. Drums & percussion - Mark Mariash. Upright bass - Drew Birston. Fiddle - John Showman. BG Vocals - Henry Lees.
- THE LYRIC -
It's not the sweep of your lips when I kiss your smile
It's not the touch of your perfect skin, when it's been a while
It's not the way that you look
It's the beauty underneath, the things you wanna let me see and I see
You turned everything upside down
I fell tumbling through the clouds
And this time I'm in love
You've got me deep on a dive beyond a surface love
You let me swim with your open soul 'til we're close enough
You hold the mirror to me
To the beauty underneath, the things I wanna let you see and you'll see
You turned everything upside down
I fell tumbling through the clouds
And this time I'm in love
You’re the gold in the silver lining, you're the love I am re-defining
Inside out, right side up
It's not the sweep of your lips when I kiss your smile
It's not the touch of your perfect skin, when it's been a while
It's not the way that you look
It's the beauty underneath, the things you wanna let me see and I see
You turned everything upside down
I fell tumbling through the clouds
And this time I'm in love
© 2008 David Leask/Songs In The Air & Debra Alexander/Wordmaven Music