End of the Day

End of the Day
Written and Recorded 2014

"End of the Day" is one of the most recent songs I've written for the current band that I'm in called Whiskey Doubles. This recording is a demo that I gave to the rest of the band to work up their own parts. Originally, it was just me and the guitar, but then I thought it'd be awesome to have some clarinet on the track. So I wrote up a nice, melodic part for my wonderful wife, Kristen. She is also in Whiskey Doubles, singing, playing clarinet, baritone ukulele, and harmonium. In a few weeks, Whiskey Doubles will be getting together to record a new EP that will also feature this song. Kent will be playing cello and Ellie some nice harmonica and foot tambourine. But in the meantime, enjoy this earlier version of the song.

• This song was a very natural outpouring of what I was feeling at the time. Written in early August, frustration with my job had been growing for quite some time and I finally decided to start looking for something better. A month later, I quit and started my new job. I think writing this song helped me realize how unhappy I really was.
• After I had written a verse or two, I really wanted to put a powerful, angry chorus in there, telling off my boss and giving him the proverbial finger. But that's not me and it wasn't going to sound natural. So I landed on something a little closer to what I would actually do, leading with, "Respectfully, sir."
• I've been a huge fan of traditional Irish music for many years now. Last December, Kristen and I took our honeymoon to Ireland and got to hear some real Irish musicians in the pubs of Dublin. I came back with a renewed love and admiration for those songs. Though never a truly conscious effort, some of the language of that music has worked it's way into mine. 
• There are three parts to this song: the interlude, verse, and chorus. The interlude and verses are very simple, leaving a lot of room for the story to be told and melody to move around.
• I love the clarinet part. Though very simple, I find it very beautiful and it compliments the vocals nicely.
• The decision to only have the interlude's chords repeat three times was very intentional. I've written songs in the past where the interlude is simply too long and starts to feel like filler material. I didn't want that to happen here, and knowing that the last line of the chorus would really be the first of the three, that only left two more before jumping back in to the verse. In fact, I skip it all together after the first verse into the instrumental chorus. Though three times through anything in music doesn't usually feel natural, I think the listener would never notice (unless told) and it helps move the song along.