2024-Dec-28 - I'll Be Waiting
This week's randomly selected song I'll Be Waiting is track #5 from disc #1 of my triple CD album It Was All Just a Dream.
The earliest versions of I'll Be Waiting had no guitar at all. In the mid-late 90s, my home studio didn't really have a straightforward way to record guitars (or any audio for that matter). I had a large number of synthesizers, and so much of my writing at that time was focused on whatever I could do with MIDI and synths. Right before I wrote the song, I had bought a Korg Z1 synthesizer. This instrument made some incredible sounds, including a very guitar-like lead tone, complete with a very realistic feedback sustain. So I ended up writing a very guitar-centered song, but without any guitars!
By 1998, I had upgraded my studio to have the ability to record audio. And as I started writing and recording material for my unreleased album Kosmos, I took advantage of this new capability and I replaced the synthesizer lead tones with actual guitar. I would go on to redo I'll Be Waiting several times over the years, including a version on my debut 2016 album Legacy. The Legacy version was very heavily layered with synthesizer parts, so for the final It Was All Just a Dream version, I stripped it down quite a bit in order to make it a more performable song.
I named the song I'll Be Waiting as a reaction to friends and loved ones throughout my life whose self-destructive choices hurt me and all of the people surrounding them. As an acknowledgement that we are all powerless to change anyone other than ourselves, I'll Be Waiting was my message that "when you're ready to stop hurting yourself and others, I will be here waiting for you. I still love and care about you, even if I'm keeping you at a distance for now."
I'll Be Waiting features five guitars. I played the shimmery clean tones on my Ibanez S5521 and my Fender Telecaster, and these were played through my Mesa Boogie Mark V:25 amp using the Fat voice. I played the crunch tone rhythm guitar parts on my swirly finished Ibanez RG470 through my Mesa Boogie Mark V:25 amp using the IIC+ voice. I played the main lead parts on my Ibanez JS1CR30 "Chrome Boy" guitar -- the built-in Sustainiac system was perfect for those sustained feedback tones. And I played the harmony lead parts on my Ibanez JEM 77. Both lead parts were played through my Mesa Boogie Mark V:25 using the IIC+ voice.
You can listen to the entire 44 song collection right here on the website! If you love what you hear and want to support the music I make, please consider purchasing this album on CD or digital download. I will gladly personalize and autograph your copy.
https://chrisstark.com/it-was-all-just-a-dream
Keep an eye out for next Saturday's song spotlight, and as always, thank you sincerely for all of your support!
Love, Aloha, and Rock!
❤️😎🎸