Midnight's Another Day

[phirnis]

Very pretty indeed.
I love the stripped down character of the production. That really is something I had been waiting for for quite a while. No more preposterous pretending it's 1965 over and over again.
It somehow reminds me of The Night Was So Young in a way, yet it has more of a deep Surf's Up-era feeling to it. Bennett's lyrics really make it shine.

[XY]

Although I like the stripped-down arrangement, I hear the potential of a big orchestra that grows with the song, a bit like some Dennis songs. I hear violins & cellos. - Don't make them release the demo, it's like telling Brian during the SMiLE sessions that he shouldn't work on "Surf's Up" Part 2 and use the piano demo. I really hope they'll work on it and give the song even more character by adding additional instruments.

[pixletwin]

Although I like the stripped-down arrangement, I hear the potential of a big orchestra that grows with the song, a bit like some Dennis songs. I hear violins & cellos. - Don't make them release the demo, it's like telling Brian during the SMiLE sessions that he shouldn't work on "Surf's Up" Part 2 and use the piano demo. I really hope they'll work on it and give the song even more character by adding additional instruments.

Ditto that. As long as they steer clear of Love and Mercy (album version) type production, I think developing it a bit more could really help it shine even clearer.

That being said, I have complete trust in Brian and the people he is working with that they will put out the best piece they possibly can.

[LostArt]

I may be wrong, of course, but I would think that if this is a demo for the band to learn their parts, then the song is probably going to stay pretty close to this arrangement.

[Amy B.]

People keep commenting on how sad this song is, but to me it has a redemptive quality at the end when he sings "Until I found...midnight's another day." Like he thought he had lost all the sunshine in his life, but he learned another way to find it.

[LostArt]

Yep.  That's the way I hear it.

[STE]

I dunno, I dunno..  I listen and listen but something doesn't convince me..

I like the richness of the production, the Dennis-vibe, the mature feel, the heartful emotional polished vocals.
I can imagine the "all this people make me feel so alone" line having a real meaning for Brian, and actually it feels deep when he sings it

but but... I dunno but for me it doesn't sound like it comes from Brian.
It doesn't mean it's bad, quite the opposite actually, but to my hears (heart) it just doesn't feel right.
Have you listened to Scott Bennet's solo album?  Try.
Call me crazy but it to me there's very little Brian and a lot of Scott (which, again, it's not bad but it's not Brian) in "Midnight's Another Day"

About the "excellent" lyrics, as they have been described: "a fly without the wings", "took the diamond from my soul"...     dunno, don't seem so trascendental to me..  am I the only one?  Maybe it's because I'm not a native speaker?  Umh..


In any case, give me a "Midnight's Another Day" over "Little Children" any day, that's for sure! 


STE

[pixletwin]

Well I think the sound and style of a particular pianists style can go a long way in contributing to the over all sound of a song (see Billy Preston in Get back... He totally owns that song!). It is definitely Scott at the piano on this (I feel) and that maybe perhaps why you feel the way you do?

I love it. 

[Wirestone]

I think the line is "A flag without the wind."

[STE]

Yeah, now that you say it sounds "A flag without the wind".  Ok, slightly better then 

[theduke]

Sounds like the line is "Took the diamond from my soul/Turned it back into coal" which is beautiful in the context of this song and Brian's life.

As has been mentioned, so many have already interpreted the song as sad, but I see it more as a resurrection of lost beauty--makes sense: Brian obviously had an epiphany that turned sour and finally triumphed over the darkness almost forty years later. Never completely healed, as indicated in the lines "Lost in the dark/now are shades of gray"

Back in December, Scott told me about the genesis of this (and many other) new Brian songs--the wife and kids were away & Brian called him up, completely bored, and suggested they write some music together. When we spoke, he told me "It's not SMiLE, but it's good. I don't know what will come of it but it's among his best work--finishing SMiLE was like vomiting the devil from the depths of his soul."

[Jim McShane]

Have you listened to Scott Bennet's solo album?  Try.

Yes, many times. I like it a lot. The piano style on MAD is very Scott-like, and the lyrics remind me a bit of "Pearls" - which I think is a really fine song. I also listened to how nicely the Brian/Scott "No Wrong Notes In Heaven" comes off, and it feels like maybe that was the beginning of the process that led to this. It would seem the chemistry between the two is right.

If they produce music like MAD together I don't care who is "in charge".

[Wirestone]

Jim: Does the music itself sound like Scott's album? My impression is that much of the music and some of the lyrics in MAD are Brian's ("all these people make me feel so alone" is a BW line through and through). But I could be wrong.

[Amy B.]

I would think it was like his other collaborations-- the lyricist did his best to express Brian's sentiments. Having known Brian for several years now, particularly through the re-birth of Smile, I'm sure Scott has some idea of what Brian is about. 

To me, the lyrics were just right. They were accessible but beautiful and more meaningful than they appeared on the surface...just like Brian's music.

[Jim McShane]

Jim: Does the music itself sound like Scott's album? My impression is that much of the music and some of the lyrics in MAD are Brian's ("all these people make me feel so alone" is a BW line through and through). But I could be wrong.

I wouldn't say MAD sounds like Scott's CD generally, but there are some similarities to some of Scott's songs. "Pearls" is dominated by a solo piano, and has some lyrical content that is not too different from MAD.

Here's the lyrics to "Pearls":

Watch the spinning blades of time
Shred the final days of your prime
There is no warning, only the sound
Of the echo in your head

Wading in the shallow end
Waiting for the tide or the bends
Open your eyes, hold your breath
Lean your body backward, stretch your arms
And lie down on the ocean floor

Just because you can't sleep
Doesn't mean you can't dream

If that's the way you plan it
You'll go empty handed
Diving for pearls

If that's the way you plan it
You'll go empty handed
Diving for pearls

Diving... diving for pearls

Anyway, that's the song on Scott's CD that I think is most similar to MAD. There is a similar feel to the two songs - the piano, the wordless BVs, the sense of melancholy...

That's about the best answer I can come up with.

[Wirestone]

Jim: That makes total sense. Thanks. I figured the piano wasn't Brian, and the opening riff doesn't sound much like him, but the general chords and melodic feeling of the song has Wilson all over them -- possibly Dennis Wilson, but still. :-)

[Andrew G. Doe]

as indicated in the lines "Lost in the dark/now are shades of gray"

Think we need the pukka lyrics - to me that sounds like "Lost in the dark/no shades of gray/until I found/Midnight's another day" - but I could be wrong.

Have to admit, "Stepped over grace/And stood in sin" is not too shabby...

OK, the low register is shaky, but when the chorus builds and crests - well, who the f*** cares ? Not me.

Y'know why the bvs are so good here when they sucked so royally on GIOMH ?  He's interested... he cares. Maybe it was only for the duration of the session, but his attention was engaged. And that makes all the difference.

I just hope to god that the rest of the piece is even half as good as this.

[dude ll doo]

This is great just the way it is and makes me extremely hopeful for the rest of the record.
It's been a very long time since i've heard anything that good from BW. I was quite overwhelmed.

[Rich Panteluk]

I agree with Andrew about the lower register vs chorus build and crest.  In this song Brian's slightly wobbly lower register vocal actually works great and supports the lyric quite nicely.  And then when those backing vocals crescendo behind the "All these people make me feel so ALONE" that is the moment that I get the chills - BIGTIME!!!  There is a lot of Brian in the backing vocals and he turns some respectable falsetto vocals in there.  And he certainly sounds emotionally invested here, which is just a joy to hear.
I have a lot of Scott Bennett's work in my cd collection (The Falling Walendas, The Dotted Line, Taylor Mills cd etc) and he is one talented fellow.  Besides being a phenomenally talented singer and multi-instrumentalist I always respected his writing abilities but this song's lyrics have elevated my opinion of him further.

[shelter]

I really never listen to previews on the internet because I prefer waiting until I have a full CD or record in my hands... That's just more exciting to me... But after all these positive reactions I couldn't resist and listened to it anyway (half a dozen times actually), and I must say I'm shocked. I didn't expect (or hope) he could still write music this freaking good.

And I agree that it sounds a lot like something Dennis could've written.

[Awesoman]

I'm impressed with this song.  Definately not what I expected from him.  However I was under the impression that Lucky Old Sun was going to be music with narration? 

[Wirestone]

There are going to be narrative interludes. But there will still be full songs in it. That's my understanding, anyway.

[shelter]

I hope that works out. I don't like the combination of music and spoken word. It doesn't work on The Lonely Sea, it doesn't work on Days Of Future Passed, it really never works... Well, it does on Are You Lonesome Tonight, but that's probably the only exception.

[Wirestone]

What about Mt. Vernon and Fairway? ;-)

The spoken word bits are written by Van Dyke Parks, as I understand it, so at least they will be clever.

[buddhahat]

I approached this with caution this morning but having now listened about 10 times it's beginning to have the same effect as other favourite BW tunes - i.e. (at the risk of sounding soppy and pretentious): It touches my soul, man and I just want to listen again and again. It sort of soars on that line "all these people make me feel so alone" in a way that only a BW tune can. It sounds like vintage Wilson to me and so, bouyed up by this sublime song, I'm going to join the gush-fest: Hooray - Brian is back!!