Disclaimer: You’ll want to wear your headphones and really crank this one. I had some difficulty mastering it, and in the interest of time I posted a really quiet version.
Last week I was visiting my folks and my Dad put a tenor ukulele in the back seat of my car before I left. Excited with my new toy, I decided to take it for a spin. I set out with the goal of writing a rock song using only a uke. Thinking Like a Stranger is the end result. The song relies on heavy layering, both on the uke and on the vocals. I wanted a thick, dynamic sound, so I played around with changes in rhythm, and I tried to use my vocal overdubs like a lead instrument. The feel often veers more toward folk than I had initially intended, but it creates a nice contrast with the more driving sections of the song.
The words are about waking up feeling like somebody else. In this instance, I’m talking about finding yourself with a better attitude. You can get used to feeling one way about yourself, and when it suddenly changes the only explanation is that there is a stranger in your head, and it’s a good thing.
lyrics
Cutthroats and strangers
You count down the line
And pictures I made for a previous time
And weren’t you there?
I think I’m in love with a strange kind of life
I pray for the constant to break
Ain’t it right
That God only knows
I’m an innocent man
Getting truer each time
That I say it again
Singin’ God only knows
I’m an innocent man
Getting truer each time
Maybe I’m lucky I’m made out of time
Stare into the early morning light
Silhouettes and traces it describes
And oh we barely knew you
Say goodnight
You wake up doing your best
You’re thinking like a stranger
You confess