ELECTRIC EARL
Secret Songs (1989)

Secret Songs album cover art


Click white triangle to play song. If the audio player does not work in your browser, try the standard MP3 link.
1. If Thou Must Love Me (instrumental version)   (3:08)     MP3  
2. Saturation (acoustic version)   (3:45)     MP3   lyrics chords
3. Girlfriend In the Band   (3:55)     MP3   lyrics chords
4. I Think I Hear A Voice [lead vocal by Jeana Esser]   (3:21)     MP3   lyrics chords
5. This Egg Is A Chicken [vocal by Earl with Jeana Esser]   (2:57)     MP3   lyrics chords
6. Joann   (1:45)     MP3   lyrics chords
7. Blood Money [lead vocal by Tani Legleu]   (3:15)     MP3   lyrics chords
8. Original Sin [lead vocal by Amye Hollensworth]   (3:40)     MP3   lyrics chords
9. Sunset [keyboard improv by Matt Lanius]   (2:36)     MP3  
10. Every Day Is A Christmas Day   (4:43)     MP3   lyrics chords
11. What's Wrong With This Picture?   (3:02)     MP3   lyrics chords
12. The Empress (acoustic version)   (2:48)     MP3   lyrics chords
13. My Secret Song   (3:24)     MP3   lyrics chords
14. Sunrise [keyboard improv by Matt Lanius]   (2:53)     MP3  
15. Melting Bridge (Five Stages of Morning)   (5:26)     MP3   lyrics chords
16. Original Sin [acoustic version]   (3:36)     MP3   lyrics chords
17. They Can't Hear Anymore   (6:45)
[Lyrics are from the poem Plantation Road by Barbara Fritchie. This
version includes Barbara Fritchie reciting her poem and "prepared
guitar" intro by Randy Johnston (aka Kenneth Johnston).]
    MP3   lyrics chords
18. I Miss You   (2:54)     MP3   lyrics chords
19. The Empress, part two [instrumental]   (2:49)     MP3  
20. Postscript [brief acappella vocal by Jean Verlenden]   (0:37)     MP3  
BONUS TRACKS:
21. I Think I Hear A Voice [solo demo]   (3:02)     MP3   lyrics chords
22. This Egg Is A Chicken [solo demo]   (2:10)     MP3   lyrics chords

Total time:   73:26



Here is the original video on YouTube:




CREDITS

# title musicians / singers
1. If Thou Must Love Me (instrumental version) EARL: guitars, banjo, keyboard, drum machine
2. Saturation (acoustic version) EARL: vocal, guitar
3. Girlfriend In the Band EARL: vocal, guitar
MIKE TRAYLOR: bass
There was a Website [archive copy] which claimed that I wrote this song about a girl named Diana. She figures in the story, but the song isn't specifically about her. It's not even about women, in fact. It's more about guys who feel the need to control their mates in this way. In Diana's case, she wasn't a musician at all, but her singer/songwriter boyfriend - later, husband - got her to take up bass guitar and play in his band. Which instantly threw their relationship off balance, since suddenly he was the power figure. But Diana turned out to be a very good bass player, far from the tambourine beating cliche that the song describes. The marriage failed, of course. I'm not sure if was because she got tired of being bossed around or because he felt threatened by the fact that his wife was becoming a better musician than him. Although that situation may have indirectly inspired me to write the song, the actual person that I talk about in the first two verses was a girl who sang in a cover band I belonged to years earlier, when I lived in Pennsylvania. She only sang on half the songs, and I felt that her guitarist boyfriend was just using her to get double pay, essentially, since they were living together. Back to Diana, ironically her next boyfriend was the guy who played bass on this recording!
4. I Think I Hear A Voice JEANA ESSER: lead vocal
EARL: guitar
MIKE TRAYLOR: bass
5. This Egg Is A Chicken EARL: vocal, guitar
JEANA ESSER: backup vocal
6. Joann EARL: vocal, guitar
MIKE TRAYLOR: bass
"Joann" was the first song I ever wrote. It wasn't until this project, 24 years later, that I finally got around to recording it. For this performance, I played the guitar I had originally played the song on, a Harmony model that I had received for my 9th birthday.
7. Blood Money TANI LEGLEU: lead vocal
EARL: guitar, backup vocal
8. Original Sin AMYE HOLLENSWORTH: lead vocal
EARL: guitar
9. Sunset MATT LANIUS: keyboard (improv)
Matt played to a time-lapse video of the sun setting over the Mississippi River.
10. Every Day Is A Christmas Day EARL: vocal, guitar, keyboards [and bass?]
JAMES FOGLE: drums
CHRISTINE LAUNEY: backup vocal
SUSAN PIERCE: backup vocal
CATHERINE SNAITH: backup vocal
  [a.k.a. Leah Catherine Launey]
"JOHNNY" WELLS: backup vocal
11. What's Wrong With This Picture? EARL: vocal, guitar
12. The Empress (acoustic version) EARL: vocal, guitar
13. My Secret Song EARL: vocal, guitar
MIKE TRAYLOR: bass
Carole King once said that she had written "Up On the Roof" as a song about a secret place. I thought it would be nice to write a song about a secret song.
14. Sunrise MATT LANIUS: keyboard (improv)
Matt played this music to a time-lapse video of the sun rising over Baton Rouge.
15. Melting Bridge (Five Stages of Morning) EARL: vocal, guitar
Comparing the grief over loss of love with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's famous five stages of mourning inspired both the subtitle pun and the chorus.
16. Original Sin [acoustic version] EARL: live vocal sung to pre-taped guitar
17. They Can't Hear Anymore RANDY JOHNSTON: "prepared guitar" intro, guitar solo
  [a.k.a. Kenneth Johnston]
BARBARA FRITCHIE: reading her poem Plantation Road
  [a.k.a. Barbara Fritchie Hart]
EARL: vocal, guitar
MIKE TRAYLOR: bass
LIZ MURRY: backup vocal
During the introduction, Randy played his guitar with what looked like a glass paperweight instead of a pick.
18. I Miss You EARL: vocal, guitar
19. The Empress, part two [instrumental] EARL: synthesizer, vocal chant, handclaps
"JOHNNY" WELLS: lead guitar, vocal chant, handclaps
HERSCHEL ALLOR: bass
DAVID DAYRIES: drums, vocal chant, handclaps
20. Postscript JEAN VERLENDEN: vocal
EARL: bells
21. I Think I Hear A Voice [solo demo] EARL: vocal, guitar
22. This Egg Is A Chicken [solo demo] EARL: vocal, guitar
Secret Songs was the "soundtrack album" for a video project that I put together in late 1989. Most of the music was performed live for the camera, using my living room as a soundstage.

The live performances were recorded in late 1989.
The bonus tracks are from 8/22/1989 (track #21) and 7/25/1989 (track #22).
Pre-existing music used for this project included:
* "If Thou Must Love Me (instrumental version)" from We're Not Strangers (1985)
* "Every Day Is A Christmas Day" from Dinosaurs (1986)
* "The Empress, part two" from Elvis Has Left the Building (1987)
Click the album links more info about those recordings.

The original cassette version of this album had track #1-13 on side one, and #14-20 (plus a repeat of track #1) on side two.

All words and music by Earl P. Reinhalter, except:
* "The Empress, part two" by Reinhalter-Dayries-Allor-Wells
* "Sunset" and "Sunrise" by Matt Lanius
* The lyrics for "They Can't Hear Anymore" are from Barbara Fritchie's poem Plantation Road
  [a.k.a. Barbara Fritchie Hart]
* "Prepared guitar" intro for "They Can't Hear Anymore" by Randy Johnston [a.k.a. Kenneth Johnston]
* "Postscript" contains traditional song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"

Engineered and mixed by Electric Earl.


 




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Last updated: February 22, 2024

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