Three weeks ago I bought a ukulele. I’ve wanted one for several years now, and my wife even tried to get me one for my birthday a while back, but that ended up with us being ripped off by a crooked Ebay user. Anyway, I finally made the plunge and got myself a six string ukulele at Long & McQuade that has been my obsession since I brought it home. So it’s no surprise that this month’s song was written on my new toy.
With ‘The Last Dance‘, I wanted to try and capture the spirit of those old Tin Pan Alley ballads of the 20’s and 30’s, that became American Songbook standards. The uke lent itself well to that style, and the voicing of the instrument begged for seventh chords with a waltz feel. I picture this song being something Stephen Foster or Cole Porter might have written (well, maybe when they were getting started).
To help capture the mood of the piece, I enlisted the help of my good friend and collaborator, Sean Boyer to play some clarinet. Sean’s solo is the highlight of the whole song, in my opinion, and it’s complimented so well by the amazingly skilled Ali Leonard (Saint John String Quartet, Penny Blacks), who graciously lent her talents by playing some violin on the track.
This song has been a blast to write and record. It’s been such a pleasure to collaborate with so many amazing people on, not only this song, but this entire project. Everyone has been so generous with their time and talents and, as Sean so wisely put it, “this is what music and friendship is about”.
Thank you so very much to all who have subscribed. This little idea has turned into such a gratifying experience, and I am truly grateful to have an audience to share it with.
Now, without further delay, I present to you:
The moon’s cast it’s shadow on the water tonight,
the crickets are all singing their songs.
The cool summer breeze brings your laughter to me,
but here I sit so lonesome and alone.
All the boys in the barrooms are having a ball,
the band has them singing along.
Through the windows I can see they’re all dancing,
but not me, here I sit so lonesome and alone
I’m so tired of waiting,
but it’s all I can do,
the last dance is coming,
and I’ve saved it for you.
So let the stars keep on shining,
they’ll be guiding us home.
‘Til then I sit here, so lonesome and alone.
Clinton Charlton – The Last Dance
(to download, right click and select “save as”)
Note: This song is also available in both .WAV and FLAC formats. If you’d like a copy in either format, please write to clintoncca@gmail.com
(As always, I’d like to thank Sean Boyer for his assistance with the mix and the string arrangement…he’s a good fella!)
PS – My friend and bandmate, Jason Ogden released a seriously incredible record this month entitled ‘Gold Stadards EP’ under the moniker Penny Blacks. It’s available on iTunes or at Backstreet Records in Saint John. It is well worth the money. In fact, it was Jason’s song ‘Your Wedding Ring’ that gave me the courage to release such a stylized piece of music…so thanks Jay!