"The Party is Over" from my album "Black Swan"
The Party is Over
Rule #1 never be #2
I’m so far down your list it’s a joke
I try to say goodbye but I choke
The party’s over
The one I crashed
The house got trashed
And I got smashed
Sang crimson and clover
Over and over
And now the party is over
Don’t take it personally
How else would I take it?
It’s easier to catch a liar than a thief
I hung on your every word
as if they held the wisdom of a prophet
You stole my heart from me
The party’s over...
Someone’s going to have to clean up this mess
Jewelry missing
Cigarette burns on the rug
Panties twisted in the sheets at the bottom of the bed
Theres a pounding in my head
Burnout, my little super nova
The party is over
Art by Rita Andrade
The inspiration for my songs comes from many sources; art, poetry, other people's music, overheard conversations, and real-life experiences past and present.
I wrote this song while living in Lisbon, Portugal for 3 months during the pandemic. Lisbon is my home away from home in Europe.
Last night I watched a travel video, walking through Montmartre in Paris, dated July 20, 2020. The outdoor cafes were busy, the shops open, the portrait painters painting portraits. It wasn't like that in the USA. If you passed someone on the street here, they would jump out of your way in fear of catching Covid.
I need a lot of alone time to work on my music, but I was "losing it" after months of being alone through the summer of that year. Americans were not allowed in Europe. One night, a friend researched it and found out I could travel there if I was a student. I signed up immediately for Portuguese language school and booked my flight. It was four hours a day in a classroom of beginner Portuguese language students. The Portuguese speak very fast with their mouths closed. It's as if they know you already know what they are going to say so why bother articulating? Americans do the same thing depending on what USA accent they are using. Brazilian Portuguese is somewhat easier to understand.
Lisbon was quiet but mostly open. It's a beautiful walking city and I went out nightly. There was a feeling that these might be the end times. Millions of people were dying worldwide. The future was uncertain, reminding us of how important it is to be fully present and live in the moment.
I would stay up all night writing songs. The streetcar passed in front of my building. It starts each morning at 6 am and that was my alarm clock. Usually, I was still awake and didn't need waking up. Directly across the street was a well-known coffee and croissant place called "Dear Breakfast." I would go there to review my night's writing, over coffee, and get myself ready for school.
How do I write my songs? First I write down the title, then my name, and then your name. It felt like the party might be over. Fortunately, for me, at least, it was not. I feel like the song came alive when I found a groove to keep the storyline moving. My musical friends, Peter Gallway, Michael Ruff, and David Schwartz brought their rich musicality to the "painting" and it came alive.
I have written many songs in Spanish. Living in Los Angeles, there is probably more Spanish spoken than English. You hear it and see it written everywhere every day there. I doubt if I will ever write lyrics in Portuguese. I'm not sure exactly why. It may be that the language is so specific to the culture that I feel that I don't have the authentic right to use it in my music. I did make friends with many Brazilian musicians living in Lisbon. It began with an introduction by my New York friend, Brian Cullman. He is part of a group project called "Rua das Pretas." Their bass player, Walter Areia plays on my song called "Candy Cigarettes" on my "Black Swan" album. The leader of the group is a charismatic musician from Rio de Janeiro, Pierre Aderne. He has an everchanging cast of talented singers and players around him at all times. Before the pandemic, they had weekly shows in a beautiful mansion in the Príncipe Real neighborhood of Lisbon. I was a guest several times and those nights were amongst the most magical nights of my life.
Music has taken me all over the world. I'm very lucky and very grateful.
Great lyrics! Reminds me of a certain era…
“Then your name”?