Is Hope A Safe Place To Fall?
Is Hope A Safe Place To Fall?
As the guys were composing the songs, crafting them, working on the arrangements, and recording them, I had the privilege of being with them in studio. This is something I wrote as they were crafting the song “If You’re Passing By”.
At that point, the album was not yet finished, but we knew pretty much what shape it would take. This blog, though, was still pretty far in my mind, and I wasn’t thinking of it at all. But as I was watching them, listening to them, and sharing the emotions they were living through the music, I felt compelled to write something. It might have never been used, but I needed to write it.
This blog is a recollection of thoughts and moments, incomplete, but raw, as I lived the moment.
– Stephanie
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June 29th, 2012
5:00pm
Looking back on 5 years, you realize that the most incredible joy walks hand in hand with the deepest of all despairs. Maybe after all, joy could never “be” without despair. Can we know what beauty is until we’ve sought what’s truly ugly? This is a little bit how I see Your Favorite Enemies’ story; we needed to experience the most horrible things in order to know that a beautiful treasure was right under our nose: US.
Today, the band was rehearsing the song “If You’re Passing By”, a song that was composed many, many years ago, when what we could see around us was blurred by darkness. But no matter how good the song sounded, they just didn’t find it right. Alex said the song sounded too much like a huge, wide, yet very calm flowing river… Calm waters, that were never increasing in speed, never had to go over obstacles or even go out of their way because of them. Yet, this is not what this song is about; if the album is to represent the last 5 years, it needs to be a little more hectic, it needs some waves. The text is so deep, so introspective, giving place to real soul-searching. It is just like a movie scene, where the main character realizes what he did wrong and starts changing, that’s when everything changes… This is what the song needs to illustrate…
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12:30am
Somehow, the members of the band did not seem very satisfied with what they came up with… Not that the song is not good or anything, I felt like it was more the emotions that were put into the song that they couldn’t convey the way they wanted, as if it didn’t glue all together. And I can understand… This song was written and composed 5 years ago, during quite a dark period for the band, when their relationships between them weren’t what they are today, and they hadn’t played the song much live or anything… This song probably has a lot of different meanings, for each and every one of them, like it was a different story for everyone of them, bringing back completely different memories. Somehow, they felt like it was many songs at once, instead of one… But this song had to be lived collectively… A song is something you live, not something you play because you need to… And as much as this song needed some more waves, they needed to go in the same direction, bringing the listeners somewhere, not tearing them apart…
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June 30th, 2012
After I guess what we can call a night of sleep, and after some more intense, real and vivid discussions, the band went back to playing “If You’re Passing By”, all together again.
And I must say, it was different from the night before… Not that they played better. But all the discussions they had finally made them travel together on this journey… Discussions about the song meaning for each and every one of them. Not once, not even once, did they mention or talk about the parts, the chords, the sounds, the effects… It was all about the soul, the spirit of the song… Because once you understand a song, once you’ve become a close friend with it, lived different emotions with it… Then, and only then can you put it back into music…
Comments (7)
Ben
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”If You’re Passing By” was such a big challenge, as Steph mentioned, we just didn’t know if it felt right. Alex thought it was too bright and hopeful for a song that was so deep and melancholic, I thought that the arrangements needed to be refreshed a little bit… but the funny thing is that we still had the impression that this song needed to be on this album. The more we talked about it the more we realized that, sometimes there’s no right or wrong in music… the only wrong is if you don’t put all of your heart into it. At one point it was great to just let go and live that song for what it was… not trying to change it’s core but to shape it the way we see it today… not to deny what was done 5 years ago but to enlighten it with what you are today. So it ended up being a song we really love to play and revisit.
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Sef
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This song is really special for me… I remember a few years ago, when I first heard the draft of the song… It was true and heavy at the same time… “For things we never said, time we haven’t spent, For love we’ve lost or haven’t found, it’s scary”… It makes me think about the unique aspect of life… That the most beautiful and precious things can slip through my fingers… moments I failed to live because I was to afraid to let go. It was a really intense season we were living in our relationships between each other…To revisit this song through who we are now was such a defining moment for me… to see how much the song evolved through the years…the same words, same melodies but it sounds so different to my heart, to our heart… this mercy to give a new breath to this song through who I am now…Yes, there are moments I have decided to not live, closing my eyes on the most precious things in my life… But suddenly, I opened my eyes and looked around me… my bandmates… my brothers and sisters…we were sharing the song ”If You’re Passing By”… witnessing the life blooming through us, through this communion…Rise up and live!!
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Elizabeth
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This miracle of journeying toward unity in the band’s music that you describe, dear Steph, is perhaps the most incredibly beautiful and inspiring aspect of YFE for me. The music seems to have been the main “vehicle” of healing that has brought them from the brink of eternal separation to a union in their relationships that is imbued with an unimaginably beautiful redemptive spirit of mercy, grace, forgiveness and deep understanding. The union is fragile, because anything THAT beautiful and potentially powerful will always be attacked from within ourselves and every side, but in ways often beyond our knowing, Light always overcomes darkness and Love trumps every obstacle. You are all an incredible and luminous treasure in my heart and in this world – bringing Light and Love and Hope through your music and your lives! I am in your corner always – praying and cheering you on and blessed beyond measure to be part of this AMAZING journey!!
love you!!! mom e
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Vanessa
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What I always enjoyed and still do, about YFE is all the passion, the drive and how every little thing is important! Every little detail, and this is the proof of that. It might have taken 5 years for this song to be released but I enjoy that the band refuse to give us something that to them is not reflecting the true nature and soul of what they want to expose. I think that is what I love the most about the whole Vague Souvenir album… the soul.. it’s so present that it is almost tangible!
On a second note… this song is the song I wake up to every morning as it is my alarm clock sound.. I have to say its a great way to wake up in the morning 🙂 to simply remind myself to ” wake up”
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Chris
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How can moments be so deep, and so full of meaning? This is what comes to my mind after reading this blog. From what Stephanie shares, the band was in the studio working on a song, but from a deeper perspective, it was more than that…It was some sort of battle that they were all going through in order to touch something together, to be able to connect…
And then, the day after, they came back in the studio and things were better…From a deeper perspective again, it’s because they were more ready to dig in the emotions of the song…
It makes me see how life can be only a collection of minutes passing by or it can be a collection of totally significant moments… It’s up to us… This is what this blog inspires me… I want to live significant and deep moments also, with myself, with others… Just like the band living ”If You’re Passing By”. Moments that will be more than just temporary feelings.
These steps leading the band to a totally amazing song are ones that can lead me to amazing sounds and music in my life as well…
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Marjo
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I have known the band for a few years now, so in some sort, I thought I knew this song well. But once I was done reading this blog, I went back and read the lyrics of “If You’re Passing By”…to find out that I still had a lot to discover about the spirit, purpose and meaning of every song Your Favorite Enemies has composed throughout the years!! It is needless to say that each and every one of them has this little something special, this touch, this vibe that is indescribable to me…but feels so good!! Even though their song might be harsh to hear, due to their honest meaning and challenging though very inspiring lyrics…they always lead us somewhere…towards an oasis of healing and peace!!
The only thing that’s left for me to say is: Keep on digging deep guys!! The most beautiful is what’s hidden inside…and not what easily catches the eye!!
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Anna
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This is definitely one of my favourite songs on the Vague Souvenir album. I remember the first time I heard this song… 5 years ago. Hearing that song back then had moved me so deeply… the lyrics where so powerful and I always wondered why this song had never been released. But after hearing the new version (I can assure it’s very different from the first time that I heard it), I can see why the guys waited to release it. And by reading your words, Stephanie, and seeing what was the creational process it makes more sense as well. I’m happy they waited, the song fits so well this album and the period that we’re in as a family. You can truly feel in this song that each band member really lived this journey fully! Thank you for sharing your heart Stephanie!
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