because the origami.

this new #8in8-inspired video by ben jacobson – starring his daughter, holly – came in just after i posted the last blog, and it’s really, really wonderful, so i’m giving it its own blog.

and why not?
…this is a good time to tell more story of how the song was written.

neil had twittered for people to tweet in “A way that Love Goes Wrong?”
there were tons of responses (including one by @sadiebyrrd – “like an avalanche – with one tiny thing out of place.” – which inspired “one tiny thing”), but one that caught ben’s attention was @Bodzac’s, “Because the origami didn’t work”…
now, i can only assume it was a typo, but it ended up being a damn fruitful typo.
ben started the lyrics, neil continued on, and i finished them by adding the bridge and the last verse.

ben wrote the initial music, then he & i fiddled around with it together, sitting at the piano until it was done. we were working so fast i don’t even remember now who’s parts were where, which is kind of awesome. i’d love to go back to that part of the webcast and watch us writing. (speaking of which, please read the request at the top of THIS page)

neil and i were just talking about the lyrics…and we interpret some of the lines totally differently.
that’s the fun thing about writing with other people, i think. it’s a three-way rorschach test.

here are the lyrics…

Because the Origami didn’t work
We gave you dancing lessons
Because the dancing lessons made you bored
We bought you a guitar

Because you said it made your fingers sore
We found you a pony
Because the pony broke your leg and ran away
We got you drums

But the drums annoyed our neighbours so
We gave you cooking lessons
And the cooking lessons made you fat
We bought you running shoes

If you hear this
please
We love you Tommy
We know it never was
about Origami

Because you took the shoes and ran away
We gave them your description
Now we haven’t heard a thing in weeks

Because we don’t know where you are
We’re putting out this song
Because we think that you might hear
And know where you belong
So what did we do wrong?

If you hear this
please
we love you Tommy
Please come home we’ve
left your room
Exactly
Exactly

And if you ever hear this song
Know we send our love
Take your origami skills
And make a paper dove
Send a message home
We promise not to teach you
We don’t care what you’ve done
We hope that this will reach you..

If you hear this,
please
We love you Tommy
We won’t ask you
anything
We won’t be angry

and here’s the wonderful video. ben & holly & family, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU and please send an email to art@eightineight.com – we’d love to mail you a thank you gift.

click here for some moar 8in8 art (or to find out how to submit your own). mmmmm…

xxx
afp