A fortnight before I was scheduled to go into the studio and choose which songs to put on the album, Paper Thin, my friend Peter Assad put a message on his Facebook page saying he fancied doing some co-writing and was anyone working on something at the moment? I had a chord sequence and an idea for the theme which I sent to him and… I’ll let him take over the story:
“Co-writing across time zones has quickly become my favourite mode of writing. While one person sleeps, the other person writes. And when you wake up, a song has already been forming. This was my experience co-writing Let’s Go To Town with Olwen. Through some round-the-clock back-and-forth conversation over Messenger, what started as just the opening chord progression quickly transformed into the song we hear today. A big value of mine is leaving nothing unsaid. How often have we heard about those who, on their deathbed, regret not so much what they did say, but what they never took the time to articulate? This song is about providing someone the space to speak, because every voice matters.”
I recently looked back at the over 200 messages and voice notes we sent each other. It was fascinating to see the development from an idea into a full song and to see how we thrashed out lyric ideas – making changes and tweaking as we went along, especially as Peter and I have never actually met in real life (he lives in Missouri and I live in Wales), and this was our first time writing together. When I write alone, which is how I usually work, most of the lyric changes and development stages get lost as things are erased and replaced, so having the whole record is pretty special. I’m thrilled with the way the song turned out and I really hope you enjoy listening to it.
Peter and his wife record under the name ‘Poems of Grace’ – go and check them out on all the usual streaming services!
Let’s Go To Town
Is there something you’re trying to say?
Not in words, but it’s right on your face
Are we playing the game where I guess and then wait
’till you finally cut to the chase?
Tell me, stranger, what’s on your mind?
Seems there’s pain that you’re trying to hide
Let me shoulder the weight so your heart doesn’t ache
Like it has alone all this time
I’ll be around
Without a sound
Strap on your boots
Let’s go to town
Don’t be anxious, no, don’t be scared
I recall what it’s like to be there
I promise you this;
That whatever it is
We’ll get through it together
Out where the lights are bright we can talk all night
Grab a bite to eat as we walk through these streets
Under the stars you can pour out your heart
Is there something you’re trying to say?
Friend I’m here. I’m not going away
© Olwen Ringrose & Peter Assad, 2024