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chemical parts
ABOUT THE SONG
I wrote Chemical Parts while I was going through one of the most chaotic and unsettling times of my life. It was July of 2022 - I had just graduated from college and been fully set on the path to create music for a living. Life was good! Until I was at breakfast one day and my hearing started disappearing in my left ear. It got really bad over the next three days, and after seeing a doctor, I was ordered to take some medication for two and a half weeks. I am extremely grateful to say that my hearing did come back, but the side-effects of the medication completely destroyed me mentally, physically, and emotionally.
While my hearing was still coming back, and in the midst of my crazy side-effect rollercoaster ride, I reached the limit for how much stress, insomnia, and frustration I'd endured. I sat down at the piano and started singing the lines "I took you for granted again, got me wondering when the whole world will come to an end." The phrases didn't impress me at all because I thought I was digging up feelings from some worn out relationship in the past, but then I realized "I took you for granted again" was me talking about myself before I had this hearing problem. Suddenly the whole meaning of the lines shifted, and I allowed myself to guide all the frustration and stress I felt into this song.
CHEMICAL PARTS LYRICS
Got uninvited to a party that was thrown for me
And I can't pretend that I'm okay when I'm the enemy
All my friends say cut it out and get some therapy
Well crying upstairs in my room is where I'd rather be
Graduation happened fast and came so suddenly
I miss the rooftops and the bars and studying movies
In the real world what can I charge for some empathy
Cause I've been working really hard
and I don't know how to be
I TOOK YOU FOR GRANTED AGAIN
GOT ME WONDERING WHEN
THE WHOLE WORLD WILL COME TO AN END
I'M TRYING HARD NOT TO LET YOU GET UNDER MY SKIN
CHEMICAL PARTS ARE ALL I AM TONIGHT
I feel like everybody else is way ahead of me
I have to do much more than close my eyes to fall asleep
Feelings changing like a bad casino slot machine
Someone let me know when you figure out insanity
Summer started, got depressed, and cancelled my vacation
Slowly dying from the mood swings of my medication
Screaming into a microphone to let my frustration out
I TOOK YOU FOR GRANTED AGAIN
GOT ME WONDERING WHEN
THE WHOLE WORLD WILL COME TO AN END
I'M TRYING HARD NOT TO LET YOU GET UNDER MY SKIN
CHEMICAL PARTS ARE ALL I AM TONIGHT
C, H, E, M, I, C, A, L, P, A, R, T, S so chemical
C, H, E, M, I, C, A, L, P, A, R, T, S
I TOOK YOU FOR GRANTED AGAIN
GOT ME WONDERING WHEN
THE WHOLE WORLD WILL COME TO AN END
I'M TRYING HARD NOT TO LET YOU GET UNDER MY SKIN
CHEMICAL PARTS ARE ALL I AM TONIGHT
PRODUCTION
I knew from the moment I started writing Chemical Parts that I wanted it to be a fun rock/pop song that made me want to dance. One of my favorite things is to take a difficult feeling or experience and turn it into something happy-sounding, and I really needed something to pick me up while going through those crazy two weeks. Here are the pieces that make up Chemical Parts!
GUITARS
The electric guitar stack is the main instrument of Chemical Parts! I wanted the song to sound energetic with a little underlying anger, and I figured a gritty electric sound would be perfect to achieve that. In this stack there are pairs of guitars that are doubled with one on each side: a clean guitar, a gritty strummed guitar, and a gritty finger-picked guitar.
Guitars
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VOCAL STACK
If it's one of my songs, there's definitely a vocal stack in it!! Having multiple voices singing the lead, harmonies, and octaves really emphasize the energy behind the song, and it gives the main melody more texture and intrigue!
Vocal Stack
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SIDECHAIN COMPRESSION
To give the song more energy, I routed the signal from the kick drum into a compressor that forced other instruments and vocals to duck down in volume when the kick was hit. The sample below shows the bass, hi hats, and high vocals getting compressed when the kick hits. This results in a pumping sound that allows the song to feel more bouncy!
Sidechain
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KEYS
The instrumental melody in Chemical Parts is a fun contrast against the more frustrating concept of the overall song, which I was really aiming for! The melody is made up of a piano, a high bell synth, a low bell synth, and an arpeggiator.
Keys
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SATURATION
Adding saturation to the lead vocal at the beginning of the song helped convey the tension and subtle anger I wanted in the song. It starts Chemical Parts off right away, then it disappears in the second half of the first verse to allow the song to open up more! The saturation also inspired me to act out the lines more dramatically.
Saturation
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PHOTOSHOOT
My friend Aidan and I went to a rollerskating rink to take pictures for Chemical Parts after my dad told me the song sounded like something that would play inside of one! Aidan said he would bring his Polaroid just in case we might get some good pictures with it, and it ended up capturing the song's cover art! Photos by Aidan Winship, @aidan_winship on Instagram
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