A great interview
with Keavin Wiggins on how One In
A Million was written.
Music veteran Jeff Christie just released
his new album Here And Now
and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the track
"One In A Million".
Here is the story:
"After a tough year of personal ups and downs and trying
to fulfil some difficult deadlines, I upped and found myself
nestled in a beautiful old hotel overlooking the sea in
Italy, the first real holiday for some time. I needed to
unwind, relax, enjoy some sunshine, good food and wine.
After a few days of this, the heat
started to become a bit oppressive and one afternoon I wondered
around inside of the hotel and discovered a grand piano
in the corner of one of the lounge bars. The area was empty
of people so I sat down and opened the lid to find it perfectly
in tune and started tinkering.
Before long, and as usual,
whenever I sit at a piano a few random notes or chords will
often morph into some semblance of a tune and if I allow
myself not to get distracted eventually a song emerges.
Sometimes I work laterally and it may be a title that comes
to mind first, especially if it hooks into the few notes
that I'd already been doodling with. That's exactly how
this song was born.
"I had been thinking
back on my life and the people that I was indebted to for
either their love and support, or for showing me what the
real meaning of a life well lived meant.
What is it that transforms some
people into great humanitarians that put others before self.
Is it a gene that we're born with or is it a gradual life
journey that leads to a conscious decision to always try
and do the right thing, without resentment but with generosity
of spirit. I was fortunate to know a couple of people like
that in my own life experience. Letting my memories run
for a while the words 'One in a Million, One of a Kind'
leapt out and now my horse was out of the starting blocks.
"I sat there for an
hour or so and wrote down some words, by which time a few
people including some lobster red Brits drifted into the
bar and I stopped for obvious reasons.
Back in the room I probably finished
most of the lyrics with the basic tune firmly fixed in my
head. Over the next couple of days whenever that piano area
was people free, I'd go over it till I'd basically finished
the song.
Back home I put down a basic note-pad
demo and when I got round to the actual recording, I worked
out the feel with drums and bass and acoustic and with that
foundation stone laid it was just a question of building
the track up adding piano, Hammond organ and some more keyboard
and then layering some guitar riffs to existing bass riffs.
Next up were the vocals, I like
to first do a pilot vocal so I can see what harmonies and
back-up vocals might work then I try and get a decent lead
vocal. Once that was in the bag, I tracked up the harmonies
and left it alone for a few days without playing it because
giving it some space allows listening again with fresh ears.
I thought it might be fun to try
and get a thunderclap sound onto the track around the same
time as I sing thunder and lightning mid-section of the
song so I found a fairly decent 'thunder sound' on my keyboard
and 'played' it in at the right moment and was surprised
to see how good it sounded.
"The only thing left
was to get some kind of solo on the tail-out of the track
and I really felt a sax solo would be ideal, so I got hold
of Snake Davis who lives in Yorkshire and is a widely respected
musician with an impressive CV, and had a couple of facetime
calls with him where I basically sang the solo I wanted
and he played it back to me over the phone until he had
it down.
He recorded it at his home and
sent me the files and then we just slotted it into the rough
mix and that was the track completed. It sounded great and
then it was just about getting the right mix which I think
I've got, as every time I listen there's nothing I would
change.
Of course the thing about mixes
is you can go on forever and at some point you've got to
call a halt or you end up going down rabbit hole after rabbit
hole.
"I love working like
this and building the track up bit by bit or sound by sound.
It's like building a house, first you need a solid foundation
which in this case and usually is tight drums and bass plus
a piano or guitar to form the rhythm section, then comes
next section of walls, floors and roof i.e. the orchestrated
instrumental arrangement and vocals, then finally the paint
and furnishings: the mix and mastering process.
I don't work fast and like to mull
over any given song and mix sometimes making changes along
the way. For me the song is king and it deserves the best
clothes I can dress it in."
