Best Intentions

an original song by George Chapman,




Read on for George's musical and lyrical overview of the song,

Best Intentions is subtly elegiac, even if evidence to support this theme is not wholly accessible upon first listen. In conjunction with the melancholic chord sequences and harmonies in the choruses, employing extensive tension with comparatively little relief, the underlying drum beat with a low harmonic pass filter from the second verse does not give us the full-bodied drum kit tone we expect, suggesting that more is yet to be revealed. The fourth line of the first verse comprises a mid-line caesura after the phonetically harsh ‘cut it’- mimetic of this very action. As the piece climaxes in the bridge leading into the final chorus, the filter is removed from the drum kit loop and additional instrumentation (such as extra strings) becomes apparent to the listener, inferring that this ‘cutting’ semantic is to be developed upon and explained. However, the chorus simply repeats providing accompaniment for the improvised melodic vocalisations ‘dubbed-over’ the track, before all instrumentation except the legato strings is removed.  5 bars into this section of reduced texture, the dissonant interval in the string part infers that a certain notion of awkwardness still remains for the composer, supported by the unresolved suspended chord on which the piece concludes. Lyrically, the piece encapsulates a sense of loss which often exists following an argument (or series of arguments) with a loved one. By revisiting the immediate emotional aftermath of the dispute in the first verse, the composer questions the impact of the incident on his own state of character, and whether the argument has permanently damaged his relationship with the person with whom he has argued.