Surprise! New song from me.
This is a demo done for FAWM (February Album Writing Month) 2022. Currently unable to connect my instruments to my computer for recording, I made the backing track with Online Sequencer and Epic Online Orchestra, and the scratch vocal track was recorded with my phone. I hope to record a final version soon, with a better vocal and maybe a bit more going on in the first couple of minutes to keep the listener interested.
"Dinosaurs" is a love letter to the strange, tacky, wonderful roadside attractions of yesteryear along Route 1 in my hometown of Saugus, Massachusetts. Once plentiful, time is taking them one by one. The song is written from the perspective of the famous orange dinosaur at the Route 1 Mini Golf & Batting Cages (now demolished, although the dinosaur was transplanted to a nearby spot). I imagine him surveying the highway, mourning the loss of his fellow roadside attractions, and wondering when his time may finally come. Verse 2 references the palatial Weylu's restaurant (demolished) and the decidedly more kitschy Kowloon restaurant (still existing but sadly, slated for 'redevelopment' in the near future). Verse 3 focuses on the late Hilltop Steak House (replaced by mixed-use development; only the 68-foot tall neon cactus remains) and the thankfully still going strong Prince Pizzeria, with its 40-foot tall 'Leaning Tower of Pizza'. Also mentioned is the Breakheart Reservation, a wooded recreational area just off of Route 1.
If you're from the Boston area, you probably know most of these landmarks. If you're not, look them up. They're a hoot!
"Dinosaurs (Demo)" (7:05)
Written and recorded January/February 2022
I loom above six lanes of traffic
In the parking lot that I call home
They left me here as a reminder
But took the fields I used to roam
Decades ago, back in our heyday
People would stop and stare with glee
These days, they all just keep on driving
Barely discerning what they see
And with my little orange arms
I have watched this highway's charms disappear
I used to see a shining palace
Up on the top of a towering hill
Thousands of visitors would come and go each night
But not enough to pay the bills
Just up the road, there is a temple
To the tiki god of the Kowloon
But now they're talking 'redevelopment'
So it may be just a memory soon
And with my skinny orange arms
I have watched this highway's charms disappear
And as the condos conquered all
I have gone from big to small, year by year
There's still a giant neon cactus
Almost too glorious to describe
But all the cows were put out to pasture
Seems they don't fit the Starbucks vibe
Progress, please spare the leaning tower
Shining like a beacon, three stories tall
Standing proud at the edge of Breakheart
My heart would break to see it fall
And with my lifeless orange arms
I have watched this highway's charms disappear
And as the condos conquered all
I have gone from big to small, year by year
Now only echoes keep me company
Here at the ghost of my golf course
Maybe these things were all supposed to go extinct
In the end, we're all just dinosaurs
And with my useless orange arms
I have watched this highway's charms disappear
And as the condos conquered all
I have gone from big to small, year by year
And as tomorrow kills today
I will hope that come what may, I'll still be here
This is a demo done for FAWM (February Album Writing Month) 2022. Currently unable to connect my instruments to my computer for recording, I made the backing track with Online Sequencer and Epic Online Orchestra, and the scratch vocal track was recorded with my phone. I hope to record a final version soon, with a better vocal and maybe a bit more going on in the first couple of minutes to keep the listener interested.
"Dinosaurs" is a love letter to the strange, tacky, wonderful roadside attractions of yesteryear along Route 1 in my hometown of Saugus, Massachusetts. Once plentiful, time is taking them one by one. The song is written from the perspective of the famous orange dinosaur at the Route 1 Mini Golf & Batting Cages (now demolished, although the dinosaur was transplanted to a nearby spot). I imagine him surveying the highway, mourning the loss of his fellow roadside attractions, and wondering when his time may finally come. Verse 2 references the palatial Weylu's restaurant (demolished) and the decidedly more kitschy Kowloon restaurant (still existing but sadly, slated for 'redevelopment' in the near future). Verse 3 focuses on the late Hilltop Steak House (replaced by mixed-use development; only the 68-foot tall neon cactus remains) and the thankfully still going strong Prince Pizzeria, with its 40-foot tall 'Leaning Tower of Pizza'. Also mentioned is the Breakheart Reservation, a wooded recreational area just off of Route 1.
If you're from the Boston area, you probably know most of these landmarks. If you're not, look them up. They're a hoot!
"Dinosaurs (Demo)" (7:05)
Written and recorded January/February 2022
I loom above six lanes of traffic
In the parking lot that I call home
They left me here as a reminder
But took the fields I used to roam
Decades ago, back in our heyday
People would stop and stare with glee
These days, they all just keep on driving
Barely discerning what they see
And with my little orange arms
I have watched this highway's charms disappear
I used to see a shining palace
Up on the top of a towering hill
Thousands of visitors would come and go each night
But not enough to pay the bills
Just up the road, there is a temple
To the tiki god of the Kowloon
But now they're talking 'redevelopment'
So it may be just a memory soon
And with my skinny orange arms
I have watched this highway's charms disappear
And as the condos conquered all
I have gone from big to small, year by year
There's still a giant neon cactus
Almost too glorious to describe
But all the cows were put out to pasture
Seems they don't fit the Starbucks vibe
Progress, please spare the leaning tower
Shining like a beacon, three stories tall
Standing proud at the edge of Breakheart
My heart would break to see it fall
And with my lifeless orange arms
I have watched this highway's charms disappear
And as the condos conquered all
I have gone from big to small, year by year
Now only echoes keep me company
Here at the ghost of my golf course
Maybe these things were all supposed to go extinct
In the end, we're all just dinosaurs
And with my useless orange arms
I have watched this highway's charms disappear
And as the condos conquered all
I have gone from big to small, year by year
And as tomorrow kills today
I will hope that come what may, I'll still be here
Category Music / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
Size 120 x 120px
Listed in Folders
architectural strangeness and diversity is a freedom lost on the pretense of rectangular standardization.
all things change though,
some day the highways themselves will be gone, or humans to drive on them if not.
all things change though,
some day the highways themselves will be gone, or humans to drive on them if not.
this is cool :D kinda phil collins-y?
also, it's good to hear from you again!
also, it's good to hear from you again!
Very brooding. It has a Depeche Mode meets Joy Division vibe. I like it. Nice work.
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