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Description
[For those who have checked out the first draft - here is what I've been mucking around with all day after my self-imposed "deadline".]
I wrote this tune in 1997, based on an idea stemming from my very first song written in 1985. Don't ask me where the concept of a "neon tiki" comes from, but it represents that elusive something that you search for all your life, knowing that it exists. There are always naysayers who tell you to give up your foolish dreams of such "neon tikis", that you'll never find such a thing. So, this song is for the dreamers and hunters of neon tikis, whatever they might be for you.
I found a partially produced version of this song on my hard drive yesterday (4/17) and challenged myself to bring it around in less than 24 hours (the Gumball Rally of song producing?) So, I stripped it of everything but the bass line and re-did everything else. GB drum loops, three tracks of dulcimer, one track of real-time piano and a whole bunch of harmonies. Looking at the clock, I've just made it. : ) It can be a better mix, of course, so any and all critiques are welcome as usual!
[Personally, after I uploaded it, there was no way I could just let it sit there; the mix felt small and claustrophobic, so I did some retooling. Still, at just over 24 hours, this is probably the shortest amount of time I've ever spent on a mix. Just preparing for some crush time coming this summer in production labs.]
I wrote this tune in 1997, based on an idea stemming from my very first song written in 1985. Don't ask me where the concept of a "neon tiki" comes from, but it represents that elusive something that you search for all your life, knowing that it exists. There are always naysayers who tell you to give up your foolish dreams of such "neon tikis", that you'll never find such a thing. So, this song is for the dreamers and hunters of neon tikis, whatever they might be for you.
I found a partially produced version of this song on my hard drive yesterday (4/17) and challenged myself to bring it around in less than 24 hours (the Gumball Rally of song producing?) So, I stripped it of everything but the bass line and re-did everything else. GB drum loops, three tracks of dulcimer, one track of real-time piano and a whole bunch of harmonies. Looking at the clock, I've just made it. : ) It can be a better mix, of course, so any and all critiques are welcome as usual!
[Personally, after I uploaded it, there was no way I could just let it sit there; the mix felt small and claustrophobic, so I did some retooling. Still, at just over 24 hours, this is probably the shortest amount of time I've ever spent on a mix. Just preparing for some crush time coming this summer in production labs.]
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Lyrics
been a long time comin', no doubt, can't wait no longer, give me tiki
I've searched this world throughout for a thing that gets me wild and freaky
to the desert, to the oceans, it's a myth that stalks my head at night
in the limestone, beneath the lava, maybe I'll get lucky, huh?
on every street in every town, standing on a corner, lookin' for a bit of the light
they say, "hey man, get on with your life", but I can't relent the search for neon tiki
in the city, out in the country, in a book or an egg or a voodoo doll
dripping sweet from a poison grapevine or a message on the wall
I'm looking for a neon tiki (you will never find this tiki)
auwe-ah, yes I will
it came to me in a dream, now I find I gotta have it or I think I'm gonna forfeit my mind
in the words of a muse or the eyes of an angel, a tear from a painter's brush
it's the whim and the joy and the glee, it turns my brain to mush
to the racetrack, down in the subway, upon a jet leaving Tuesday night
without a care for the cost or the consequence, I'm there in coach, watching movies in flight
I hate flying
I'm looking for a neon tiki (you will never find this tiki)
auwe-ah, yes I will
I wish I had a way to show you
what it's like, why it's here, where it hangs, what it sees, how it lives
how it breathes, where it grows, how it glows, watch it dance and know why I need it
I've searched this world throughout for a thing that gets me wild and freaky
to the desert, to the oceans, it's a myth that stalks my head at night
in the limestone, beneath the lava, maybe I'll get lucky, huh?
on every street in every town, standing on a corner, lookin' for a bit of the light
they say, "hey man, get on with your life", but I can't relent the search for neon tiki
in the city, out in the country, in a book or an egg or a voodoo doll
dripping sweet from a poison grapevine or a message on the wall
I'm looking for a neon tiki (you will never find this tiki)
auwe-ah, yes I will
it came to me in a dream, now I find I gotta have it or I think I'm gonna forfeit my mind
in the words of a muse or the eyes of an angel, a tear from a painter's brush
it's the whim and the joy and the glee, it turns my brain to mush
to the racetrack, down in the subway, upon a jet leaving Tuesday night
without a care for the cost or the consequence, I'm there in coach, watching movies in flight
I hate flying
I'm looking for a neon tiki (you will never find this tiki)
auwe-ah, yes I will
I wish I had a way to show you
what it's like, why it's here, where it hangs, what it sees, how it lives
how it breathes, where it grows, how it glows, watch it dance and know why I need it
Vic Holman
in my front yard so the great tikiman will leave groovy tiki presents. this is really great on all levels. the song itself is tiki-catchy right of the bat, and the neon glow of the singing...tiki superb.
neon production! love it!