The Singer and You

Key of Zed, the duo of Mike Charko and Keith Shields, has just released a new original single. For fans of Blue Rodeo and a few other bands, you will recognize the references to a few other songs in the lyrics. See how many you can catch. (At a later date I will release an annotated version of the lyrics that will identify the references.) The story of this song is that the woman in the Blue Rodeo song "Try" is now older and more introspective and the lyrics are her answer to the man who said those words to her.

The Singer and You

(Lyrics and Music by Mike Charko and Keith Shields; copyright SOCAN)

(Listen here) 

Blue Rodeo on the stereo

(And) teardrops in my eyes

Reminding me of five days in May

And how I said I’d try

Was it just bad timing?

Or something I should have done?

That keeps me looking through the crack in the window

And wishing for the sun

And the singer and you and the devil too

They want to tell me what I should do

They want to tell me what I should do

Right is right and wrong is wrong

With every move I made

I couldn’t be what you wanted me to be

Every time you played

Old songs, rehearsed to a tee

Left no room to breathe

And the spirits of tunes - left unsung

Like the ghosts in me

And the singer and you and the devil too

They want to tell me what I should do

They want to tell me what I should do

Guitar solo:

Bridge:

Bop shoo bop bop bop she bop

Bop shoo bop bop bop she bop

Bop shoo bop bop bop bop she bop

My solo written by you

Was singing the blues

How could I get the rhythm from you?

There’s nothing left to do

Rising star or wounded heart?

Were you teaching me to fly?

Could the bad inside of me

Really be the lie?

And the singer and you and the devil too

They want to tell me what I should do

They want to tell me the things that I should do

Bop shoo bop; bop bop she bop

Bop shoo bop; bop bop she bop

Bop shoo bop; bop bop she bop

Bop shoo bop; bop bop she bop

Bop shoo bop; bop bop she bop

Bop shoo bop; bop bop she bop

No Hit Wonder

The latest composition by “Key of Zed” is more auto-biographical than previous offerings; and long-time fans will recognize references to previous songs. Enjoy listening to it on ReverbNation and follow along with the lyrics below.

No Hit Wonder

(Words and music by Mike Charko and Keith Shields; SOCAN, 2017)

It started for me in ninety-three

The music was all about you and me

Back then the road was necessity

Playing in towns and bars for free

A little band of one plus three

Told tales of love and mortality

Wrote some tunes to make you laugh

Money was split in half and a half

Give me a song with a driving beat

Give me a song with harmonies

Give me a song that makes you feel just right

And we’ll sing it for you tonight

We played our songs from coast to coast

Every mic time had a host

And every coast was just the same

Chasing down our fame

Drums were beat and songs were sung

Beer glasses slammed and rung

Original tunes and covers with flair

Worked hard to get an appreciative stare

Give me a song with a driving beat

Give me a song with harmonies

Give me a song that makes you feel just right

And we’ll sing for you tonight

We played at all the greatest halls

Heritage Grill and the Rusty Gull

Good Earth Café and Tommy G-s

That little Bluebird wanna be

Professionals with poetic grace

Critics would sing our praise

Out on the road behind the wheel

Still looking for that record deal

Give me a song with a driving beat

Give me a song with harmonies

Give me a song that makes you feel just right

And we’ll sing it for you tonight

When I was young I could breathe the air

Of getting my shot and climbing the stair

Grammys and Junos would be mine

Nothing could stop me this time

Nashville, Memphis, and LA

Oh the halls I’d play

Singing about places called Home

Angels in Blue Jeans never would roam

Give me a song with a driving beat

Give me a song with harmonies

Give me a song that makes you feel just right

And we’ll sing it for you tonight

Back home I’m famous just like the thunder

Known ever as the “No Hit Wonder”

I Remember It Well

Key of Zed is a duo consisting of Mike Charko (multiple instruments, engineering, background vocals, melodies, lyrics, and arrangements) and Keith Shields (lead vocals, background vocals, percussion, lyrics, melodies, arrangements, social media, and promotion). The duo has been collaborating on song-writing and performing since 2009. Their latest release is a song called “I Remember It Well.” Keith Shields says that the song started out as a pure love song but, in true Key of Zed fashion, it morphed into a song about a man who is far away from his love, “paying for his fame with memories.” The guitar style is reminiscent of 1970’s sounds with just a bit of Blue Rodeo thrown in. We think you will enjoy this fresh kick at a retro mood and we hope you like our latest hit (okay, I said "hit" with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek). Check out all Key of Zed music at Reverbnation. You can even download selected tracks and take it with you on the road.

I Remember It Well

(Lyrics and Music by Mike Charko and Keith Shields; SOCAN 2016)

(Listen while you read the lyrics.)

I can still recall

The first time I held your hand

I can still recall

Oh the life we planned

Butterflies in my tummy

First time I called you honey

Oh-Oh I remember it well

I can still recall

Oh, the way you smiled

I can still recall

How you drove me wild

Making love under the covers

Talking on and on for hours

Oh-Oh I remember it well

But tonight I call your name

And it’s all a shade of blue

I’m paying for my fame

With memories of you

I can still recall

The times we ran away

I can still recall

The crazy things we’d say

Talkin’ ‘bout the dreams we’d chase down

The legacy to leave our children

Oh-oh I remember it well

But tonight I call your name

And it’s all a shade of blue

I’m paying for my fame

With memories of you

(Instrumental break)

And as my mind goes racing back

I can’t recall the things we lacked

Girl you’re easy on my mind

On days like this I find

I remember it well

But tonight I call your name

And it’s all a shade of blue

I’m paying for my fame

With memories of you

I can still recall

I can still recall

I can still recall 

Sympathy For the Dead

 

In his time, Johnny Cash sang more than one murder ballad. Adam Cohen, Kenny Rogers, Crooked Still, Sting, and Tom Waits also recorded songs in this genre. Even the consummate pop songwriter Barry Manilow wrote a song about murder (perhaps one day I will expand on these other murder-ballads).

What is it about murder ballads that catch our attention? Is it that we truly desire justice, revenge, or retribution? Or is it the horror of a train-wreck from which we cannot remove our gaze? The latest song from Key of Zed tells one such story of murder and asks the question, “Was it swift justice or retribution?” The soaring vocals, growling guitar, and haunting electric solo tell the story of two men who lose their way, and ultimately, lose their lives. There is a faint echo of a Kenny Rogers’ song; and it also makes a nod to Adam Cohen’s “Don’t Crack.” I will leave it up to readers to come to their own conclusions on the inherent question in the last line.

Sympathy for the Dead

(Listen while you read the lyrics)

Down the long dark corridor

I heard the sounds I couldn’t expect

Her clothes were strewn on the floor

My heart was frozen in my chest

Door was open just a crack

Pushed it wide for I must be sure

Gun on the floor she always packed

It would be used for this cure

It was over in an instant

Just another crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

The trial was over in three days

No time to hear all the facts

Nothing ‘bout his abusive ways

To explain my attack

It was over in an instant

Just another crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

Now the doors close on my plan

Excuses ringing in my head

Surely he was an evil man

Becky’s safe now the monster’s dead.

It was over in an instant

Just another crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

Down the long dark corridor

I hear from those who will wish me well

Those now standing at their doors

And those who wished I’d just go to hell

Over in an instant

Payment for a crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

It was over in an instant

Just another crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

Lyrics and music by Mike Charko and Keith Shields; Key of Zed Music, 2016;

SOCAN 2016.