Richard describes his Days In Avalon cd, track by track.
DAYS IN AVALON
"Im proud of this one. I had a story in my head while writing it. I thought
of an old man on his deathbed, looking over his life. The great love of his life had already left him and he knew he was on
his way to meet her in heaven. Many lines in this song, however, reflect my thoughts about my own life and the love Ive had
in it. And I love the moment the key change happens. Its....big."
SHINE
"Such a melancholy song, I know. This song was
inspired by a little indie film I saw a couple of years ago. The movie was terrible, but it got me thinking about stuff, and
this song was born. The bridge in this song is my favorite one Ive ever written."
SOMEONE
SPECIAL
"I wrote this for all of us oddballs
out there. When I was first in LA, and very single, I would actually rehearse what I was going to say to whatever girl I was
trying to date at the time. It never seemed to come out right, though, so all those hours practicing in my apartment were
simply tragic wastes of time. There have already been some physically handicapped people whove told me they see themselves
in this song, but its just as much about the gorgeous model who never gets a date because men are intimidated by her. Theres
something extremely valuable about all of us. Its just that sometimes it isnt in plain sight."
ALMOST EVERYTHING
"Songs of loss tend to affect me deeper than
other songs as a listener, so as a writer I guess Im naturally drawn towards them. This is an angry song of loss. It was very
therapeutic for me. I really enjoyed recording this one. We did it in LA and we set up a microphone that was open all the
way around. I sat on one side, Bruce Gaitsch on the other, and we both played acoustic guitar facing each other. I think Don
Kirkpatricks slide guitar stuff on this is exceptional."
THE EDGE OF FOREVER "Chely Wright and
I wrote this in Nashville about a year ago. It was our second time writing together and wed sort of hit it off so it was more
comfortable. The more we worked on this, the more it just screamed out DUET!!! When we decided to try recording it together,
I went in with blind enthusiasm, thinking how cool and unique it was that a pop singer and a country singer could come together
on a song they wrote. I really thought no one would care about the issue of format. And that only the quality of the song
and recording was important. I was wrong. You wouldnt believe the political roadblocks that were set up. Its amazing the song
got this far. The good news is that a whole lot of people seem to love it. Its future is anybodys guess."
POWER OF YOU AND ME
"This was the last song recorded for the album.
It was done in Nashville with some great, fun players that I love working with. When people come together in a true union,
whether its a romantic thing, or a friendship, or even a sense of community, theres a power in it thats unmatched. I have
that in my life. I wanted to write about it."
ONE MORE TIME
"I originally wrote this for Canadian singer Lara Fabian. She didnt like it.
At least she was honest. Next thing I knew, an Italian singer named Laura Pausini was doing it in the Kevin Costner film,
Message in a Bottle. One night I was doing a concert somewhere, and I tried it myself. It got a standing ovation. I thought,
Hmmm. This is a song the audience never heard before, and it got a standing O. Maybe I should record this. See how I catch
on to things? I loved recording the string section in Chicago, working with arranger Cliff Colnot, who Ive known since I was
about 12 years old."
WAITING ON YOUR LOVE
"I wanted something that combined R&B
elements with Beatles chord changes. I think this is pretty close to what I wanted. Fee Waybills lyrics are great, and its
a really fun song to sing because I get to use every part of my voice. My engineer, David Cole, upon mixing this track, mentioned
the harmony vocal I did on the line 'which jokes taken as tenderness' and said, 'That voice needs a nickname. How bout stanky?'
Now thats all I think about when that line goes by."
MORE THAN A MYSTERY
"I love combining loops and sequences with
live drums, and Herman Matthews is the perfect drummer for this process because he knows when to play and when not to. I like
the dynamics in this track. The highs and lows. And its all just one guitar player, the magnificent Michael Thompson, playing
all the parts. My favorite line in this is, 'Love isnt really love without fear.' Dark sentiment, I know, but trust me: its
accurate."
BOY
NEXT DOOR
"Cynthia and I were driving around one night
and she said, 'You know how every time theres a horrible murder, they interview the neighbor who says, 'Were so shocked. He
was just your average boy next door. You should write a song about that.' So here it is. I do as Im told. Keep the peace,
you know? Seriously, I do want to point out that I wrote this about a year and a half before the Columbine shootings. In its
ugly aftermath, I listened to this and it kind of freaked me out."
TOO
EARLY TO BE OVER
"I thought the album needed one piece of blues/rock that harked back to some of my past rockers. I had
the title, and Fee ran with it. I had some Chicago background singers come in for all the shouts and parts that are my favorite
moments on this track. And this is full of awesome guitar playing. I can say that because I didnt play a note. I didnt want
to ruin it."
STRAIGHT FROM MY HEART
"I
could go into a long description about how this song came to be, and how I didnt care that it was a flat out country song,
and how blessed I was to have Alison Krauss agree to sing with me, but theres really only one thing to say about it. And that
is that I miss my father deeply and this song helps me."
For his Greatest Hits Album, he makes a comment about each song.
1. Don't Mean Nothing
"Richard says "This song didn't at all fit the trends of
1987, but it pushed through and started it all. My high school grammar teacher is still pissed off at me over this title.
Bruce Gaitsch and I wrote the music, and wrote the lyrics about 'the struggle'. What I've learned over 10 years is that
'the struggle' never ends, it just changes addresses.."
2. Endless Summer Nights
"Aside from replacing synthesized bass with the great Nathan East, this
recording is the demo that every record company in the business rejected in 1985 and 1986. The song went to #2 in the nation
in 1988. I hope every frustrated, talented struggling songwriter out there takes these facts to heart. Hang in there."
3. Now and Forever
"I realized that since Cynthia and I had been married and had the boys,
I'd not written something that addressed our present relationship. There was so much to say. There still is. There will always
be. My father's beautiful touch is all over this."
4. Should've Known Better
"I wrote this when I was twenty about the demise of my first real relationship.
I must say I think this song only truly comes alive on-stage, but the radio plays it a lot 10 years later. See? What do I
know?!"
5. Angelia
"One of my very favorites. I got the name, which has been constantly
mispronounced, from a flight attendant on a flight to Texas. The extent of our relationship was her serving me a ginger ale,
but what a great name. I was heavy into Def Leppard's "Hysteria" CD at the time, hence the guitar and drum sounds here. Mutt
Lange I'm not, but I'm proud of this one. David Cole's mix is outstanding."
6. Hold On To The Nights
"My first #1. It was very exciting. I was thrilled that the live version
got so much airplay, but the guitar work of Mike Landau and Patrick O'Hearn on bass is really special, so this studio version's
my favorite. Except for my vocal. I hadn't done any touring yet, and my voice was as clear as a 12 year old girl's. Thank
God for rasp."
7. Angels Lullaby
"I wrote this for my sons. It's impossible to express these kinds of
feelings in a four and a half minute song, but this was my best shot. I gave it to the Pediatric AIDS Foundation for use on
a CD called, "For Our Children, Too." It's become the most important song I've written so far."
8. Take This Heart
"This track always made me smile. It's happy music. I had a blast doing
the video with my pal and baseball hero, Dennis Eckersley. It was the first time my video had nothing to do with the song.
I just wanted to have some fun."
9. Satisfied
"This was the last song written and recorded for "Repeat Offender." I
wanted a fun, uptempo song to kick things off the second time around. With the help of Billy Payne of Little Feat on organ,
it became my second #1."
10. Until I Find You Again
"This song is not autobiographical, and I pray it never is. It's
a portrait of how it would be if I couldn't be with my wife. No other woman could ever fill those size 7's."
11. Hazard
"I wrote this in the back of the tour bus in 1990. I never even
considered recording it until I played it for Cynthia (his wife) and she threatened to publicly pants me if I didn't.
I'm so amazed that a little story song like this, set in rural Nebraska, became such a big hit all over the world. Great solo
by Bruce Gaitsch. And the answer to the mystery is... foreget about it."
12. The Way She Loves Me
"Can you imagine how cool it is for a white boy from Chicago to stand
between Luther Vandross and Lionel Richie, and SING?!"
13. Keep Coming Back
"Speaking of Luther, this was the first of several songs of mine he has
graced with his background vocals. We've since written together, shopped together, and dissed numerous people together. He's
one of the funniest people on teh planet, and I'm lucky to share music and friendship with him."
14. Children of the Night
"I interviewed some runaway kids who found sanctuary at the Children
of the Night Foundation in L.A. Their lives and their stories made it possible for me to write the lyrics. There are so many
kids who need help. I loved having some of the kids sing on the record and I think my Dad's horn arrangement is so cool. It
was the first song of mine he worked on."
15. Touch of Heaven
"This is really fun to sing. I tried to bridge the gap between the old
R&B I loved growing up, and the new sounds and approaches going on now. Randy knew how to get us going and it was a blast.
I really hope, most of all, that many people use this one as their soundtrack for sex."
16. Right Here Waiting
"My signature song. I had no intention of releasing it. It was too personal.
It was just Cynthia's and mine. But people close to me convinced me to reconsider, and now I know it's "our song" to a huge
number of people all over the world. For a songwriter, that's the ultimate privilege."
