Under the Hood, Episode 2: "Give Me a Sign"


 

Sometimes songs are a slow build and sometimes they happen in the blink of an eye.

Harry Hess and I sat down one winter weekend in early January 2024 and wrote "Give Me a Sign" start to finish. It started with a conversation, a title, a few attempts at a melody — nothing was working — and then it all came together rather quickly. Probably the fastest song I'd ever co-written.

A few weeks later we were in a Toronto studio recording it, with Harry at the helm as producer.

Unlike the old days most sessions are now virtual and it's rare to have everybody in the same room together.

When it was finished it reminded me of a big Mutt Lange production and it's in the sweet spot, 92 bpm.

I'm planning on doing a remix version featuring more of Bill's Hammond B3 vibes.

The players:

  • Bill Champlin — Hammond B3 organ (formerly of the band Chicago, 2x Grammy winner)
  • Pete Lesperance — guitars (Harem Scarem)
  • Russ Boswell — bass (Corey Hart, David Wilcox)
  • Creighton Doane — drums (Harem Scarem, Alannah Myles, Kim Mitchell)
  • Franklin McKay — keyboards
  • Harry Hess — backing vocals, producer (Harem Scarem)

Did you catch the shooting star 💫 at the end of the video? What are your thoughts?

Keep coming back — there's always more under the hood.

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