"Zoned Out" ("I've Been Thinking..." THOUGHT PROCESS Series 4/12)

“I've Been Thinking...” behind the songs “THOUGHT PROCESS SERIES”

My latest full length album, “I've Been Thinking...” released on the Savannah based label DopeSandwich Records and Tapes May 3^rd is a collection of concepts and narratives that I've written over the last few years featuring instrumental contributions from coast to coast and outside of the country as well. Looking over the collection I'd opine that it is some of my finest work to date (one would hope). What have you been thinking? Over 12 days I'll be releasing a behind-the-music sort of blurb for each track! If there are any questions or comments regarding the songs please submit them and I'll do my best to answer and fulfill them! I hope this series is of interest and that the music does something for you!

Track 4: “Zoned Out”

Following again a loose thesis transition from the “I love you truly folks” line comes this next track.

Some out-of-lyric thoughts on the topic:

     Rather obviously, the “friend boat” or “friend zone” conversation and conundrum is the theme for this song and I think it's a compelling issue that members both genders and all combinations of attractions and orientations probably unfortunately deal with. In a world where everyone wants to feel loved, it can be easily to overshoot or misinterpret the strength and intention of friends in platonic relationships. It can be confusing and exciting to feel like you've met someone who aligns seemingly perfectly with your ambitions, ideals and personality traits and to also have many positive feelings reciprocated and then feel overwhelmed like you found a fated treasure or a “soul mate” and just want to express this excitement and affection. Being self-aware enough to know you may be stumbling into this folly may present a meta-cognitive problem where you feel for the first time with your friend that you can't be honest for fear of it “making things weird”. Then again, what if they're just waiting for you to speak first and you find out years later to your horror that you both shared the same feeling but were waiting on one another to express it! The end game is in fact avoiding this mentality altogether by addressing another aspect of it all which is...why all the desire to “lock down” and lock up a person as “yours” just because you share a beautiful connection? Can't love exist successfully and feel fulfilling without having your desire “validated” by the restraint of an overprotective label?!

Behind The Music:

     Initially this was to be a solely personal confessional sort of song but as usual I found myself opening the thoughts up to a more public/universal set of lessons and concerns for myself and others. This was the last song that I recorded for the album, it initially came together as a series of sporadic lines and tirades of emotion over a few random writing sessions. I came across this beat on youtube and messaged UK producer,   Tony Mahoney immediately (who entirely produced my 2014 split EP with D.o.drent “CreativeDifferences (A Split)” ). I've said time and again and will continue to say that, since discovering his instrumentals online and through my friend 24/7's album “Room Full Of Empty Bottles” he has been one of my favorite producers.

     This song's structure started out as one long open poetic verse with a repeated refrain at the conclusion, (which is what naturally happened when I recorded an early demo of all the lyrics and found myself repeating a more primitive version of the chorus as you hear it now.) While in the studio I opted to record the vocals with a little more improvisational approach as far as the arrangement of the lyrics and not going in with a solid rehearsed plan beforehand. While in the studio I wrote out an drastically improved chorus that I loved and sang it in a few layers. It took two sessions to finish this song up. While working outdoors in between the two recording sessions and just thinking about the song and topic, I freestyled a large part of the whole final set of lyrics in the third verse with the caged animal analog/metaphor to the end, and I stopped working and scribbled it all down and added it into the song in the second session. With the writing and delivery of the final lines of this song, I was reminded of the direct approach that I took at the close of "Quality Vs. Quarantine" (from the aforementioned “Creative Differences (A Split)”).Whether or not it is because it is the newest song, I don't know, but this is one of my favorite songs/pieces of writing on the album at the time of typing this blog.

Be good to one another, with no expectations!

Thank you for all of the love!

-Bruce "AllOne" Pandolfo

Fall in love atwww.allonevoice.bandcamp.com/track/zoned-out 

Bonus Blurb:  "Between The Lines" (Links to the references)

I often weave  many references to books I read, people I've learned about or films I've watched into my lyrics.  In addition to this showing the influences of mine and being a fun way to cleverly carve new meanings into the titles and authors and performers whose work I've enjoyed, it is mostly an attempt to expose those who listen to my music to media that I've been inspired by in hopes that you may pursue them and will get something out the art that I've taken in. Here are links to a few people/things I reference in this song.  Enjoy!!
Rocky
Yann Martel's  Life Of Pi
W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw"
Ivan Pavlov 
Down Periscope