Is Cayo Hueso Rain my best song? Well, I can't say there is a best song. Having said that, of the songs I've released, on my own personal standards, there is nothing less than an "A". Have I written anything less than an A? Of course! Many, many times more than the A's. However, these are discarded, often before completion and none have ever been recorded. We all have our own standards. This is mine. 😀
When I grew up, a lot of songs stimulated the gray matter, both musically and lyrically. Dylan brought the songs with meaning into the fold from folk music, followed by The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield.. etc. In addition, improvisation arrived with bands like Cream, the The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers. All of this was music that made the listener sit up and listen.
These were large influences on my writing. To stimulate the listener's mind is ideal. Many listeners don't have that capacity. The ones who do are my type of listeners.
For those who do, read on! 😃
1) When I came up with the concept of Cayo Hueso Rain, the first thing I wanted to do was come up with music that sounded like it was raining. Though the concept was in place, no lyrics were written at this point, however I needed something that, even if there were no lyrics, the listener would consciously, or unconsciously, sense that it was raining. I needed something like a lite rain, very airy feel to it I ended up with an F5 add9 to a G 6/9 progression resolving with additional airy/rainy chords and it was exactly what I had in mind.
This is a song, not a narration. The music is paramount. This was beautify melodic and a perfect foundation to write the story on! If one builds a house, they don't start with the roof, they start with a foundation. When I write a song, the foundation is paramount. Here, I had my objective.
(note: I always write the music first. Lennon/McCartney, Jagger/Richards, Garcia/Hunter did/do likewise.)
2) One of my goals in this song (and others) is placing the listener in an easy chair at home in Cincinnati, New York, Boston, Chicago... etc. on a winter evening with the snow falling outside. They may have their earphones on so not to be interrupted. They close their eyes, and fall into the music. They are now living the music with the protagonist, in Key West.
note: One definition of Trop Rock is, escapism. I live in Key West. I can't write a song about coming to Key West, I live here and have since 2008. A few years ago on a review, the author called my music Island Americana. I liked that and I've labeled my music that since. I write about the things I see on a day to day basis in Key West. For the individual who wants to live here, this song, and my music, is for them.
3) In a subtle way, "Cayo Hueso Rain" walks the listener through the streets of Key West and allows them to see the town through the eyes of the protagonist, on a rainy day on the island.
4) It's almost like Dickins' "A Christmas Carol" for the listener, in that the listener is guided through the town in the song seeing the wonderful, the middle of the road, the sad, the happy and the tragic. Unlike "A Christmas Carol", the listener is only an observer and what they see is no reflection on them in the slightest.
5) One fun aspect of the song is the name. When I play this song out, I'll often ask the audience "Does anyone here know Key West's original name?". The question is often a bunch of confused faces that look as though they are asking "What? Key West had other names?" The original name for Key West is Cayo Hueso, the Spanish name which literally translates to "Bone Key" . Some call it "Bone Island" However, this is not quite correct. If it were Bone Island The Spanish name would be Isla Hueso. The word "Cayo" translates to the English word, Key, Also, to this day, Spanish speakers refer to Key West as Cayo Hueso. It's a fun little interlude at a gig!
6) The song is in the key of F and while 99% of songs resolve on the key's root chord, this does not. It really just floats off into the distance on a dissonant variation of the 4 chord and the protagonist floats away like a ghost "... So all I think I'll do is walk around, this beautiful island town, in the Cayo Hueso rain, in the Cayo Hueso rain, en la lluvia de Cayo Hueso, in the Cayo Hueso rain.... "
7) Who is the protagonist/guide that just took us through such a fascinating walk of Key West in the rain? He showed us Cuban Coffee, people scampering into bars to escape the rain, the list goes on and on. His tour was insightful and from someone who knows the town inside out. However, who was he?
Hint: He's an anonymous individual, yet is categorized.
https://music.apple.com/us/song/cayo-hueso-rain/1564666511
https://www.amazon.com/Cayo-Hueso-Rain/dp/B093CPDVFP
Thanks for reading my blog! The smart readers will have the insight!
