Alan Williams
”Think of the Night”

Lyrics | Credits | About

Lyrics

  • Dream of the night, dream of the night
    Hear it calling your name
    Dream of the night, dream of the night
    Like a moth to the flame

    When the sadness comes, just a momentary pain

    Think of the night, think of the night
    Think of it drowning in rain

    For a moment I felt electrical ecstasy
    For a moment the gods knelt down in front of me
    For a moment I held the night
    Til everyone believed
    Leave it to me

    Trick of the light, trick of the light
    See the darkening stains
    Trick of the light, trick of the light
    Feel the shadows enraged

    In the crosswind squall, in the vortex hurricane

    Think of the night, think of the night
    Think of it howling in vain

    For a moment I felt the flickering ecstasy
    For a moment the gods knelt down in front of me
    For a moment I held the light
    So everyone could see
    Leave it to me

    Blink of an eye, blink of an eye
    Feeling honor and shame
    Blink of an eye, blink of an eye
    Linking Abel to Cain

    When the madman calls, like a bullet in the brain

    Think of the night, think of the night
    Think of it just like a train

    For a moment I felt the shattering ecstasy
    For a moment the gods knelt down in front of me
    For a moment I held the knife
    So everyone could see
    Leave it to me

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Credits

  • Alan Williams – vocal, acoustic and electric guitars, sound design; Ben Wittman – drums; Greg Porter – bass; Thomas Juliano – electric guitar; The Cast of Characters – strings.

Produced by Alan Williams

Drums recorded by Ben Wittman at Chez Wittman, Toronto. Strings recorded by Antonio Oliart at Fraser Performance Studio, WGBH Boston. Remainder recorded by Alan Williams at The Aviary, North Chelmsford, MA and Kai 2, Kehena, HI.

Mixed by Alan Williams at The Aviary

Mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering, Portland, ME

Album artwork by Dan Bennett

Hand lettering by Jim Williams

Graphic Design by Alan Williams

All songs written by Alan Williams and published by Under a Metal Sky Music (BMI)

Recording © 2022 Blue Gentian Records. All rights reserved.

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About The Music

“Think of the Night” | Alan Williams

This song is the reason this album exists. 

I tend to write in blocks – nothing new for years, then a burst. To some degree, I construct this scenario by avoiding picking up a guitar for long stretches, partially in fear that a new song idea will come to me and thus necessitate embarking on yet another recording project. The worst time for a new idea to occur is in the final production phases of an album. It’s too late to be included, and at the same time, the notion of embarking upon a new project is mind collapsing – “what a shame this new song will never get its due….”

Well, that’s what happened with this one. I was in the mixing stages of the Birdsong At Morning album, SIGNS AND WONDERS, when the verse melody and the song title made an appearance in my head while out for a walk. Knowing better, I reached for the guitar to see what key it was in. Once that was established, I kept going and soon the second half of the verse melody emerged. Uh oh, new song for sure. I hoped it might fade away due to inattention over the following couple of years, but alas, I found myself humming it, trying on words and phrases, and dammit… “guess I’m going to have to make another record.”

Not completely sure what all the lyrics are about, but I know the chorus is sung from the point of view of someone with extreme delusions of grandeur. The kind of guy that says, “Only I can solve….” For a while, I thought I had a fairly in/famous person in mind, but while watching the movie I, TONYA in a plane high over the Pacific Ocean, I realized the friend of Harding’s husband that lived in his mother’s basement while supposedly heading an international espionage and security firm was the song’s true protagonist. The previous contender was just some loser on TV….

As is often the case with me, the string arrangements are fairly central to the writing process; they’re in my head even as the lyrics aren’t fully formed. This was particularly true for the breakdown section where the strings swell from nothing and cut off abruptly. I could imagine this as a synthesizer in another genre of music, but for me, there’s nothing like spending far more money than is necessary for a similar effect.

The sound effects that are now crucial to that moment (and several other sections of the album) were a last-minute lightbulb epiphany. During the first year of the COVID pandemic, all my university classes were taught virtually. This was particularly problematic for the ensemble project I had launched wherein a group of music majors would learn and perform two complete albums by an artist or group, one per semester. After an awesome experience doing a couple of King Crimson albums, the following year I opted for Pink Floyd. With the campus closed, I brought the students into my workspace, The Aviary, in groups of five or six musicians and we recorded DARK SIDE OF THE MOON behind plastic dividers. The companion video struck a chord and it has since been viewed over 100,000 times on YouTube. But I digress…. The point being that I was reminded how interesting sound effects could be in establishing atmosphere. Pink Floyd wasn’t the first, but it certainly was the most successful band at weaving found sound into the music. I pillaged several offerings at FreeSound.org, and when I got a train sound to line up with the drum pattern, I felt electrical ecstasy.

Though the pandemic has kept me from performing, something tells me this song would really come alive on stage. Stadium size, even if the audience resembles Pink Floyd’s LIVE AT POMPEII….

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