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Listen to a sample
VC: lead and harmony vocals, Mosrite acoustic, Turner Renaissance guitar, Fender Precision bass, Yamaha CS1 synth (piano), drum programming; Anglea Hessler: violin and harmony vocals, Mike Grow: mandolin
The Story
I'm not sure if I have an ultimate favorite song of my own, but if I did, it might be this one. It was written at one of my favorite spots in the world: "Vince's Bench" at Cesar Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina. I have spent many, many hours on this bench with its gorgeous view of the Bay and the City and have written many a song there. I actually wrote the lyrics two songs that afternoon in January of 1994, the other one being "Cut Me Quickly" which is so on the other end of my songwriting spectrum. The music to both came in the following weeks as my solo acoustic career began to blossom in Berkeley. I was now performing on a semi-regular basis.
The genesis for this song came on Anna’s final weekend in Berkeley before she returned to Las Vegas for her senior year at UNLV. I had planned a fun-filled weekend for us before her flight on Monday. Saturday was a trip to Santa Cruz where we laid on the Beach for hours, played pinball in the arcade, and had a great dinner on the wharf. Sunday afternoon was an awesome Indigo Girls concert at the Greek Theater. After the show I had planned a secret dinner at my new favorite restaurant in Rockridge called La Crème de la Crème. As we dressed for the evening (me in my white suit and golden brown curly locks; she in her slinky red dress and bright green eyes) she tried to get more information about our night from me but I slyly held out that it was a surprise. It was then that she told me that I was the most romantic man she had ever met.
I was torn between two emotions: joy that she saw me this way, and sadness because I knew that being a romantic was both my strength with the women and ultimately my downfall. How could I explain to her that being a romantic in the late twentieth century wasn’t really a good thing?
So five months later as I sat on my bench at the marina I recalled that final night. In addition I added images from my subsequent trip to Las Vegas for her birthday and our many late night phone calls into this song which is all about my plight as modern day romantic. Most times I have performed this song I have told some version of the story wrapping it up with the ultimate irony of it all: we broke up about ten days after I wrote this song and she never got to hear it.
With Mike’s mandolin, Angela’s violin, and my “magic” piano playing we were finally able to give this song its due for I feel that the recording successfully combines all the true romance, sadness, and irony that went into the creation of this definitive Vince Charming composition.
Lyrics
A bottle of red wine
A table for two
Candlelight’s just right
To enjoy this view
It’s just the way I am
I might seem a fanatic
A helpless, hopeless romantic
A birthday surprise
What can it be?
But I won’t let on
Despite your pleas
A ring for your finger
Might seem dramatic
But I’m helpless, hopeless, romantic
We are what we are
We cannot ever change
Try as we may
We must play
Within our range
Sweet talk on the telephone
A song just for you
There’s not many like me
Thank God we’re so few
I don’t often make sense
I’m not too pragmatic
Just a helpless, hopeless romantic…
1/24/93
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