Welcome to a page all about my latest single, “The Barefoot Girl”
Click on the arrow to activate the exfm player: The Barefoot Girl
Read below for the story, credits and lyrics.
The players:
VC: lead vocals, Moserite acoustic guitar, Gibson 335 electric guitar, Tacoma Thunderchief acoustic bass; “Cousin” Ken Maffeo: Roland TD5 digital drums; Mike Grow: Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster electric lead guitars; and featuring: Amber Lee Baker: harmony & backing vocals, accordion.
The Story:
It’s a foggy Saturday evening in beautiful Berkeley, CA. That’s the setting for this story of a prototypical third date. The boy invites the girl for a home cooked meal and a classic movie and in the process falls completely in love. I’ve noticed that I’m great at chronicling the beginning and ending of relationships, but not so much the middle of them. This song is no exception. I’ve tried my best to capture all the romance of such an evening as well as its whimsicality. A lot of the true events of the evening are accurately portrayed in the song including the snippets of dialogue. Left out was having my car stolen that morning…so my plan to drive my non car owning date home later became walking her to the BART station. So…when midnight approaches and we’re tangled up on the couch…that never happens. Fortunately, being the gentleman that I am, I prepared my spare bedroom…which of course leads to the second verse. As mentioned later this really is song two in a trilogy of a new love: preceded by “Daisy” and followed by “Don’t Be Afraid”.
How this turned into something of a rockabilly tune, I’m not sure, but that’s what came out when I wrote it the very next day. I brought in images of other songs involving footwear, but the song really transformed when “Cousin” Ken Maffeo added his “jungle drums” to the recording. And as the recording process continued, I was aided by my friend Amber Lee Baker whose ideas about the backing vocals (as well as her cool accordion playing) really made this song stick out from the others I was recording for this album. And thus, it became the single. And of course, I must mention Mike’s great riffs (which I turned into my ringtone). I hope you like it!
Lyrics:
The Barefoot Girl
Chorus:
I don’t get off on no high-heeled sneakers
Or those boogie shoes that help you dance and twirl
Those go-go boots might be made for walkin’
But I’m fallin’ hard for a barefoot girl
The barefoot girl laughs in the living room
All tan feet and vanilla knees
A shy smile and my heart starts to zoom
But she gets up like a light breeze
She glides ‘cross my kitchen floor
“Don’t you go barefoot anymore?”
My shoes slide off and my socks fly
Now I’m a groovy barefoot guy
Chorus
The barefoot girl’s light on her feet
Stealthy in the morning light
A faint scent of something sweet
And I awake from a fitful night
She slips into my big, comfy bed
“Didn’t you expect to see me here?”
So many things are better left unsaid
So I just slowly pulled her near
Memory and misery
Rapidly fade away
Sighs, smiles, and ecstasy
Finally are here to stay
Chorus
VC
7/26/09