Pick It Up
Pick it Up
by Jed Moffitt and Stan Snow
When you write a song, do you start with the words? Or the music? Or some combination of the two. One invariably informs the other. Stan has a unique knack for finding and producing a compelling groove. At our songwriting retreat, Stan picked up the mandolin and started a jam. Part way into it, he let loose an innocuous 4 bar riff that Jed ran across days later when he was listening through the pile of sound files from the session in search of song ideas. For some reason, that 4 bar riff stood out and Jed transcribed it note for note. That transcription became the opening line to the intro for “Pick it Up”. Funny where inspiration comes from and where the muse hides sometimes. And funny how a whole song can be born in such a simple little unconsciously derived idea. Stan takes the guitar solo to wonderful places with a beautiful crimson Gibson L4 juicy fat jazz guitar. Invoking the strong influences of Pat Metheny on both of our musical traditions. Ben Smith (Heart), a true groove master, played effortless drums. As you listen to the song, think about how often you reach for your cell phone and whether you always really want to pick it up as often as you do… 🙂
You want to believe
That the night has a thousand eyes
And a couple of tricks up her sleeve
And that each of those thousand eyes can be your friend
And they all are looking at you
Are you paying attention?
To the light on the right of the screen
Indicating that your inbox is full
A thousand points received
There was something I was going to say
You know how it is when it slips your mind
I’ve dropped the ball, and it’s rolling away
Pick it up
Can you see the blue glow from across the room
Of a like, or a tweet, or a Rap beat
Calling to a werewolf driven by a silver moon
The Millennium Falcon in a tractor beam
A dollar on the floor by a coke machine
An angel calling from a flying dream
Pick It Up
Solo / Interlude
The seven steps of seduction
Or is it eight, I am never sure?
Lost in the indifference of emoji strewn affections
And clever words
I am sure you are talking to me, yes you have my attention
As I lay in the dark and watch the cursor blink
A thousand points received
There was something I was going to say
You know how it is when it falls away
Like a blown up bridge in a cowboy movie
Pick it up
There’s a box on the step of my front door
For the life of me, I cannot remember who it’s from… or what it’s for
But somewhere, my account has a debit amount
For another box received
It must be seen to be believed
All the boxes flying everywhere
And landing at the doors of the alone
Delivered by a drone
Pick it up
Jed Moffitt: songwriter, co-producer, vocals, keyboards
Stan Snow: songwriter, producer, backing vocals, guitars, mandolin, bass
Ben Smith: drums
Jazmin Candia: backing vocals
Don Gunn: engineering, mixing, mastering
Copyright 2020 Jed Moffitt, BMI; SAS West Music BMI, All rights reserved.