organizing an accident is a once-weekly newsletter where I leak home demos of unreleased songs, first draft lyrics, thoughts on the creative process, and dispatches from music life in Paris.
Listen to “Call Me When You're On the Way” (demo):
This song was written on March 10, 2022
Hello & happy holidays —
This year and all of its heaping baggage are beginning to wind down. When it does finally grind to a soothing halt, I’ll already be in the countryside with friends and family.
By the time the champagne pops, we’ll be in Trouville-sur-Mer, the charming seaside town where we spent much of our Summer. I’m aching to return to that daily routine of singing at the piano and filling my plate with local Normand fare.
I’m dreaming of frost-covered foam on the English Channel. Les heures perdues slumped between the indistinguishable sounds of crackling firewood and chestnut shells. Dreams that heavily feature hot apple cider, calvados, and cheeses from nearby farms. Everything from nearby farms.
Goodbye Bastille! Hello moules frites.
Seasons greetings to the many oysters, sea snails, and bottles of Petit Chablis I plan to funnel down like a goose strapped into foie gras position. I’m a hedonistic bastard when December’s curtains close. And honestly, after three months of grief-tinted joy, my brain is on the fritz.
So I’m puttin’ on the ritz.
This week’s demo, sung by Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter/doula Amelia Brady-Cole, is a song I wrote in early 2022. It’s actually a frustrating case for me: while it’s one of my favorite songs I’ve written, I can’t seem to find a key or tone in which my voice does it justice. When I shared the original demo with our songwriting group at the time, Amelia surprised me by asking if I’d send over an instrumental to record over, after which this beautiful version was returned to me.
As a songwriter, it’s hard to overstate how thrilling and informative it is to hear someone else sing your song—especially when it’s done well. Often, my songs are wrapped up in all kinds of imaginary hopes and visions for them. Like:
“What if Bonnie Raitt cut this tune?”
Or:
“Imagine if this were produced by Jon Brion?”
A boy can dream. As can this 35-year-old man. So, if anyone’s looking for a belated birthday or Christmas gift idea, pass my newsletter on to Jon and Bonnie.
Thank you for listening, and thanks to Amelia for this wonderful performance. I’ve got one more demo to share before the year ends, so, until then, be well and cherish your (hopefully) slower, quieter, and overly indulgent holidays. ◍
From the vault
What I’m listening to this week
You can pay a visit to my previous demos and writing via the Substack archive + find my official music releases on Spotify, Apple, or your platform of choice. Stalk me across socials at @thisryanegan.
With love,
Ryan
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