Notes from Normandy
№84 — Where Were You? (demo)
organizing an accident is a weekly newsletter where I leak home demos of unreleased songs, first draft lyrics, thoughts on the creative process, & dispatches from music life in Paris.
Listen to “Where Were You?” (demo):
This song was written on January 17, 2019
This is demo leak #84
Greetings from Normandy,
After spending one night in Paris, we made a seamless pivot from the Abruzzese mountains to the Norman seaside. The sun is milder here, the surroundings more familiar, and we are completely alone.
This time last August, towards the end of Janis’s pregnancy, we sought refuge here, away from the city and the heat, in search of peace and quiet before our couple would reform triangular.
Yesterday, Otto celebrated his ten-month birthday at Omaha Beach, visiting the site of the D-Day landings and memorial cemetery—a fitting excursion for our French-American family with tangled roots in this soil.
I am passing the time with him, slowly reading through Christian Wiman’s extraordinary My Bright Abyss, and revisiting the songs that I wrote here last summer. The piano I’m playing sits roughly 50 feet from the sand and is rightfully out of tune. All is fair in love and boredom.
With love,
Ryan
“Where Were You?” lyrics
If I ask you over
You might come around
But where were you
When I needed you most?
You might think I’m distant
From our physical world
But where were you
When I needed you most?
Oh was he kissing you better?
Well those times are long gone
Where were you
When I needed you most?
And when I look much further
Or walk through your past
Where were you
When I needed you most?
These lyrics were written in January 2019.
From the vault
What I’m listening to this week
What I’ve been reading
Christian Wiman - My Bright Abyss
Check out my previous demos and writing via the Substack archive + discover my official music releases on Spotify, Apple, or your platform of choice. Find me on all socials at @thisryanegan.
Read the previous post.
Dayyyuuumn, WYTBO, that's throwback to some New York City circa 2015 vibes
happy 10 months Otto! WYBTO is fantastic, as is this demo.