Maila Gibson

Sneak Preview - The Fall

Okay okay... I think I got it right today. Ok. Yup I didn't mess up the title of this post.

Some of the best songs ever written will hook you immediately and you don't even know what its about until you've taken a good listen. Other songwriters are able to transport you to a place and put you in situations that really make you feel the song.. Tennessee Waltz comes to mind.

I always appreciate a songwriter that crafts lyrics that take you right where they are. John Mayer has an uncanny knack for doing just that (listen to No Such Thing, My Stupid Mouth, City Love and St. Patricks Day). Mayer's stuff seems simple lyrically but they really draw the listener in and puts them where he wants them to be.

While "The Fall" tells you a story, the listener is left to wonder where they actually are and where Maila is going with it. The tune is very catchy and you can get lost in the melody and the beat of the song. Its such a simple song but the metaphors are pretty deep and the whole songs true meaning comes together in the third verse/bridge. Proof that less is more and simple can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be...

It's a great song! Okay... music critic/analyist mode off.

On to the interview...

"The Fall" is my next choice for Hawaii Radio airplay. Very very contemporary and it has a nice groove. This is a cruise in your car with the windows rolled down kind of song.
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Maila: I'm so glad you said that because that's exactly what I was going for!!
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I really love the way the bridge changes the entire feel of the song... it is almost like a mini song in itself. Background harmonies are tight and it feels like i've known this song my whole life after only hearing it a few times.
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Maila:�The so called bridge section of the song was Mikey's (Mike Grande) doing.� I loved working with him on this song.� I wrote this one on my guitar and as you can tell, it's very simple.� However, Mikey took it to a place I didn't expect.� Originally, this was meant to be a filler type of song, but now, it's one of my favorites.

Does "The Fall" have any particular significance to you?
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Maila: When I let my sister listen to this song, the first thing she said was, "What's that song about anyway?"� I wrote "The Fall" in like 10 minutes on my guitar�after a fun day at Waimea Bay.� I had some friends in from the mainland and of course, we jumped off the rock.� I thought about how scary it can be right before you jump and I asked myself, "What's there to be afraid of?� The fall?"� Then I realized that's the best part of it all, so why be afraid?� I compared that feeling to falling in love.� Falling in love can be scary, but that's the beauty of it.� I really love this song.� It's different from a lot of other songs I've written mainly because of its simplicity, yet lyrically, it's a little�deeper.

Click here to download a sneak peak of The Fall

The Fall (Maila Gibson)
� 2003 Mailani Music Publishing. All rights reserved. BMI.

Posted by scott at August 20, 2003 9:40 AM