San Simeon (You Said)

Little sweetheart, our earliest champion, the great Irene Trudel, played a track off of our double-album, Deux Anges, today on her legendary show. It's always an enormous honor and all of the songs are truly prayers to you but I'm so glad she played this one - "San Simeon (You Said)" - the 3rd track on Disc Two. 

The beginnings of this record found their origin on the road trip that Sylvia and I made down Highway One in California - a trip I always wanted to make with you (even though I know you hate being in the car!). We'd flown out to see your folks and were with them before and after. Your dad let us borrow the Enclave (it's the spare car they have hanging around - what replaced the beloved Rendezvous) and we headed down the coast for a five day trip down to my birthplace in Santa Barbara and back on the coastal route, stopping at a few of the Missions along the way. I wrote about it (and Sylvia posted it) on the special mini site about Deux Anges. 

All along the way on the overnights, I played my Westerberg electric (the one I kept at your apartment in the Inner Sunset) through a cheap echo pedal and a 9V mini Marshall amp. I'd record via voice memo and the first three of the 30 songs on Deux Anges were birthed that way. 

All them them - Santa Barbara, Mission Street (Carmel) and San Simeon - retained their titles for their geographical origin. All began as instrumentals and "Santa Barbara" remained one. "San Simeon" was the last to have a vocal. Indeed, I put the vocal on and later had to learn how to play and sing it simultaneously(!). It's incredibly prayerful when I do, now. 

The lyrics are very minimal but perfect somehow in evoking we three - you, Sylvia and I. I know how you are with me. You were that night when I played the lick in our hotel room. You were when these words found me. You are even now. 

With all my love forever.