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"Love Took My Soul"

See Me As a Picture
From the 2012 Compilation See Me As a Picture
Written by Bret Alexander & The Badlees

The last song on See Me As a Picture is called "Love Took My Soul". I am going to use this one to bring all of my yakkin' full circle.

Now, the phrase "took my soul" conjures up images of Charlie Daniels fiddlin' for his life against the devil in "Devil Went Down To Georgia". But, that is certainly not the theme of this tune. To quote Neil Young again, "The same thing that makes you live can kill you in the end." That's pretty close to the theme of "Love Took My Soul".

Some people are destroyed by greed, power, paranoia, jealousy, and on and on. But we are all destroyed by something. It might as well be by something you love... In 1999, Paul and I started our studio Saturation Acres. The impetus for that decision was twofold. One, we loved working in recording studios - still do. Secondly, we thought The Badlees were kinda over and we needed a job. We were right...and we couldn't have been more wrong.

Those years around the year 2000 were completely bipolar. We had a label, we didn't have a label. We were going on tour, we weren't going on tour. We were gearing up, we were shutting down. Up until about 1997, it had been steady progress. Every year we got more successful than the last. Then the rug got pulled out from under us. But as the song says, "Ain't that the way it goes?"

In 1998, I was hoping that I would be off tour long enough to see my first daughter take her first steps. That was 13 years ago and for the most part I haven't missed anything my family has done since. I am sorry, but it is difficult for me to feel like Iife has cheated me. The Badlees didn't become big rock stars. We became parents, husbands, ex-husbands, business owners, record producers, engineers, managers, and teachers. And, guess what? Somehow through all of that we are still a pretty damn good band.

Through my work at my recording studio I get to work with alot of young bands. This experience has really helped me appreciate The Badlees more. No matter what this business has thrown at us we keep coming together to make more music. Sure, there were long periods of estrangement and inactivity. But the point is this: These songs are our kids. We are their parents. And that is a life sentence.

The author Tom Robbins once said (and I'm paraphrasing); "I get up and write every day. My muse doesn't come to visit me every day. but if she wants to, she knows where to find me." That is what it's all about. You don't have to be brilliant every day. You just have to keep showing up.

Eventually you will get a few things right. So who knows where things will go next? we'll keep going. And, who knows, perhaps lady luck will have something exciting planned for our future. If she does, she knows where to find us.

   - Bret Alexander

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