Charlie, Boy – #OneHourSong

This ballad takes you through the life of Charlie, a young piano prodigy who was great at the age of nine, and playing concert halls at twelve.  The fictional story implies the pressure that must be on someone growing up that has extraordinary talent, and the troubles that come with it.

This song is pretty bare bones, only vocals and piano.  I like instrumentation that way though, because tapping into the life of the character, he would only be playing piano anyway.

This song reminds me a bit of the Eagles, “Desperado”…but, I guess, the piano version :-p

Enjoy the lyrics, including a verse that didn’t make it into the song…

Well, Charles, boy, could play the keys, sonatas at the age of nine.

At twelve years old they wanted him for concert halls at night.

He played all day with no disguise, nothing ever got him down.

Just one year later he started to cry, “man, this pressures just a pushin on me”.

Well, Charlie, boy, don’t you tell me son that the story now is over.

Look at the way you play the keys, it’s gotta be worth something.

Movie scores and money greeted him at the age of twentythree

Familiar sounds from his childhood haunted him in his sleep

No time to play – can only work and thats what playing is.

Millions of boys want to be in his shoes but its not what the picture said.

Well, Charlie, boy, don’t you tell me son that the story now is over

People want to hear you say how they can be there someday

Don’t hide your tricks or lessons, now, we have to know the answer

No way you can slave away and be so great, but then again – no pressure.

Thirty comes, and thirty goes, he thinks it is the blink of an eye.

A lover now, her name is Beth, a few kids make them proud.

How can he ask the kids down there to do what he’s done before.

But pressure mounts on recital day when the crowd goes so loud.