• Like You 1983

Well, it’s been a long time since I shared your bed
And it’s been longer since I shared your life.
How can you expect me to be your friend
When I only want to spend the night?

And my memory keeps getting more distorted
And I can’t sleep anymore.
All the things I hated have faded
When I seen you in your pinafore.

Chorus #1:
Why can’t I be like you?
Calm, collected, and cool.
You pulled off some kind of renewal,
But I can’t play by your rules.

And you always seem to show up at the most awkward times
And I can’t say I’m sorry to see your face.
You’re warm and friendly, but you know where it ends
And you dazzle me with flawless grace.

And I can’t justify being cruel to you
‘Cause I know that it’s not right,
But you call me up on the telephone and say
“Can you score some stuff tonight?”

Chorus #1

 Chorus #2:
You don’t seem to understand
There’s a part of me that I can’t find.
Something that I hadn’t planned
I can’t help it if I’m not your kind.

Inst.

So now you’re going off on a new adventure
And I wish you all the best.
I can’t tell you not to write me,
But I’m tired and I need my rest.

In the Fall of 1982, my girlfriend and I broke up. In the Spring of 1983 she graduated high school and invited me to her graduation party. She was happy and radiant. It put me in a dark, nasty mood. She really was wearing a pinafore.

This was one of the first songs I recorded and the song wasn’t very old at the time. Consequently, a lot of the anger and pain of a broken heart found its way onto the tape…particularly the song’s driving distorted guitar ending and lyric.

Musically, it’s interesting to me because I don’t usually feature a hard driving electric guitar. I also like the vocal harmony below the lead vocal and the sweet thirds that result.
The song was recorded in Youngstown, Ohio on Jack Chamberlain’s Yamaha PortaStudio 4-track.

I played all the instruments and sang both harmonies.
Originally recorded in 4-track mono. Mixed to stereo cassette (2-track) in 1983. Re-engineered to digital from the stereo mixdown using Cool96 September 1999