• Anthem (C) 1985

This is an anthem for those who remain alone.
We know of love, but it’s escaped our grasp.
We do not wait for a ring of the telephone.
We have no loving hand to clasp.

How does one go about meeting another searching soul?
Can’t you see it in my eyes or the measure of my step?
Should I wear a sign despite my self-control
Saying ‘I write songs of sincerity and depth’?

Chorus
And if I did, would you believe me?
Am I another man among so many?
Can I convince you I’m  your friend
And not your enemy?

The older we grow, the fewer people we meet.
Fewer friends and fewer lovers still.
Can you simply walk up to a person on the street
And escort them to the local bar and grill?

Perhaps we expect too much from people at a glance;
To see beyond the outer shell.
Or are we all so afraid as I
At trying to cast love’s magic spell.

Chorus

I wrote this song during my senior year at Carnegie-Mellon. It’s a pretty common theme for that time because I was lonely and going through a lot of changes both personally and professionally.

The tone of the lyric is part sarcasm, part martyrdom, but mostly self-pity. I remember thinking ‘I’m not a loser, why aren’t women attracted to me?’. In retrospect, I think I came off as a darker figure than I intended. Put another way, while trying to be cool and mysterious, I came off as gothic and brooding. D’ohhh!!!

I think it’s true that if you want to be a happier person, you should try smiling at people.

I played the guitar and bass and sang the lead and harmony vocals.

The song was recorded in Pittsburgh, PA in 4-track mono on a TASCAM 4-track cassette recorder in the winter/spring of 1986. The final recording was mastered using Cool96.

AAD