“Real Me” Liner Notes Guide
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“Real“Real Me”Me” Liner Notes Notes Guide Guide Thank Yous………………………………………………p2 Album Credits…………….……………………………p3 Song Stories………………..…………………………p4-5 About Erica………………………………………………p6 Lyrics……………………………………………………p7-16 The Good Mood Song………………………………p7 Our Own Rules………………………………….……p8 Recess Royalty………………….……………………p9 Here in Between………………………………………p10 In Sync…………………………….…………………….p11 The Same Stars……………….…………………….p12 Summer Forever……………………………………p13 Home……………………………………………………p14 Real Me…………………….…………………………p15 Glory……………………………………………………p16 Thank you Th ank Yous “Real Me” was a labor of love. I’ve never written an album with the support I had and for that, I have a lot of gratitude! This album would not be possible without Pinna’s thoughtful leaders, Maggie McGuire and Amy Kraft who approached me with a vision to create music for tweens and older kids that meets them where they are. Thank you for eagerly listening and sharing your encouragement and support each step of the way. Big thanks to my perfectionist production and co-writing partner, Chris Camilleri. From our pop listening parties, to hours spent tweaking a single lyric, writing and rewriting and patiently recording and rerecording until we hit the right tone. Thank you for questioning me and pushing us to get the best out of every song, melody, and lyric. Mark Santangelo at The Mastering Palace for providing cookies and tea at my first mastering session and going back and forth with us until we were happy with every “s!” Beth Blenz-Clucas at Sugar Mountain PR for helping me navigate the kindie world and providing insight and thoughtful feedback. Pinna’s marketing team Sandra Engstrom and Brie Whalen for helping share the album with the world and Ash Beecher for being supportive, awesome, and positive. Kaitlin McGaw and Tommy Soulati Shepherd aka Alphabet Rockers for letting Chris and I peer into your thoughtful songwriting process while crafting the bridge for Glory. I could not conceive of better partners to collaborate with on such an important message. Tim Kubart for being a musical mentor, friend, and dancing while recording vocals for “In Sync.” Emily Hope Price for the free concert that elevated the emotional arc of “Here in Between.” Michelle Thaller and my HATCH community for planting the seed of inspiration that grew into Same Stars years ago. Brian Blake for being an incredible partner and collaborating with me on other proJects while I was writing this album and teaching me so much about songwriting along the way. Song Inspo 2 “Real“Real Me”Me” Album Credits Credits Performed by Erica Rabner Written by Chris Camilleri and Erica Rabner Produced, Arranged, and Mixed by Chris Camilleri Mastered by Mark Santangelo, The Mastering Palace Executive Produced by Amy Kraft and Maggie McGuire Published by Pinna Artwork by Leslie Osmont Additional Credits for “Glory” Bridge Written and Performed by Alphabet Rockers Additional Engineering by: Kevin McCann Additional Credits for “In Sync” Performed by: Tim Kubart Additional Credits for “Same Stars” Additional Vocals by: Mylie Fulwider Alina Kujawinski Nooria Retzer Additional Credits for “Here in Between” Featured Cellist: Emily Hope Price 3 Song StoriesSong Stories 1. The Good Mood Song - We wanted to write a song that gets you bopping and in a good mood. Since I hate my alarm, I wanted a song to get me up and out of bed with a smile. 2. Our Own Rules - This song questions traditional and assigned gender roles. Who made me x and you y literally refers to chromosomes. Who decided girls should dress a certain way? Why do people confine us to certain roles and behaviors? I wanted to push back on that. 3. Recess Royalty - Growing up I loved recess...who didn’t? Writing this song took me back and made me want to do the same for others whether they last had recess five years ago or five decades ago. 4. Here In Between - Being in between is a theme I’m very familiar with. Professionally I straddle multiple worlds as a singer/songwriter and kids media researcher. Within music, I write music for kids and families, and have a separate solo project writing and performing soul/pop/R&B. Being in between can be tricky. Some people don’t see you fully in either world when you sit between many. I so vividly remember the transition from elementary school to middle school. All of the sudden, I stayed the same but everything around me changed. My best friend found a new group to spend time with, I was in a new building with new rules and a new dress code. I was still a tomboy but I enjoyed getting dressed up. It was uncomfortable. Knowing now that discomfort often precedes growth, I wanted this song to be a love story for that in between time, removing pressure and expectation and finding a way to enjoy and find comfort in the in between time. 5. In Sync - I wrote “In Sync” about my relationship with my mom and sister. I had a moment where I pulled out my phone to text my mom something and saw that she just texted me the exact same thing. The chorus immediately fell out of me. We are lucky to feature my friend and GRAMMY award winner Tim Kubart on the track. Since this song is about a relationship between two people, I wanted another voice singing. In the bridge, the two singers finish each other’s sentences which happens all the time with my sister and mom. 4 6. Same Stars - I heard NASA astrophysicist Michelle Thaller give a beautiful and inspiring talk that connected us all in the universe. She said, “We are dead stars. Everything we are – the iron in our blood, every element we’ve ever heard of – is made from a star.” I felt the room pause in awe. It gave the “we are but stardust” poetry a new meaning. The sentiment of connectedness has become even more poignant through a global pandemic. While we’re not in the same boat, we’re all weathering the same storm during the day and staring at the same stars each night. 7. Summer Forever - To me one of the beautiful things about being a kid/tween was freely enjoying summer. Stress free, easy, in the moment, simple summer. There’s so much to love about summer so this is my love letter celebrating s’mores, fireflies, and everything in between. 8. Home - When I wrote “home” I certainly didn’t anticipate living in my childhood bedroom when we released the album. My dad likes to joke, “residency is a state of mind.” Naturally, I’ve always considered my parents’ house to be my home -- because of the people. Anytime we’re together, I feel that sense of home. This song takes me back home when I need a piece of that. 9. Real Me - The title track of the album is an anthem to being who you are and embracing every piece of you. There’s no good or bad, just me. Personally, I struggle with perfection. I describe myself as a very imperfect perfectionist. I’m hard on myself but working on loving and embracing my imperfections. An early version of this song was recognized as a finalist in the international John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Consider this Real Me 2.0 (or more likely: Real Me 18.0) 10. Glory - Glory was an emotional song to write. The first week I started writing, I fell into a funk. The original first line of the song was “when did bulletproof backpacks become a thing? metal detectors get more use than swings.” Was it age appropriate? Unfortunately...yes. I kept thinking about the day to day small talk we have about the weather when our planet’s battling a storm (climate change) and we hear about new shootings so often we become numb. I was on the NYC subway watching everyone around me look at the ground to avoid a man begging for help. I wrote a tortured song and needed to step back so I took a week off. A week later I decided to flip the narrative. My goal for the song changed from dumping my frustration to seeking a solution. I realized I needed to bring in new voices and perspectives. Alphabet Rockers were the perfect people to help me do that. They wrote and performed a beautiful bridge. On a planning video call, they asked me and Chris to describe role models and people who embody the kind of strength we were promoting in our song. We discussed the message of paving your own story. Then they made their own magic. 5 About Erica About Erica Erica Rabner entered the world of children’s music through kids media research. While Erica sang the theme to the Little Mermaid before she could speak, she started songwriting much later. At the time, Erica was pursuing a career as a children’s educational media researcher -- testing educational TV shows with preschoolers. Erica studied psychology and music theater at Brandeis University, and received a master’s in Technology, Innovation, and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, while working at the MIT Media Lab. Immediately after school, Erica conducted research on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Sesame Street. While working at Sesame Workshop, they launched Sesame Studios and invited employees to pitch ideas. In that moment everything clicked into place. Erica returned to her desk and began writing her first two songs. They led to her debut children’s album, "PB & JAMS," which was recognized with a 2017 Parents’ Choice Recommended Award. Soon after, Sesame commissioned Erica to write “The Thanksgiving Song” and she was hooked.