SOMETIMES THE SUN (lyrics: Felicia Morris/music: Michele Brourman)
I wrote this with the late Felicia Morris. Felicia was a tough broad. Blunt and funny and cynical. cigarette always in hand. When she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, she waved the cigarette and said to me “I deserve this”.
We only managed to write two songs together. The first one was salaciously titled “I Never Knew I Had it In Me - Till I Had it In Me.” (The title is probably the best part of the song.)
The second lyric that she brought to me was unexpectedly vulnerable, coming from Felicia. When I started working on the music, I felt that the song wanted a tiny release section, so I added it – with the words “Love never ceases….once it’s begun.”
She hated those words, thought they were sappy.
I said “ They’re a dummy lyric – you can replace them.”
She never did.
We recorded a simple piano/vocal demo of the song at Rock’n’ Angel, MJ Denton’s studio. With Heather MacRae’s exquisite vocal, it didn’t need anything more.
And when Felicia passed away, we played the song at her memorial. Those two lines were perfectly apt.
I was Heather MacRae’s first MD. Neither of us can remember just what year that was, but probably early 80’s. We put together an eclectic mix of songs – from Steely Dan to Annie Get Your Gun, R&B to classic Broadway. Heather can sing anything. And whatever she sings, it’s absolutely real. Every word, every note, comes channeling from her heart, up through the world’s most gorgeous vocal cords, and directly into OUR hearts. A few years ago, Heather co-starred in two versions of “The Belle of Tombstone”, the musical that I co-wrote with Sheilah Rae and Tom West. Again I was struck by the power not just of her voice, but of her acting. Every moment that she sings or speaks holds absolute conviction. And then she sings something tiny and quiet like this – and it just leaves me holding my breath!