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Description
This loop was kicking my butt. I had it going for two minutes so I had enough time to play around with the voicing and instrumentation. Eventually I left it on the Jazz Organ and left it for a few days. I came back to it when I had my bass in hand. I just played the same riff for two minutes. It ended up sounding a bit like a casio preset of Bullet the Blue Sky, which was not my intention... but what the hell.
Not helping the issue is the subject matter. Tokyo Rose is the name that American GI's gave to Japanese female radio broadcasters. A Tokyo Rose would broadcast Japanese propaganda in English in order deflate the morale of American troops. This is VERY loosely based on the experiences of my grandfather who spent Christmas Eve, 1944 awaiting a Japanese counter-attack near the Island of Luzon. I imagine it was an emotional time, to say the least. The Bataan region is on Luzon and the site of American folly in the early stages of the war. The infamed Bataan death march and General MacArthur's leaving the island with the promise to return no doubt on the minds of the soldiers fighting there. With promising signs that the war could be over in months, I can't even begin to imagine the mix of intense hope and fear.
Fortunately, grandpa made it home. When we were young we'd beg him to tell us stories about the war, but he wouldn't say much and our parents would give us the "don't ask those questions" talk on the way home. To us it was GI Joe and shooting bad guys. We didn't then, and don't still, understand the complexities of war.
So this isn't so much an exact narrative of his experience, but you get the idea.
Not helping the issue is the subject matter. Tokyo Rose is the name that American GI's gave to Japanese female radio broadcasters. A Tokyo Rose would broadcast Japanese propaganda in English in order deflate the morale of American troops. This is VERY loosely based on the experiences of my grandfather who spent Christmas Eve, 1944 awaiting a Japanese counter-attack near the Island of Luzon. I imagine it was an emotional time, to say the least. The Bataan region is on Luzon and the site of American folly in the early stages of the war. The infamed Bataan death march and General MacArthur's leaving the island with the promise to return no doubt on the minds of the soldiers fighting there. With promising signs that the war could be over in months, I can't even begin to imagine the mix of intense hope and fear.
Fortunately, grandpa made it home. When we were young we'd beg him to tell us stories about the war, but he wouldn't say much and our parents would give us the "don't ask those questions" talk on the way home. To us it was GI Joe and shooting bad guys. We didn't then, and don't still, understand the complexities of war.
So this isn't so much an exact narrative of his experience, but you get the idea.
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Lyrics
Tokyo Rose I don't want to hear a word that you're saying
Tokyo Rose I ain't gonna hear a word that you're saying
Tokyo Rose Christmas in Luzon but I'll see you in the summer
Tokyo Rose this is for Bataan but I'll be home by fall.
Tokyo Rose I ain't gonna hear a word that you're saying
Tokyo Rose Christmas in Luzon but I'll see you in the summer
Tokyo Rose this is for Bataan but I'll be home by fall.
Re-al
Thought-provoking sentiment to a cool lo-fi beat. The telecaster certainly made it's mark here. The vibe sound at the end is Oriental and really work. The entire number is way too short, was just getting into the stride when you pulled the troops out...
A DL for certain. Great little piece.
Re-aL