Valence

Welcome back! This week we are going to dive head first into the inspiration behind the song “Valence.”

All three of us would agree that this song was one of the most difficult songs to produce; however, it would also be the song that gave US our first indication that together we have a strong writing connection.

Writing the music for “Valence” was painstakingly hard. We spent months and months working on and reinventing the song. At one point the chorus sounded like a 1970’s disco pop song. We built it up, stripped it down and built it back up again trying to find where the song lived. We all knew that we were onto a great song that we haven’t uncovered yet.

“Valence” was the second song we worked on together after “Heaven Undone.” Our writing circle consisted of Dan playing an acoustic guitar, Austin singing out-loud and Peter on percussion, which usually included an egg or single drum. We worked effortlessly trying to find the melody we all knew was hidden within the music. We reached a point of frustration many times.

On two occasions Dan and Austin felt that the idea should be abandoned temporarily and reopened at a later time. Peter was a pillar and kept us at it. It was not until Peter brought his bass to rehearsal that we struck and broke down a major wall in the songs development.

The bass guitar assumed the melody of the song and then it all came together. We were so focused on the guitar carrying the songs melody and that prevented the melody from defining itself. Once Peter started playing the bass the melody just jumped out just as it sounds on the album. After months of work we had successfully found the melody we all came to love in the song “Valence”.

The breakthrough helped to strengthen our writing process and unified US and our music. It was at this time we also found our name as Union Soundtrack: a union of three individuals who together create the musical soundtrack of that union. “Valence” gave us the opportunity to struggle together and strengthened our writing abilities as a group.

The term “Valence” is a chemistry term that refers to the capacity of an element or radical to combine with another to form molecules. The term is also used in psychology to describe the degree of attraction or aversion that an individual feels toward a specific object or event (WNWCD). We found this a very fitting title for our song as it pertains to the joining of three individuals (atoms) into one much larger molecule: Union Soundtrack.

Valence – Union Soundtrack

You‘ll have me reach across this shore
A thousand times, but you’ll want more
I’m reaching out and no
I’m way to cold
I’m chemical
So close your eyes, I’ll blow your mind
A wandering spirit trapped in time
Who you are decays
And now you are,
Scared enough to run

Our hand are reaching out for more
Hands of faith, I’ve touched them all
Reaching out and know I can’t let go
Can’t let go of these chains that bind me down
Bound in language, dumb by sound
Who we are decays
And now we are,
Scared enough to run

I won’t desert you
Valence
In its self
I won’t let you go
Valence
In its self

Scared enough to run
I am
Scared enough to run
You are
Scared enough to run
I am
Scared enough to run


Reference:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary (WNWCD). 2020. Wiley Publishing Inc. Cleveland, Ohio. From: http://www.yourdictionary.com/valence. Accessed May 17, 2010.

Remember December

Welcome to our fourth blog installment where we will discuss some of the inspiration and ideas behind the song "Remember December." I want to thank Elizabeth for suggesting this song as part of our nine week blog project where we outline the ideas behind each of the songs on our debut album.

The music for "Remember December" was originally conceived during the writing of the song "Valence" which we will cover next week. Dan began looking into alternative approaches to his guitar lines and stumbled onto the melody that became the opening verse of "Remember December." As soon as Dan started to play the new riff Austin jumped in right away and began singing the chorus you hear in the song now. Although there was much more work to be done, it was clear that this new melody was distinct enough to be a song on its own. We banked the idea and continued working on our EP (2008) that included our first three releases “Heaven Undone,” “Valence” and “Ivy”. Once the first three songs were recorded we were then able to focus on new material.

It was clear from the very beginning that “Remember December” was going to be a special song. The guitar and vocal melodies generated such an intimate atmosphere that we often found ourselves discussing the songs potential. “Remember December” is a unique song on our album and contains a great message.

Remember December

You catch a train in December
To leave this frozen town behind
And navigate to the city
Where at night the stars come alive

Are we crazy, taking chances?
Open up your eyes
Were at the station family is waving, time to say goodbye.

I believe in the world outside your door, and I believe it holds everything you’ve longed for
A generation of sitting and waiting
Time for something new

You Fall in love in September
You fall like the leaves from the trees so slow
And settle in for the winter
In a town where the stars come alive

Are we crazy taking chances?
Open up your eyes
Family’s waiting anxious and pacing for a brand new life.

I believe in the world outside your door, and I believe it holds everything you’ve longed for
A generation of sitting and waiting
Something more to find
I believe it’s time, open up your eyes
I believe in you
I do





The initial purpose behind the song was to highlight two seasons winter and fall. We also wanted to create a journey, in which the listener could view the imagery contained in the song. The more we focused on these ideas the lyrics began to take on a life of their own and in doing so we had created an inspiring story of taking chances and new beginnings. The first verse begins in December with the character leaving a small town to take a chance on life in the city. The second verse ends with the character returning to the small town in September and settling in for the winter. We love the subtlety between these two verses and if you count the months yourself you may also understand why the family is so anxious in the second pre-chorus!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s entry. Next week we will discuss the inspiration behind the song “Valence”.

Stay tuned.
Union Soundtrack