May | 2015 | Stuart O'Connor

Sometimes a song just takes on a life of it’s own. I cannot begin to understand it but there is a special something in a recording that cannot be replicated and gives a piece of music it’s own lease of life.

I have been lucky enough to see a song released under my own name (but not written alone) venture from the UK to Japan and then onwards to Canada. In this 2 part blog I will attempt to breakdown the journey of the most well travelled song I have ever been involved with.

In 2010 when touring through the UK stopped at a friends place in the City of Brighton for a couple of days. I was relieved to have a place to stay (sleeping on the sofa in a front room of a shared house) which got me out of the tour van.

I was visiting my good friend and fellow musician Ollie George.

Ollie George and myself onstage in Falmouth, Cornwall (SW England) in 2009.

Ollie and myself have been good friends for a number of years. Meeting through music and especially in the early days of my touring career we shared the road.

As our friendship grew we begun to influence each other musically introducing each other to bands and artists that we admired. One of whom was ‘Haco’; a musician from Japan who’s influence had been significant for me. Naturally we begun to collaborate when time allowed; and over those days in 2010 in Brighton we layed down the basics for the track ‘Ons’. It was a very carefree session and we would swap instruments amongst us to record specific parts. Ollie chose the title of the song ‘Ons’ as a reference to Ollie n’ Stu. But since it’s release I toured the Netherlands to discover it translates as ‘Us’ in Dutch. It is also accidentally fits with the abbreviations used by the UK Government for the Office for National Statistics. This too has some lyrical relevance to a degree.

The song lay dormant for a couple of years whilst I was on the road out of the UK. But even in it’s demo form I was hooked to spinning it to myself. Ollie had stamped his mark all over a tune that I don’t feel would have existed without his input. Not only did he compose the original Keys (hook) line. But he also insisted I don’t sing too many lyrics keeping the song simple.

In 2012 I took the session to a producer I was working with called Craig Harris. He added extra keys and drums to the tune tastefully completing it ready for release. It would be released on the album ‘Bright’ in October of 2012.

'go forth Bright scenic' CD Re-release cover — ‘go forth Bright scenic’ CD Re-release cover

‘Ons’ was used by college students for a video project:

Please check back for (part 2) in a couple of days time where the story of ‘Ons’ makes it’s way out of the UK round Asia, Australasia and ends up in Canada.

Archive For

0 Cosmic Puffin Festival – Mersea Island – Essex – UK

0 The Journey of the Song – Ons (Part 1)

0 The Motte & Bailey – Pirton – Hertfordshire – UK

0 Harvest Home – Houghton Regis – Bedfordshire – UK