The United Dictators Of Mars - SONG

No Shadow

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Music: Hensley/Mody, Words: Mody

Time and place and space rearranged, I'm existing out of phase. People look and speak to me unaware of my imagery. Atoms floating yet contained in form, illusions that I'm whole and warm. Magnetic fields binding me, born without a symmetry. I can read one's beauty from silhouettes passing bye. A skill I've learned in jealousy with love's unrealized.

No one knows I've lived a thousand years. No one notices I cast no shadow. That just goes to show we judge a book by it's own cover. Never listening to the words, never seeing what's in the man.

Unexplained phenomenon or alternate dimensions, only walls seem to detect my biological infractions, Once you've lived a thousand years anonymous to spare their fears. You come to find that man can be oblivious to others needs. Even my loneliness surpasses physical law. I must be emanating subliminal withdrawal.

The excerpts from this diary one hundred years ago, were written in ageless poetry and sung with haunting melody. These last lines were written before he faded and died. And as I read them profoundly, one soul for him did cry. "Some people reach for the light, but not I... for it passes right through me. Light only let's us see, and it's bound to make us blind."

More self promotion as we now move on to one of my best lyrical pieces. This is a really haunting story and will likely end up a book in the future. I think I came up with the title first then the premise which is obvious- the guy doesn't cast a shadow. No big deal right? wrong! Just as sunlight passes through him so do peoples acknowledgement of him. They don't really see more than a body and they certainly don't notice he casts no shadow which he probably wishes they would notice because that would make him worth something. He dies lonely after an extremely long existance. The music was brought to me in segments by Todd with all the underlying pieces in tact in the Harmony sections. I think I added the underlying guitar part in the verse that contrasts Todd's chording. I also wrote the clean guitar rhythm in the lead break section. And I played the lead guitar because Todd had to play that haunting clean part that outro's the song so it made sense for him to not have to switch guitar tones. That end piece was brought to me by Todd after I had written lyrics and I rearranged the end to tack that on. I then wrote the end lyrical diary piece off a concept in a Star Trek TNG episode called "Hotel Royale". I now can't imagine the song conceptually working without that. Programming the drums took quite some time to make it all end right. I've found over the years that Jeff's best melodies come from songs he wrote but this is the exception. It's one of our most liked songs in our history and I'd put it against anything from anybody. Harbinger at it's best, musically progressive yet melody strong.

I must agree with Tom and his liner notes. This is one of my favorite songs to sing. Before working on the vocal melody though, I had to understand what the lyrical content was about. In those days, I was of the mindset of staying with the times and what was in. Tom has always had this lyrical writing style which was deep and rich in thought with the use of a large vocabulary. Even though my material could be deep, I would tend to keep the vocabulary relatively simple so that the audience could better relate, since the majority of listeners of our type of music are most generally, and I apologize for stereotyping, younger and simplistic about their musical values. Now don't get me wrong. I enjoy a deep story with the use of large vocabulary. Anyhow, when Tom explained his story to me, I was then able to sing it the way he envisioned it. I think. This song just flows. I especially enjoy the end even though I believe I could have nailed it better. We added this chorus effect which I think altered my voice in areas to make it sound as if I was sharp and flat in that end piece. When I hear those flaws I cringe. Over all I am pleased with the recording. This is probably my most favorite of any song we have ever done and the only contribution of mine other than my voice is some vocal melody. I believe Tom had already worked out some of the melody as I vaguely recall working together on it in the beginning. Of course there was probably a little editing here and there as Tom had always liked to cram as many words into a song as one possibly could. Actually, with regard to this song, I am just kidding as I think we had to edit very little if anything at all. Bravo, Thomas!

Tom's Rebuttle: Yes, Jeff suggested a one line edit that I'll grudgingly give him credit for and I can't believe I remember this but my original line was "magnetic fields binding me, born without a soul I'll exist forever cold" Now try fitting that in there! Jeff suggested "born without a symmetry" - you are correct sir!

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