This song may have never made it to this album had Sebastien Delporte-Bouchard not insisted it be included. The song had always been a hit in our live shows, but I had my doubts about its place on this album. Now, I think he may have been right all along. I can hear him say "I told you so" as I type these words.
The song came to me one morning as my upstairs neighbor passed me in the staircase as I played my guitar. Gorgeous, stunning and absolutely inspiring, I just started playing along with the words of the chorus: "We are strangers, neighbors for months (which didn't sing well so it was changed to years) but I don't know your name." I had in mind the more rocking side of Ryan Adams when working on the melody and the rest of the song sort of wrote itself. When I asked Tommy to come up with whatever drum beat he felt like playing and that we'd work the arrangement around his beat - that's when the song really came to life. It's some of his best drumming on the album.
Sebastien Larochelle is our special guest on this song. I'd jammed with him and Tommy Routhier in the past on some ill-fated Black Keys cover band project. Some things are meant to be and I knew he had the perfect guitar tone and approach for this kind of song. He rocks and he did a killer job.
Mathieu Dulong, our engineer, is the one that came up with the idea of the effect on my voice and having me harmonize with myself on the choruses. Also, listen for the piano. I was set to play it myself, those stinging, repetitive notes ... but Theo kindly asked me to step aside and played it all himself. Add to all this the choir-type chanting of Michael Daniel-Murphy, Ryan Gazzola and our own beloved Sebastien Delporte-Bouchard - I think we've got ourselves a winner.
lyrics
We Are Strangers (Comeau)
We are strangers
Neighbors for years but I don't know your name
We are strangers
Wish you'd let me in
Hey you,
You live upstairs from me
So strange,
Our paths never seem to cross
Hey you,
Some nights I hear you cry,
So hard,
Wish I could be of help to you
We are strangers
Neighbors for years but I don't know your name
We are strangers
Wish you'd let me in
Hey you,
Saw you this morning, so beautiful
So scared,
I could never work up the nerves, oh no
Yeah you,
You've got me writing love songs
So weak
I watched you walk away, never said a word
We are strangers
Neighbors for years but I don't know your name
We are strangers
Wish you'd let me in
Yeah...
We are strangers
Neighbors for years but I don't know your name
We are strangers
Wish you'd let me in
credits
from Rock, Paper, Scissors,
released December 1, 2017
Acoustic guitar, vocal, harmonies: Max Comeau
Electric lead guitar: Sebastien Larochelle
Bass and backing vocals: Sebastien Delporte-Bouchard
Drums: Tommy Routhier
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