A Few Years in June (4-Track Masters) (2006)

(click on the song to play)
1. when you're away (for di)2. fall from grace
3. redemption4. sundays
5. wishing well
6. monday morning
7. lisa's song (paper in the pool)8. streets
9. wedding song
10. you can't have everything
11. mara
12. song for black windows
13. girl
All of these previously unreleased recordings are older songs, reimagined at some point after their original release. As part of the Silent Songs Project, Michael has remastered, track by track, 13 rerecordings made between 1992 and 2000. In most cases, the original 4-track recordings will be remastered along with the original cassettes. In the case of Redemption, this release represents the first and only. These remastered recordings are a substantial upgrade from the cassettes but are by no means pristine.

A Few Years in June (4-Track Masters) (2006)
Remastered: July, 2006
Recorded in New City, NY and New York, NY
All songs written and produced by Michael Novick

MKN: vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, programming, keyboards
Craig Benelli: acoustic and electric guitar on monday morning


when you're away (for di)

Written: 1985
Recorded: June 23, 2000
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Images of a Dreamer (1985)
She was 13 and leaving for Florida on holiday with her family. He was 14, captain of the basketball team, still sweaty when they kissed for the first time outside the gym. First kiss for the both of them. Soapy? Maybe. But I wrote this song during one impossibly excruciating week away from my 8th Grade girlfriend. A Pause (Diana’s Song) was also on this tape, but I doubt that will ever see the light of day. Rerecorded on 77th Street in the summer before I started medical school.
i know that this may seem weird / but i miss you when you're away / you know it's true / your eyes, your eyes / they look at me as if to say / "look at me, tell me today" / when you're away / you know that i miss you / your smile is beautiful / stick to me like glue / baby, i miss you / your hair, so dark and lovely / i wanna be with you / when you're away / you know i miss you / you look so good in the photograph / it's you i think about / your kiss, it makes me wanna shout that / when you're away / you know that i miss you / your smile is beautiful / stick to me like glue / baby, i miss you / when you're away / you know that i miss you / your smile is beautiful / stick to me like glue / baby, i miss you
fall from grace
Written: 1987
Recorded: circa 1995
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Shades of Grey (1987)
I always liked the second guitar part on this song (played on my old Strat) and when I play it live (which is almost and quite possibly never), I drop off from the rhythm and pick up the color during the refrain. There’s nothing really memorable about the song for me—it’s not about anyone I can remember—but it reminds me of a particularly juicy summer. I never finished Shades of Grey, but that tape was notable for including the first version of Fire in Your Eyes, the song that made me famous at Clarkstown High School North. I played that song so many times at parties in high school that to this day, any time I see a friend from those days, I am serenaded with it.
i can see you now / i can hear the radio / i have learned somehow / there's a place i want to go / everytime that i see your face / see my fall from grace / and i dream at night / and i look into your eyes / who is wrong or right? / was it such a big surprise? / and you take me to a place / see me fall from grace / i could run away from here / and leave it all behind / i could love you then / i could love you then / when the darkness comes to steal the sunlight away / i could love you then / i could love you then / yes, i live in here / and at times i trip and fall / but i reappear / and i'm just a crack in the wall / what do you know? / i can let it go / i could run away from here / and leave it all behind / i could love you then / i could love you then / when the darkness comes to steal the sunlight away / i could love you then / i could love you then / put me in my place / see me fall from grace
redemption
Written: circa 1998
Recorded: June 24, 2000
Mastered: July, 2006
Unreleased
I love the church on the corner of 76th Street and Lexington Avenue, and I used to walk by it often when I lived on 77th. Manny’s Fresh Fruit Stand is an invention, but I pondered the ironies of this song in that neck of the woods shortly after I moved to Manhattan in 1997. Redemption was a poem first, later twisted into this song. This recording is the only one I made. The church is actually St. Jean Baptiste.
saint jean's episcopal / stand freshly sandblasted / on 76th and lexington / by manny's fresh fruit stand / rising arrogantly skyward / with a sleek and regal body / turning nickel charlie's castle into shadowland / on my way to the cathedral / i see nothing but glory / lost in parenthetic shades of the pathetic / with a foul fedora crown / and a milk-crate throne / he greets me with a bow / and a muddy waters tune / but i'm too absorbed to see him / on my way to the cathedral / i see nothing but glory / on my way to the cathedral / i see nothing but glory
sundays
Written: 1991
Recorded: June 27, 2000
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: The Rule of the Ignorant Many (1991)
Sundays is a pun, which I suppose explains why the line I’ve always been partial to Sundays makes me laugh every time I sing it. There are some pretty sketchy lyrics in this song, but I like the harmony and it will always remind me of the Sundays; we were listening to an older version of this in the car the night I met Harriet Wheeler and David Gavurin. The song has nothing else to do with them. Craig Benelli worked out the fingering for this version when we were performing together in 1994/5. I’m playing it on the recording.
she smokes a cigarette / i wait inside as the church bells begin to ring / the organ plays as she changes her ways / and she comes through the door dressed in white / it feels like i'm floating on air / but it's probably more like my darkest hour / i don't know if i'll spend the rest of my life / if each day's gonna feel like sunday / i save all the letters she sent through the mail when this wasn't a problem at all / and who can really say if i'll need them someday? / it's all trivial now / i won't let it bother me / i've always been partial to sundays / but how can i cry if she won't tell me why / she will leave if i don't give her sundays? / i'll get used to it / if it's the last thing i do / or she'll be moving on / i may be crazy / but if this is how it feels / then drive me insane / i'll smoke a cigarette / you wait inside / it's only the least i can do / i'm looking for answers but finding the truth / and i don't like what i've come to know / i love her just the same / i'll never betray her precious heart / if i can't understand every grain in this sand / then i'll be here beside her on sundays
wishing well
Written: 1991
Recorded: circa 1997
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Ariel (1992)
Wishing Well was written before the idea for Ariel, my final Religious Studies project in college, had even occurred to me, but it dovetailed so well with the other material I included it on the tape. The original version, and all of Ariel for that matter, was plagued by my loquacious finches, Rosenkrantz & Guildenstern, but I prefer this version anyway. It’s more leisurely and the guitars mesh nicely, I think. It reminds me, for various reasons, of The Wheel by The Grateful Dead.
raise the sky ring the bell / i will be your wishing well / raise the sky, spin the wheel, and on... / raise the sky ring the bell / i will be your wishing well / raise the sky, spin the wheel, and on... / oh, how we race to discover / only to find it was neatly undercover / save me from my heart / save me from my heart / oh, how we fight to defend / a fortress and a bitter end / all we are is business and pleasure / all we are is nothing of measure
monday morning
Written: 1991
Recorded: circa 1994
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Over the Bridge (1991)
My brother Jon had arranged for me to meet with a friend of his to see if we might want to make some music together. While she was driving over, I wrote Monday Morning. We recorded the original version in a few takes after she arrived and she briefly sang with my band, The Well. Craig Benelli is playing the second acoustic guitar and layering in those electric swells on this version.
i bumped into monday / with my head hung neatly in my hands / i used to love her / do you realize that? / "it's alright," she said / "you don't have to worry your life away" / "don't lie," she said" / you're not as innocent as you think you are / "i saw her at the carnival / with that boy she used to see / i had to turn my head away / where was the girl i knew? / "don't cry," she said / "they're not all that way" / "don't be afraid," she said / "soon all your nights will turn to day / "so you say, "it's all very simple, dear" / "you've got it all right where you want it now" / "don't turn your back on this one" / "she'll fade on you" / i bumped into monday / those weekend killers can really get you down / i never loved her / did you realize that?
lisa's song (paper in the pool)
Written: 1987
Recorded: June 26, 2000
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Shades of Grey (1987)
Paper in the Pool was named after a girl I knew peripherally, but it isn’t really about her. Sure, I’d heard some rumors that she was going through some shit and she was short (hence, the lyric hey, down there), but I certainly never heard a word about child abuse. It’s made up. The last line might be the worst lyric I’ve ever written, and that’s really saying something.

hey, down there / where's you father? / has he gone and left you? / i am here to hold you / do you believe? / do you believe? / do you believe that i'm sorry? / hey, down there / has your father raised a hand to touch you? / here i stand before you / have you a kiss? / the one that i miss / watch the wind wistle away / hey, little rich girl / you've been on my mind / i can't stand to want you / touch my hand, i warn you / i'm not afraid / these games i've played / and i could just fade away / hey, baby / someone's calling / i'm too tired to leave you / i'm ashamed to hold you / i wish i could stay / for even one day /but i'd crumble like paper in the pool / i'll always be wanting you
streets
Written: 1987
Recorded: June 26, 2000
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Shades of Grey (1987)
That’s genuine 3rd Avenue traffic you’re hearing in the background. It’s audible on many of these recordings, but it’s intentional here. Streets was originally named after a girl I knew in high school, but I decided it wasn’t really about her and dropped the parentheses. I do that sometimes. I used to name a lot of songs for girls. Often I was too generous, occasionally, too mean.
out on lexington avenue near carnival street / where everyone tries just to make ends meet / all the people will watch you as you walk by / with artificial tears in their eyes / and they look at the money in your hand / but they just don't understand / that you feel like your heart's gonna break / and you'd stop but you're running late / don't ask where i'm from 'cause i don't know where / just be careful on these streets 'cause you've gotta beware / it's a long time coming and it's too far gone / you could walk these streets alone / and we lived in a perfect place / and without a moment's grace / i kissed you every morning and night / and you smiled as i held you tight / now the moon is rising like a pearl / i wonder how many boys and how many girls / are standing together like you and me / though we look to the light of a different sea / and i wonder where you are / are you near or are you far / do you see the stars in the sky? / so the next time you're in the velvet box / just think of me when the broken heart knocks / and i'll run to you with the hands of time / together we'll leave the world behind...
wedding song
Written: 1989
Recorded: circa 1997
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Strange Ways (1989)
My father asked me to play this song at my brother’s wedding, which just goes to show that even your relatives don’t listen to the lyrics. I played America and White Horse instead. The one-handed piano works here, I think. Monday Morning and White Horse could’ve used the real thing.
and he stands by her side / another victim of the changing tide / and the band plays the wedding tune / all eyes turn to watch the bride and the groom / maybe if he cared enough to notice / all the sadness building up in her eyes / there in the darkness, he'd realize / this is no wedding day / they hide beneath the crowd / and she's too tired to cry out loud / so she stifles the tears / her eyes heavy from the weight of the years / by the time he finds her, their friends will be gone / and summer will have slipped into the fall / two people won't remember the reasons why they lied / when they said, "i love you, babe" / this is no wedding day
you can't have everything
Written: 1990
Recorded: June 27, 2000
Mastered: July 2006
Originally appeared on: Beggar’s Dozen (1990)
I was in love with her. She was dating some guy, a friend she knew from home. She caught him cheating at a frat house and came running, drunk, down the hill to our dorm, to me, drenched and sobbing, makeup hopelessly and, if we’re going to be honest, comically smeared. You can’t have everything. I think this song was a big step forward for me, though I didn’t realize it at the time. It’s passionate. It doesn’t rhyme. It got me thinking.
you come in from the rain / with tears in your eyes / and you don't know which way to turn / things get so confused / you're feeling battered and used / you want to be holding hands / you want to be taking time / you want to be running wild / you want something desperate and alive / but you can't have everything / it's always the same / it's said and it's done / but you want something more than a dream / in the midnight sun / it was one on the one / he made you believe in him / he broke your defenses down / he promised you everything / then he took it all away / and said, "you can't have everything"
mara
Written: 1988
Recorded: June 24, 2000
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Kiss the Sky (1988)
The tape this song was on was inspired by a toy. A friend had loaned me his keyboard, and I’d written all the songs on top of its goofy beats and presets. With the exception of an unusual song about a psychiatric patient called Free, it was pretty awful. Mara was the last song on the tape and the only one not to feature the dreadful keyboard. I’ve always had a soft spot for her. Mara, incidentally, was a real person, but the song isn’t about her.
mara, you know things weren't always this way at all / sunshine or snow, we used to believe we'd have it all / sometimes the light i see in your eyes fades away / sometimes the light i see in your eyes fades away / if only the lie hadn't been everything we were / remember the sky on the night i ran to her? / sometimes the words people say tear you up / sometimes the words people say tear you up / sometimes the light i see in your eyes fades away / sometimes the light i see in your eyes fades away
song for black windows
Written: 1987
Recorded: June 26, 2000
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Shades of Grey (1987)
When I first heard Suzanne Vega’s Solitude Standing in the summer of 1987, I was awed into a summer-long songwriting paralysis. When I started writing again later that year, Song For Black Windows was the first to arrive. Frankly, I think it borders on plagiarism. I call it an homage, but either way, she sent me a signed postcard when I mailed her a cassette of my original recording. Weird song, if you ask me.
if i could see through your windows / i could know all i would ever need to know / but that wouldn't be true to the game we play / some things are not supposed to show / this is a song for black windows / i don't want the neighbors looking in / this is a song for black windows / sometimes we're beaten from within / if i could open up your windows / i'd have the power to concede / but i'd lose the innocence in your eyes / forever surrendering to greed / this is a song for black windows / i don't want the neighbors looking in / this is a song for black windows / sometimes we're beaten from within / if you could open up my windows / i'd pull the shades before your eyes / but still the light would through / to where my real lover lies / this is a song for black windows / i don't want your neighbors looking in / this is a song for black windows / there's nothing covering the sin
girl
Written: 1991
Recorded: 1992
Mastered: July, 2006
Originally appeared on: Over the Bridge (1991)
Not much to say about Girl, but I always liked the old bird.
you don't have to play / you don't have to go that far / i'm satisfied this way / we can't be more than who we are / if you don't want to go / say the word, i'm by your side / you gotta let me know, girl / let's not start a fight / i don't need the agony / step into the light / you're nothing more than company / if we should fall apart / i won't regret a single word / i just can't play the part, girl / how many years i tried to find you / on and on we go through this sentimental lie / what in the world are we fighting for? / without you in live a solitary life / i used to be alone / i used to sit in darkness, too / i've learned to see the light / now i see the light in you / if you don't understand / it's just a temporary loss / we'll soon be hand in hand, girl / you gotta let me know, girl