THE SUN LEE SUNBEAM (BLOG)

we see these people on the T everyday, in the workplace, at supermarkets, in restaurants, in cars alongside us in traffic–they’re everywhere. you can sense their reservation in their unmet glances, half-smiles, and other tuned out non-committal mannerisms. they may or may not know what they desire in life, but have decided that they’re not going to have it. when pressed for an answer, they might give you a number of reasons why they can’t do what they would have to in order to get what they want. and whatever the reason is, it most likely stems from one thing: fear.

SITTING IN AN OPEN CAGE is about trying to coerce the people around you to break out of their self-constructed barriers to free themselves from the fear of failure and/or success. it’s a song about enjoying the action of doing, despite the outcome.

the spirit of the song is meant to get your adrenaline going, teasing you in the way of a teenage memory that may include a friend getting you to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night to go for a joyride. when we’re young, we (hopefully) haven’t started building those walls yet. the excitement was limitless. the future was a chance to live out what we weren’t allowed to do. and as we get older, somehow it’s easier to start creating our own limitations. maybe it has something to do with personal responsibility since our lives are finally in our own hands… at any rate, we have to agree that it’s rather depressing to look around at those who have given up on personal freedom, expression, and risk-taking–especially those close to us. when we can see their potential laying dormant, sometimes it’s our duty to bust into their cell, drag them out by the ear and take them to a place that reminds them what it feels like to be free.

as a song, it was elaborated on in wonderful ways by the band. i liked it when i wrote it, but knew it needed a lot of help to bring it to life. the first time i brought it into the practice space and we all banged it out together (hahaha), i felt as if my heart was going to jump out of my chest. jeff’s crazy-fast drums have an unusual flair while keeping a steady, driving force. mary’s bass line feels like a sugar buzz getting you to run up the slide at the park just to feel the drop in your belly over and over again each time you fall. mike’s textured madness adds the element of surprise, chaos, and mystery. it was a song when i brought it to the band. and now it’s a mother-f*cking-rock song. check out how far it came from the day i wrote it to the album version with the band.

HOME DEMO VERSION:
recorded the same day it was written back in march ’09

ALBUM VERSION

c+p jessica sun lee 2009

xOx
jessica