Key Lyric: “I’d be flying like 1000 Doves”
1000 Doves represents the countless ways I sought support and asked for help while at BC & since, only to be ignored and cast to the side.
Purpose (Why this song?)
The highlight of the creative process of 1000 Doves was actually through the way it made me experience myself in a new way. See, throughout the entire album, it’s been very strange for me to mix and master my own vocals. It has always been something I’ve refused to do, fueled by a massive amount of anxiety. It was something I was interested in overcoming with this project, of which I succeeded. But as I listened to my voice, something I’ve basically never done, I noticed a few new things about myself. In 1000 Doves, I noticed my accent. See, I’m from Connecticut. We don’t really have an accent that stands out in any iconic or notable way, but it is known that we often skip the “T” sound in words. “Kittens” is a good example here: I pronounce it “Kih-ins” when speaking naturally, rather than saying the full “Kit-tins” that you might expect. This came up time and time again in this song, specifically through the word “Start,” and heavily influenced the way the vocals are recorded and layered through the production. It was a surprise to hear the accent in action, as I usually don’t pay mind to how I pronounce the things I say in the moment! Gives me a little bit of CT pride, that’s for sure. I tried as best I could to emphasize the T’s while still sounding like myself… but if you don’t hear it, just pretend I’m Gay Mario looking for my Star ;-)
The Creative Process:
Sonic Identity
Where Supercut represents the deep blues of the ocean below, 1000 Doves aims to embody the bright blues and white sun rays in the sky above. I brought in sounds from across the album to deliver a track that aims to provides a sense of energy and lightness. There’s a fowardness that’s emphasized throughout the main sections of the track that lets go in certain breaks throughout the song. I wanted to create a feeling of being dragged through thick air: Flying in slow motion. All of this is very conceptual, though. It ultimately aims to stay traditionally upbeat, especially after the risk that Froot’s production embodied.
Core Sounds
-
Description text goes here
-
Description text goes here
-
-
Item description
Storyline
You may have noticed that this is not only the second Lady Gaga song that I’ve chosen to cover for the project, but the second track from her Chromatica album as well. That album really just meant a lot to me in the context of everything this album is inspired by, and I wanted to be completely shameless about how much it all meant to me.
For me, 1000 Doves made perfect sense for the album. This track has always stood out to me for its… liturgical aspect, if you will. As someone who has sung countless hymns and modern christian songs in my time in both catholic and non-religious choirs, I’ve come to know the genre pretty well. No matter the context it was actually made in and for, 1000 Doves by Lady Gaga could be one of those hymns. And for an album that explores my experience of queerness against a Catholic institution, the Lady Gaga song that could be a hymn absolutely needed a place on the track list. Even if it meant two songs from the same Gaga album on my album of 9 tracks!
Key Moments
-
As previously mentioned, this lyric is the reason for Babylon’s inclusion on the tracklist of this album. Already a cute cheeky line from the original, my rendition allows the lyric to become a play on words referring equally to the Era “Before Christ,” B.C, as well as the instituion of “Boston College,” BC.
Within the song, the line is emphasized through some additional background harmonies and a little chipmunk voice saying “oh, nice!” It kinda sounds like “all night,” too, which I like. Both work for the line!
-
Before the final chorus and song outro, I have a section that centers vocals that have been pitched down considerably. I sang those lyrics with the intention of sounding commanding, envisioning myself as a sweaty athletic coach instructing my team to strut it out. It becomes an important moment in the song as a short shift in energy before exploding into the track’s finale, making the loud finale sound even louder than it actually is.
