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Sometimes it takes a little while for a song to grow on you, even if you’re the one who wrote it. For guitarist/songwriter Jay Bonaparte of Ottawa electro-rock duo Paragon Cause, he had initial doubts as to the structure of a song he had just written. After sitting down with partner Michelle Opthof and producer/collaborator Sune Rose Wagner to add some meat to his musical bones, Two to Play is now one of the best compositions on the band’s forthcoming new album.
And in an interesting twist, the lyrics tackle the issue of being a people pleaser and trying to cater to other people’s needs, desires and tastes.
“When I was writing the words, I realized that I have this desire to make everyone happy and please people, which a lot of other people have. In that moment I realized, ‘you know what? No, I am not going to seek the approval of everyone. I am just going to go it alone and do my own thing.’ And it wasn’t about being petulant and selfish, it was about confidence and relying on my own talents and opinions and feelings – putting myself first,” said Opthof, adding that this attitude of having faith in one’s own abilities and being brave and taking risk applies to Paragon Cause’s approach to their music and careers in recent years, especially in the creative process leading to Autopilot.
Bonaparte overrode his early hesitancy once he heard the melody and vocal tracks as well as some saucy and scintillating keyboard elements added by Wagner.
“It was a very strange experience writing that song. We almost deleted it, and now it’s one of my favorite songs on the album, which is strange because I usually don’t do a 180 like that. I just knew I wanted a dream poppy, shoe gazey, dramatic, powerful kind of song, and that’s what we ended up with,” he said.
A topical song with an incessantly groovy melodic hook and rhythmic intensity, Two to Play is another example of the songwriting and performance excellence of the talented duo that comprise Paragon Cause.
lyrics
Looking forward falling back
Moving along without your blessing
Time won’t stop for you
Pushing pushing your not ready
You’ve fallin behind and your running now
There’s no guarantees
And your certainty scares me
How do you know if you’ll still be there
How will you know when I pass by
Looking forward falling back
Moving along without your blessing
Time won’t stop for you
I keep running until the guilt sets in
I knew when I began that it was wrong
I did it anyway
I did it anyway
It takes two to play
I took delight in the fall
Cuz for them you took him down you took him down
You think that you could get away with this
Now your running scared
Now your running scared
Now your running scared
Now your running scared
Now your running scared
Now your running scared
Now your running scared
Now your running scared
credits
from Autopilot - LP, releases August 13, 2021
Written by Jay Bonaparte, Michelle Opthof, Sune Rose Wagner
Performed by Paragon Cause and Sune Rose Wagner
Lyrics by Michelle Opthof
Guitar: Jay Bonaparte
Keyboard: MIchelle Opthof
Bass : Jay Bonaparte
Drums: Sune Rose Wagner
Recorded at Neko Studies, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
2021
- Genre
- Indie