I was jamming to a generic backing track when I came up with this heavy, Accept-like riff. I recorded it against the backing and sent it to Frankie to see what he thought. At this point, there was no chorus. Frankie liked the riff, so I told him to mess with it and see what he could come up with lyrically. He came up with the lyric Living in the Dark, and that was the song's working title until I found the chorus.
As we fleshed out the lyrics together, it became clear that this could be a COVID song. We were smack in the middle of lockdown and feeling the drag on our lives. With such an aggressive, metal-ish lick, I knew I wanted to find a poppier chorus. I unwittingly stumbled into the classic I-VI-IV-V progression, and it felt right
Once I had the chorus, and we knew it was going to be about COVID lockdown, the rest of the lyrics came pretty quickly.
Sick of It All is probably where Frankie and I found our sound and our direction. He and I are both HUGELY influenced by the Stones and the Beatles. After that, I bring the heavy side, and Frankie brings the punk side. With Sick of It All, you have the metalish verse riff, mixed with a Stonesy verse delivery from Frankie. Then you hear my early-Rush influence in the pre-chorus, and a very Beatle-like chorus — played heavy. Then Rob came in and added an amazing slap bass, showing his Flea influence.
So in Sick of It All’s influences include: Accept, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Rush, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Go figure. To us, it works!
This was one of the hardest solos for me to come up with. The verse progression doesn’t lend itself to much melody, so I went sort of rhythmic until I could cop the vocal melody. As I was soloing over the outro, I knew the progression it felt familiar, and it finally clicked. Let it Be (and a thousand other songs) uses a I-VI-IV-V progression, so I gave the fab four a quick tip of the hat in the outro.
- Dave
lyrics
Livin’ in the dark
My bite ain’t got no bark
Too much time in bed
Messin' with my head
Stuck here in my room
Writing songs on zoom
Drinkin' like a fish
Hope get my wish
Money’s getting tight
Gonna feel the bite
Stuck home with the wife
Fightin’ for my life
Smokin’ up my stash
Runnin’ out of cash
Drinking from my flask
Much harder with a mask
Life's runnin' out
And time's passing by
No way to live
No way to die
I'm sick of everything
I'm sick of it all
I'm sick of everything
Sick of it all
I'm sick of everything
I'm sick of it all
I'm sick of everything
Sick of it all
Life is still on hold
And I’m just gettin' old
Ballin’ up my my fists
So I don’t slash my wrists
Life's runnin' out
And time's passing by
No way to live
No way to die
CHORUS
I'm sick of everything
I'm sick of it all
I'm sick of everything
Sick of it all
I'm sick of everything
I'm climbing the walls
I'm so sick of everything
Sick of it all
I'm sick of everything
Sick of it all
So fucking sick of everything
Sick of it all
I'm sick of everything
I'm pounding the walls
So fucking sick of everything
Sick of it all
I'm sick of everything
I'm pounding the walls
So fucking sick of everything
Sick of it all
The Philly rock juggernaut's debut LP is finally here, an electric rallying cry led, as always, by Tina Halladay's powerful voice. Bandcamp New & Notable May 10, 2017
WALL's debut LP is also their last, as the band is no more - bittersweet. Experimental post-punk that works in light & shade. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 1, 2017
