At one point we
had the song pretty much ironed out but we hadn’t played it with drums yet. As we set up for practice, there was a tension in the air. We had talked during the day about the economy, elections, corruption… Can’t remember exactly, but it took us straight to the general place where the song was written from. Then Joel (drummer) comes in asking, “Hey, you want to really rock this one out?” The song didn’t mind and we certainly didn’t resist. Almost immediately the arrangement took shape; guitar tones, segues, tom drops, bass slides. There were lamps and vases sliding off shelves as we stomped the song into what it is now. If you watch the band play this song live you might notice that we give our volume knobs a little bump and we still stomp a little harder.
One of the interesting things about Skyscrapers is that it actually started off as a ballad. Lukasz initially came to practice with the first verse and the chorus and we played around a bit. It was starting to shape nicely. But about the third time we went to rehearse Lukasz brought the song up a whole step and turned it into a much faster song, as you hear it now. Although the band had grown fond of the original direction, the new arrangement caught on quickly.
Most of the songs on the album were written as a commentary to things seen and experienced in a modern city. Skyscrapers is the most forthright song in describing the physicality of the city, which makes it a great “table setter”. This is one of the reasons you hear it first on the album. There is also an impetuous quality to it that we felt was ideal to open up the rest of the songs.
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