Disco Slam - “Speak Your Mind”
Sarina-Joi Crowe laying down vocal for Disco Slam - photo by Rick Clark
Disco Slam - “Speak Your Mind”
Sometimes a song comes into being so quick that it lands fully formed. This has only happened a few times and “Speak Your Mind” is one of those songs. It was probably written top to bottom in twenty minutes, certainly less than thirty. It was one of those times where I was feeling my then-marriage was a mess of non-communication and this song tumbled out of me. The first manifestation of “Speak Your Mind” was a hard half-time rock arrangement with an ascending heavy guitar part, like The Beatles “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, but it quickly dawned on me it would have more urgency in a Disco setting. All the background call and response vocal parts were in both versions and they are some of my favorite elements of this song.
Speak Your Mind
By John Richard Clark
Crack In The Sky Music (SESAC) Pub Admin: Peer Music
Somethings not right between us
And I know that it’s not in my head
When we try to discuss things
We might just talk bout the weather instead
Cause everything I try talking to you
It’s like talking to a wall
Are you afraid of what talking will do?
Of things it will recall?
Come on and
Speak your mind
You know you’ve got to speak your mind, yeah
Listen
Speak your mind
You gotta speak your mind, yeah.
I know you’re talking bout leaving
Then you hang around and mess up my head
Don’t you see what we are needing
I hate to see a good love going dead.
Come on and
Come on and
Speak your mind
You know you’ve got to speak your mind, yeah
Listen
Speak your mind
You gotta speak your mind, yeah.
(Verse Break)
Everything I try talking to you
It’s like talking to a wall
Are you afraid of what talking will do?
Of things it will recall? (sung twice)
Come on and
Speak your mind
You know you’ve got to speak your mind, yeah
Listen
Speak your mind
You gotta speak your mind, yeah.
Listen
Listen
You’ve got to speak out
The performers
Pat Buchanan - Guitars
Glen Caruba - Percussion
Rick Clark - Producer
Sarina-Joi Crowe - Lead and Background Vocal
Steve Ebe - Drums
Carl Marsh - Keyboards
Wendy Moten - Background Vocal
Alison Prestwood - Bass
Engineered by - Mark Rubel and Blackbird Academy students
Mixed by - Dwayne Larring
Mastered by - Alex McCullough at True East Mastering, Nashville, TN
“Speak Your Mind” session charts (photo credit: Rick Clark)
Sarina-Joi Crowe and Rick Clark - Disco Slam sessions, Blackbird Studios