One Thousand Days Is Not Enough

Yesterday Clay Aiken fans were lucky enough to stumble upon an early studio version of a song that Clay performed on the Juke Box Tour last summer. It felt like old times as ClayNation tripped over themselves to download that mp3 as fast as they could as if it would magically disappear. It was so much fun finding the new studio version of a concert song. Of course, after the initial rush of joy, there was your usual variety opinions which is what makes this fandom interesting.

This is one opinion that I especially enjoyed:

"Basically...Clay is a pop singer...he sings pop songs. Pop songs are not known for poetic or deep lyrics. Pop songs that become classics are songs that capture peoples emotions...through the melody, the beat or the lyrics...but the lyrics need not be profound or deep...at times they can be inane and repetitious or sappy and sentimental. Some people have called the lyrics boyband lyrics...but have to remember that for almost a decade boy bands were a dominant sound in pop music. Boy bands sold millions and millions of records all over the world so there are lots of people that do not mind or even love these kinds of lyrics."
~~ClackHouse poster

It is true that we are starved for new material from Clay. We have been waiting what seems like forever for the announcement of the CD. This week, Jaymes Foster, blogged that we would have to "wait just a little longer". The ball is in RCA's court to make a final decision on the release date. In the meantime we wait, but waiting is so much easier when we have new clack to mainline. The version of "A Thousand Days" that was found is a early studio cut. It's a bit rough, but Clay sounds glorious.

At first, there was some talk that this was a leak, and the song would be on the album, but I don't think that it is. The direction of the album has changed so many times that I doubt a song that was not totally well-received from the fandom would make through all the progressions of this album. Clay blogged for us to be prepared for something different with the album. "A Thousand Days" is very reminiscent of songs on Measure of a Man. Since Clay blogged to expect something different, I do.

That takes me to expectations. The longer we have waited the more expectations have risen. Some of us wanted some of the rockin' concert Clay that we have seen and loved showcased in an album. After hearing the four previewed songs at the Juke Box Tour, I thought we would basically get mid-tempo pop or pop rock songs with better instrumentation than Measure of a Man. After the direction of the album changed to covers and love songs, there was a fear of a ballad heavy album. No one can sing the schnitz out of a ballad the way Clay can, but we know there is more to him musically and artistically. I don't think any of us fully knows what to expect from this album. We have heard insider tidbits of "vocally amazing" , "stunning" and of people questioning if that was Clay singing. Jaymes herself blogged that this album was worth the wait. Expectations are high for this album by most of the fans, and rightly so. We know what Clay can do. Will he be allowed to do and will a studio sound fully capture his essence? We'll see.

Our fandom is very diverse and opinionated. Not many are too shy to voice their opinion. No matter what the final product, not all will be happy. We've got Rock Clay lovers, BalladBoy Clay lovers, sexy Clay lovers, Christian Clay lovers, cover song lovers, original song lovers, lyric lovers, melody lovers, beat and hook lovers. Can all be satisfied at once? It is a very tall order. I would be shocked if the album were uniformly loved. The most important thing is that Clay can be happy and proud of his art. We can love it or hate it or somewhere in between and that is okay. If Clay is happy (and I think he is) then I will be more than satisfied.


Here is a montage made from video of "A Thousand Days" from Tsunamimommy via YouTube



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