https://youtu.be/XtaxepJEKOY
Parker Graye – Last Time
ARTIST NAME: Parker Graye
SONG TITLE: Last Time
RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2021
GENRE: Country, Pop
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Country artist and songwriter Parker Graye is on a mission to make country music sad again. Parker writes songs that are vulnerable, honest, and heartbreaking. She has a way of romantically sharing her personal experiences and pulls listeners deeper in, warming their hearts while simultaneously sharing the pain like you’re gripping the blade of a knife.
Parker released her debut single “Do Over” in September 2020 followed by “Before You Leave” in January 2021. Having been named “The Next Big Thing” by Casey Clarke and featured on the Casey Clarke Country Countdown for both singles and featured on a number of Canadian and US radio stations, Parker has made a splash in the country music scene. The Vancouver, BC-based artist debuted at the BC Country Music Breakthrough Project in March of 2020 but was forced to go virtual. Parker has since spent the year in up to three writing sessions a day with artists, producers, and songwriters across Canada and the US. Working on projects from Punk to Pop, Folk to Country and collaborating with Robyn Ottolini (Warner Music Nashville), Joanna Serenko (The Voice S18), Luca Fogale (Amelia Recordings), Jesse Denaro and Luke Healy (Lakeview, PhotoFinish), Jesse Slack (VibeCity Music), Travis Cormier (Ranch), Lydia Sutherland (Ranch), Spencer Cheyne, Chris Yurchuck and many more. Parker Graye is currently writing for her upcoming EP set for release in Fall 2021.
“Last Time” is about blindly loving someone and fantasizing about a future. It’s about losing someone, and, more than that, mourning the loss of something you thought you had. If you’ve loved, lost, forgiven, and repeated, I hope this song finds you…
LYRICS:
Verse 1 (0:12 – 0:36)
I saw that house
That we said we’d build
Ten acres back
Top of the hill
The smell of the rain
The warmth of your hand
On our front porch
Just like we planned
Pre (0:37 – 0:46)
That picture of us
Up, on the wall
I see it there still
Chorus (0:49 – 1:22)
And I’m watching it all fade into black
When you say the things
That you can’t take back
You promised you’d change
When I drew the line
I’d be all yours, you’d be all mine
You told me, darling
Last time was the last time
Verse 2 (1:26 – 1:51)
We’d write our names
Out on that tree
The one where you said
That you’d marry me
I drive by that place
More than I should
I still feel it all
Maybe you never could
Chorus (1:54 – 2:28)
I’m watching it all fade into black
When you said the things that you can’t take back
You promised you’d change
When I drew the line
I’d be all yours, you’d be all mine
But honey
Last time was the last time
Bridge (2:33 – 2:59)
All of those promises
Left with the rain
Always thought that you would be the one
I’d take your name
Give you everything
Can’t believe this was never enough
Never enough
Chorus (3:02 – 3:47)
I’m watching it all fade into black
When you said the things that you can’t take back
You promised you’d change
When I drew the line
I’d be all yours, you’d be all mine
But honey
Last time was the last time
You told me darling last time
Was the last time?
Tell us what your fans are saying about your music.
Specifically with my newest single “Last Time”, folks have been so open to sharing their stories of why “Last Time” resonates with them. Although heartbreak is such a universal experience I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this is truly connecting with folks from Canada to Germany to Australia, the USA, and beyond.
Tell us the factors you consider when writing a song.
My goal is always to write from a place of personal experience while making it as universal as possible. I want to ensure I’m staying true to my personal story but also keeping the storyline broad so listeners have space to interpret things for themselves. Simple things I consider are: Is the melody catchy? Do we get to the hook quick enough? What’s missing in the story? And my favorite, do we tug the heartstrings enough? Does it hurt badly or real badly?
Discuss the production of the song.
“Last Time” was produced by Spencer Cheyne in Calgary, Alberta Canada at OCL Studios. The talented, Brendan Waters came in to track the piano. This was a very intimate, emotional, and cathartic experience. I wanted the production to be simple enough that the vocals had space so the story could truly come through. The other reason for the simplicity was to get across the feeling of emptiness, scarcity, and sadness. I cried on nearly every take, every playback, and really experienced that time in my life all over again.
Tell us your best mood to create a song.
When I’m sad I feel the most vulnerable. I’m an awful overthinker, but in my moments of sadness, I’m most open to just writing exactly what I’m feeling and go to that place of hurt and just sit in it and find ways to express it that may resonate with listeners.
Tell us the names of artists or musicians you have worked with, in the past.
I have an incredible group of artists and songwriters I work with and over the last years, I’ve been blessed to have some of these partnerships turn into friendships. Thank you to the following folks who have collaborated with me, y’all are wonderful – Luca Fogale, Lydia Sutherland, Robyn Ottolini, Chris Yurchuck, Jessia, Jesse Slack, Josh Byrd, Alee, Daryl Scott, Aaron Pollock, Devin Cooper, Olivia Rose, Brettyn Rose, Mike Whiteside, Jake Davey, Josh David, Travis Cormier…
Tell us about your experience performing on stage for the first time or recording in the studio for the first time.
My first time performing on stage was about eight years ago and frankly, I think I completely blacked out. I was equal parts nervous and excited. I remember getting off stage, buzzing thinking “I’m going to do this forever”.
Tell us how you approach songwriting.
I ensure all my music is as honest, genuine, and real as possible. I always have the listener in mind and want to ensure we can keep them hooked from the first word to the last chorus!
Tell us your opinion on blending genres or experimenting with sound.
I absolutely love this. Music will be forever subjective but at the end of the day, a good song is a good song. I think it’s so creative and cool to see a pop artist do their thing on a country track, or a rap artist collaborate with a country singer. We saw this way back in the day when Nelly and Tim McGraw had their track “Over and Over Again” and recently with Kelsea Ballerini and LANY on their track “I Quit Drinking”. I think ‘crossover’ is a great way for artists (new and old) to find new fans and explore new aspects of their musical journey! More crossovers!
Elaborate on what compels you to go into music.
I love being vulnerable and entertaining folks. There’s something so special about getting on stage and singing your songs and there’s something even more special when people can sing along. I truly believe music heals and often supports us through dark times, having the ability to create music that could help someone through a period in their life is something I think about often when writing.
Discuss how you record your vocals.
I go into the booth, do a bunch of passes to warm up, and get in the zone then I start hitting it and dumping all I have into every take. I’m by no means a production guru so, I’m really only getting in there and singing the song over and over again, obsessing over tiny changes and how much emotion I’m getting out. I’m definitely not one of those artists that can produce their vocals alone at home, I really prefer being in the studio with my producer, talking it out as we go.
Elaborate on the song.
“Last Time” is about blindly loving someone, fantasizing about a future, and realizing none of that was ever real. It’s about losing someone, and more than that, mourning the loss of something you never really had. If you’ve loved, lost, forgiven, and repeated, I hope this song finds you.
Releasing “Last Time” was never my plan. I played “Last Time” at a showcase in March of 2020 and while performing it, I noticed how silent the room was. It almost felt like no one was there at all… that’s when I knew. I wrote this song with Luca Fogale in 2019 only days after the final breakup with the farm boy I wrote about in my two previous singles. We took texts, the future I’d painted in my mind, the years of dishonesty, and emptied it all onto paper. It was the most vulnerable I’d ever been in a session, it exposed a part of me I never knew existed. The song meant so much to me I was afraid of even bringing it to life, fearful that it wouldn’t sound like I was hearing it until I met Spencer Cheyne. We spent two days in the studio and it truly felt cathartic. I barely held back tears on every take and bawled my eyes out on every playback. This song really does mean so much to me and I hope that it connects with people who have been through similar situations.