Hey Ocean! bassist David Vertesi wrote "One in a Million" about the death of Vancouver producer Olivia Quan last year, and while the lyrics reflect on mortality, it's equally about the miracle that we get to be alive at all — sharing conversations and cigarettes with friends, humble lives playing out in strip malls and dive bars.
The arrangement is subtle and straightforward, keeping the focus on Vertesi's acoustic guitar and disarmingly deep croon (with backing vocals from featured guest Jordan Klassen). But it's a little more intricate than it initially seems, with pillowy electronics and a hiccuping rhythm in the chorus that I'm pretty sure is a 15/16 time signature (or maybe it's two bars of 4/4 followed by one of 7/8 — whatever).
The real gut punch comes in the anguished final verse, as Vetesi's voice jumps up an octave and he shares his own mortal fear: "I'm less scared of dying than growing old / And being left behind in the pitch-black with a blindfold / Until my memories have eroded." It's a terrifying thought, but also a reminder to savour life's one-in-a-million moments before they're inevitably taken away.
(Tiny Kingdom Music)The arrangement is subtle and straightforward, keeping the focus on Vertesi's acoustic guitar and disarmingly deep croon (with backing vocals from featured guest Jordan Klassen). But it's a little more intricate than it initially seems, with pillowy electronics and a hiccuping rhythm in the chorus that I'm pretty sure is a 15/16 time signature (or maybe it's two bars of 4/4 followed by one of 7/8 — whatever).
The real gut punch comes in the anguished final verse, as Vetesi's voice jumps up an octave and he shares his own mortal fear: "I'm less scared of dying than growing old / And being left behind in the pitch-black with a blindfold / Until my memories have eroded." It's a terrifying thought, but also a reminder to savour life's one-in-a-million moments before they're inevitably taken away.