I didn’t start this track until the month was halfway over (I had a big show 3/16 and also wrote 70% of a duet I am very excited about…) but I knew it would be… not simple to record, but easy to motivate myself to work on and play well.

I covered Metric once before, “Help I’m Alive,” which I (cleverly, imho) turned into a waltzy thing on Uncovered Volume 4. This song “For Kicks” was requested by my beloved partner Tom* a few times on Patreon, and this time around it won. I asked him if he saw me in the lyrics and and he denied it, but I wouldn’t blame him if he did, hahahah.

I’m not sure if Emily Haines and James Shaw had one particular thing in mind when they wrote this, but there are four subjects I hear and relate to intimately.

1. “it’s all what it ain’t / I want what I had” etc: how do you measure your success in a creative field when there’s ALWAYS something to do better, some goal you don’t achieve?

2. “I told myself, if I had the wealth I could buy my way out of everything:” well, there are a lot of troubles in life one can avoid with enough money. I feel guilty about the few accommodations I can enjoy that I’ve been tricked into feeling are luxuries, and still wish for more (mostly a nanny for my son.)

3. “Why'd I have to be such trouble to please?” this is literally me, and I wish it wasn’t.

4. “Why'd I have to go and break your heart for kicks?” this is a thing I was accused of frequently in my youth, despite me realizing at 17 that it hurt WAY worse to be the one breaking someone’s heart than the one disappointed in romance (I am somewhere on the aromantic spectrum, which I’m so glad to have figured out in middle age. Better late than never!)

I intended it to be just cello and voice, but then some drums materialized. I am VERY happy with the cello solos, which are based on the Cure-esque guitar parts in the original, but I added harmonies and ornaments.

-Erica
*Tom has Partner Privilege and I’ve offered to record any song he requests, but he is saving it for something weirder, probably….