“To me the most jarring thing was suddenly not seeing anyone,” says Matt. “Friends, family, coworkers, kids’ classmates and teachers ... no one. And not knowing when that might ever happen.”
Originally, he intended to record a cover song featuring other musically talented SkiCo employees, but the idea felt fleeting. “At one point I saw a Walmart commercial with employees singing ‘Lean on Me’ and thought, 'OK nevermind,' and I gave up. Then a few days later I thought, what if we write a song? I know no one has done that, because there’s a 99% chance it will be terrible. Songwriting is hard.”
Matt set to work, first by ordering software and recording equipment he knew he’d need to complete the track. (“It turns out this is kind of like attempting to fly the space shuttle with no training,” he says, with regards to the new gear). Crafting the music actually came easily, a testament to the emotions everyone was feeling at the time. He crafted the chorus to a fledgling song called “See You,” then invited friends and colleagues Auden Schendler (SVP of Sustainability) and Michael Miracle (Director of Community Engagement) to write more lyrics. A song began to take shape.
However, laying down the track in the middle of a pandemic required a lot of careful consideration as well as engineering and ingenuity. Matt outfitted his barn with recording gear, ran cables everywhere, and fashioned an isolation booth for vocals and instruments, such as the saxophone part that would be played by Auden’s daughter, Willa.
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"See You"
Lyrics by: Matt Jones, Auden Schendler and Michael Miracle
You never seen a place like this my friend
Cold wind blows straight through the wall
So lonely, streets are all empty
This must be the site of The Fall
And I’ll see you, when I see you, see you again
Remember all those days of our complaints
We got the time to miss them now
Cut down, changes in the weather
That sickle don’t need a plow
And I’ll see you, when I see you, see you again
This scene has only new romantics
Stocking shelves and writing names
No room for beauty down on Colfax
Only time for hunger games
And I’ll see you, when I see you, see you again
And I’ll see you, when I see you, see you again
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