There's a narrative here, a progression from Essential Workers becoming the Nightly Protesters who give rise to the Essential Angels who tell us what has just happened: We can't be the same society anymore. We may be essential but that doesn't mean our lives are free. Essential Workers, the song, says treat people as equal, not just essential in times of need.
I gave this great big clump of stuff and emotion and smokey vocals to Producer Jon Ireson while California was literally burning in mid-August. The first drafts were shockingly rough, as I had all these bridges and choruses, twice as many as in the final cut. I gave Jon a much trimmer second draft and then went after Chana and Mikaela, my singers, and we did a Zoom recording session, as I watched them record in their home while I directed remotely. And then we sent another clump of vocals, 10-12 tracks of different stuff back to Jon, half of it out of tune because our voices and throats were so hoarse from the California fires and smoke storms taking place.
"Patrick approached me with the idea to honour and celebrate the heroes of this year 2020 in the form of a tribute to the essential worker. Health care and essential business workers but also protesters who have to continue to hold lawmakers accountable in these times as much as any other. My mother was a nurse and though all of us should appreciate their hard work and sacrifice, it hits home for me especially. He brought a demo to me with a propulsive beat and gruff chords that he framed as a sort of battle chant to those going into harms way every day for us. With the help of his singers Chana and Mikaela, we worked to make it a soulful ode to the backbone of America. I gave the drums some rumble, gave it a marching bassline, and added some organ which to give an 'after midnight on the streets' vibe to the last verse."
I am an essential worker / I make deliveries
Virus waves have wiped this place / I travel empty streets
We know we are disposible / but essential people must eat
Everyone has gone inside / to wait for their deliveries
2.
I am a health worker / I work within the quarantines
My face has sores from masks I've worn / my body needs sanitizing
Bankers, tailors, liars, and thieves / they're all the same to me
Once inside they stabilize, another day, another week
[bridge 1 ]
I'm an essential worker / I'm essential but I'm not free
I'm an virus worker / I'm essential to this society
3.
We are the nightly protesters/ we shout against the po-po-lice
We try to push the hate inside / that jacks this democracy
We are the essential angels / who sing "The world has changed.
Tear gas kings and virus queens, it's never going to be the same."
[bridge 2 ]
We deliver this protest to you, hark the angels' truth
We deliver this protest to you, hark the angels' news
[outro]
We are essential workers (we're essential, too)
We are the nightly protesters (we're essential, too)
We are essential workers but are lives ain't free.
credits
from The Virtualistics,
track released June 16, 2021
Patrick Ames: rhythm guitars, vocals
Jon Ireson: Producer, bass, lead guitars, keyboards, Mix and Master
Chana Matthews: vocals
Mikaela Matthews: vocals
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