CLICK BELOW TO PLAY SONG:
writer: Doug Koempel
album: Tightrope! (BOF-65) 1989
artists: the Memory Brothers
publishing: Blue Baker Music BMI
lead vocal: Doug Koempel
background vocals: Kevin Conner and Doug
acoustic and electric guitar: Kevin Conner
backing tracks programmed and played by Doug
sequenced on Korg M1's internal sequencer
instruments: Korg M1, Casio CZ-101 and Alesis HR-16
recorded at: Bird-On-Fire Recording Studio / West Union, Iowa
Doug's notes:
This song is one of my favorites. The ephemeral nature of the past - as in places and acquaintances - inspired "Heart Motel."
"Well, the sign to the lounge, it is weathered and worn,
And the neon lights, they don't flash anymore.
But I can see the ghosts, every time I drive by,
Of laughter and lovin' in the middle of the night"
Remember the Brothers, they were a great band,
We were a couple of their biggest fans,
At the Heart Motel back in the good ol' days,
They would dedicate a song and then begin to play"
Written in the mid-'80s, these lyrics turned out to be a bit prophetic as most of the places referenced are now - some thirty years later - sitting abandoned and/or dilapidated. And many of those dear acquaintances are but distant memories.
In the '70s on my way to gigs at "Charlies" in Algona, Iowa, I would drive past a place in Charles City called the Hart Motel. Just like the venue mentioned in the above lyrics, Hart Motel is no longer there; but it was the inspiration for the song title and eventually became the emblematic "Heart Motel" referenced in the chorus.
click below to play "Heart Motel."
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