Somehow, singer/songwriter Patrick Ames found a way to make a song about a lonely man sitting around depressed as hell sound like a happy-go-lucky mashup of Bob Dylan and Jimmy Buffet. One of four track on his latest EP, All I Do is Bleed, “While You Were Making Babies” is a decidedly upbeat song about a decidedly downbeat topic. It’s so catchy that you forget the song’s narrator is lamenting love lost and things as a dark as visiting Hell. It’s a testament to the type of songwriter that Ames is. He’s able to juxtapose emotions and tones in ways that shouldn’t work, but really do.
Throughout the song, the refrain repeats:
I really wanted it, wanted it to be me
I really wanted us, to have a family
It’s a truly painful subject that Ames is singing about. Yet, the 61 year old’s playful descriptors and the island-y song structure creates a light, somewhat self-deprecating quality that makes the darkness and sadness of the song float away in the breeze. Ames’s blend of Americana music with other styles that he clearly enjoys a great deal is a refreshing and welcome change of page to the sameness that offer clogs the genre.
Make no mistake, the whole EP is strong… but it’s this beach bum flavored track that stands out most. The prolific songwriter has been cranking out more music now than ever and I, for one, can’t wait to hear what’s next.
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Written by Justin “thepaintedman” Harlan