Heights By Claire

Back in the '90s, I had a friend Claire in San Antonio going through a rough time.  I was trying to write a new song for my band Sphere of Influence and asked her what I should write about.  She looked at me and huffed out, "Heights".

We both went to Alamo Heights High School.  At the time, it was one of the more affluent schools in San Antonio with upper middle class families owning upscale homes providing the generous tax-base to properly fund their children's schools.  It, like any high school, had it's cliques - band nerds, the smokers, the goths, the jocks, etc.  There was also a socio-economic class ranking as well - the preppies, the poor kids, the outsiders, etc.  Fitting in with any group was difficult to navigate because many of us felt that you can never quite have EVERYTHING in your Cool Kids utility belt to just be accepted.  So, it caused a lot of pain and confusion growing up by never really getting answer to the life-long teenage question, "Who Am I?".  So, I wrote this song called "Heights (By Claire)" to express those feelings.  I was 17 at the time - not nearly the "wordsmith" I am today 😂.

I lost contact with Claire after she moved during the summer of my junior year.  We all grew up, got jobs, started families, found ourselves in some form or manner.  Then, through a mutual friend, it turned out that both Claire and I were both doing improv.  Small world!  So, we reconnected via social media and have been catching up for lost time.  I reminded her about the song I wrote for her a few days and asked if she remembered it.  She did and I informed her that I had gone back a while ago and remixed the original track by keeping some key components of the original four track tape (vocals, guitar overdubs, solos, etc) and recreating all of the other instruments with modern recording techniques.  I shared the track with her and to my surprised, she liked it.  I don't remember if I showed her the original version so to have the song come back 20 years later and still make someone smile is an accomplishment.  She asked me for the lyrics and so I present them here.

Thanks Claire for making me appreciate this song even more now.  I'm glad we've reconnected and happy you enjoy the song.

Heights By Claire

Preppy youth sing along without a clue
Cheese is abundant with methane as a toxic goo
3 chords to a song and riff to match
Flannel to be burned and a rift to catch
I have no talent or brains and more
Take me out for what I'm looking for

With a burning tempest of hate and pain
Spittin' out gibberish and my screams for fame
They all find your song they say they really like
But you know they're not even the song-liking type
Rich ideas flow out but not from them
They will take you for all they can

And I don't need to lie
For something I don't deserve
My friendships mean more to me
Than what you can reserve

I'm the object of everyone's hate
But who's the scapegoat?  Now, tell me, baby
They're using my identity as the bait!
I don't need all of this but I know you do still
Your ignorance is strong - too strong to kill
I am not violent. Just the eye of the storm
Leaving this place so I don't conform...

And I don't need to lie
For something I don't deserve
My friendships mean more to me
Than what you can reserve
And if I can keep on staring
At the sea that is blaring
Of thoughts of not caring
My nails start scratching at you!