I’ve made a few songs with Rikki over the years, and initially planned to do another guest post this week on her 2023 album, SOAKT. That would have made sense, as it was the first time we went in deep on songwriting and production together.
But here at Steve on Steve, chronologies exist to be broken, so here’s something more recent.
I first heard a demo of Ladybugs around late summer 2023, and immediately had visions of dreamy pianistic soundscapes and plucked acoustic guitars. I loved the song and knew I wanted to have a crack at producing a version.
You can read Rikki’s backstory to the song here, and listen to her folky, live-feeling rendition of it here.
We ended up making two versions. The first, a wild oneiric inscape—the second, more stripped back and open.
Well, when I say two versions, I mean four. Each version has a harp-prominent mix and a harp-reduced mix. Because we never could agree on the harps, and the price of reproducing digital audio files is negligible so we can make as many versions as we damn well like!
Harp forward:
Harp reserved:
Dreamt the lady bugs were landing on my face and arms The rocks turned green in the ravine, we stumbled on a barn You took me there over a chair, no hay strewn at our feet Only dust, the two of us I never thought we’d meet Dreamt we took a midnight drive in someone else’s car Lust along the backroads, ”I don’t wanna know where we are” Got lost inside a song you sang low harmonies for me Took a nap right in your lap if you know what I mean My desire’s A story seldom told under the sun I’m leaking in the moonlight honey tongue It’s almost like we did it if it happened in your sleep It’s like a secret fantasy Dreamt that we went dancing in a bar way underground The lights were low the bass was high, nobody else around Put something on my tongue and something else between my lips Could you tell I melted in the rocking of our hips? All my love’s inside a dream and all my dreams are free And I’m asking what’s the difference if it’s just as real to me Cause I’m getting what I want now I don’t need no one’s permission When I wake you’ll find me writing poems in the kitchen My desire’s A story seldom told under the sun I’m leaking in the moonlight honey tongue It’s almost like we did it if it happened in your sleep It’s like a secret fantasy My desire’s A story seldom told under the sun I’m leaking in the moonlight honey tongue It’s almost like we did it if it happened in your sleep It’s like a secret fantasy All my love’s inside a dream and all my dreams are free And I’m asking what’s the difference if it’s just as real to me Cause I’ve got so much to say it’s hard to wait for intermission When I wake you roll your eyes, but when I speak you listen When I speak you listen When I speak My desire’s A story seldom told under the sun I’m leaking in the moonlight honey tongue It’s almost like we did it if it happened in your sleep It’s like a secret fantasy