p. 52 — Pre-Pro
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Core Concept
"Getting through one more day's all I need."
The universal ache of waiting for someone you love to come home. The house feels too big, the clock sits on its hands, and you fill the hours with junk drawers and polished floors just to make time move. It's a simple, honest love song about the particular loneliness of missing someone who's coming back — which somehow makes the waiting harder, not easier.
Emotional Arc
Opens quietly — 8:05, coffee without them, the house suddenly enormous. The pre-chorus captures the push and pull of wanting time to run. The chorus lands the central image: counting sleeps like the days before Christmas, wishing hours were minutes. Verse 2 is the restless productivity of someone who can't sit still with the waiting. The bridge is tender and still — a welcome home kiss wide awake on these lips.
Thematic Language
Counting sleeps like the days before Christmas
The house too big whenever you go away
Pushing sand fast through the glass
The clock sitting on its hands
A welcome home kiss wide awake on these lips
Sonic Palette
Overall Vibe
Acoustic, unplugged, intimate. Simple and warm. Nothing overproduced. Everything in service of the lyric and vocal.
Christmas Feel
Light touch only. A hint of the season — not a holiday song. Should be promotable any time of year. The Christmas reference is in the lyric, not the production. Think suggestion, not costume.
Instrumentation
Acoustic Guitar
Upright Bass
Strings
Cello
French Horn
Violin Plucks
Light Rhodes
Soft Chimes
Keep everything sparse and simple. The chimes are the lightest nod to the season — present but not dominant. French horns and strings should feel warm and understated, not cinematic. This song breathes.
Release Strategy Note
Potential Soft Christmas Release
Considering a soft release between hard singles around Christmas — timing dependent on how lead singles are performing. The song is not a Christmas song and should not be produced as one. The Christmas reference in the chorus is a metaphor for anticipation, not a holiday marker. It should feel promotable year-round.
Easter Egg
Chorus — "Take all the sand and push it fast through the glass"
Echoes "the sands in the glass were filling up fast" in Gift of Goodbye. Both songs share the same hourglass image — but in completely different emotional contexts. Counting Sleeps is about wanting time to move faster toward someone you love. Gift of Goodbye is about time running out on a life that no longer fits. Same image, opposite feelings.
Music Video / Visualizer
Concept TBD
Open Questions
Release timing — Christmas window or standard single cycle?
How light is the chime / seasonal element — confirm in session
French horn and string arrangement — live or programmed?
Music video or visualizer direction TBD