Small Talk — Pre-Pro Sheet

p. 10 — Pre-Pro

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Act 1, Track 3 — Duet

Core Concept

"I don't want to know what you do or how's the weather. I want to know what keeps you up at night."

Kris has always been wired for depth. The obligatory pleasantries, the polite check-ins, the performative how-are-yous that nobody actually means — they drain her. She is a deep and wide, one-on-one person. This song is the honest, slightly impatient, tongue-in-cheek confession of someone who would rather skip straight to the real thing every single time.

Emotional Arc

Opens with the flip of the script — getting weirded in instead of weirded out, finding a kindred spirit in someone who just unloads their real self. Verse 2 goes even deeper, kitchen table talk, darkest thoughts, what keeps you up. The bridge is the punchline and the manifesto: here's a full list of everything she won't talk about. The chorus lands it each time with a wink and a refusal. Playful but absolutely meant.

Thematic Language

Weirded in, not weirded out

Info dumps as a love language

Kitchen table talk over cocktail party talk

Politeness as a waste of breath

Cut the small talk, give me what you've got

Sonic Palette

Overall Vibe

Playful, tongue-in-cheek, classic country. Warm and conversational. Feels like a real back-and-forth between two people who both hate small talk.

Format

Demoed as a duet and it works. The two-voice dynamic is the point — this is a conversation song. Keep it.

Demo Status

Direction approved. Blue Foley is confirmed as the male vocal for the duet version. However depending on schedules and availability, we may cut it as a solo first for the album and release the duet version as a bonus track later.

Featured Artist

Consider approaching an established artist with a following, a complementary vocal style, and shared fan overlap to sing the duet on the album version. Incentivize with a cut of the master. Blue Foley — as the original co-writer — would then be featured on the bonus track version, honoring the original creative relationship while maximizing the album version's reach.

Player Input

The demo is a solid starting point but this song has room to breathe and grow. Open to the players and collaborators taking it somewhere beyond what the demo captured. Bring creativity to the session.

References

Kacey Musgraves — classic country wit

John Prine — In Spite of Ourselves

Lainey Wilson — Counting Chickens

Counting Chickens is the sweet spot for this song's production target — weird and upbeat with a classic acoustic country foundation, but with a modern approach in the playing, production, and mix. That balance of old soul and fresh execution is exactly what Small Talk is going for.

Easter Egg

Verse 2 — "I'm talking kitchen table talk"

Direct reference to the album track Kitchen Table Talk (Act 2). The phrase plants the seed early and rewards listeners who know both songs.

Music Video / Visualizer

Concept TBD

Open Questions

Still undecided: solo or duet. Two demos exist (solo + duet version). Decision needed before tracking.

Identify featured artist candidates — established, complementary vocal, shared fanbase

Negotiate master split with featured artist for album version

Confirm approach — featured artist on album version, Blue Foley duet as bonus track

Blue Foley availability and scheduling for bonus track recording

Music video or visualizer direction TBD

p. 11 — Lyrics

Act 1, Track 3 — Duet

Verse 1

You think you weirded me out
But you weirded me in
When you told me your life story
Over last night's bathtub gin
And now you've got a friend for life
Info dump on me all night
I'm tired of answering "how ya been?"
Just to be polite

Chorus

If it ain't real I don't want it
If you gotta force it, or flaunt it
Then just keep it yourself cuz I'm alright
If you ask me what I do, or how's the weather
I'm just thinking please do better
I know it's what we've all been taught
Ya waste your breath, ya piss me off
Cuz I ain't big on small talk

Verse 2

I never understood
Reading 'tween the lines
Just tell it like it is
So you don't have to say it twice
I wanna know your darkest thoughts
I'm talking kitchen table talk
I wanna know what keeps you up at night

* "kitchen table talk" — Easter egg to album track Kitchen Table Talk (Act 2)

Chorus

Bridge

If you start out small, I'm just gonna shut you down
So here's what I ain't talking about...
The way the work week's goin'
The way the wind's been blowing
Did the Dodgers win
Or how ya been
Just cut the shit and gimme
What cha got...
Cuz I ain't big on small talk

Chorus (Out)