I released “You Should Know” three weeks ago to finish off the project. As a sunk cost, I did not think I could do anything more to it to optimize it. Already, I had spent too many hours and too much money on getting it to the mixed stage. The budget was exhausted and so was I. So I stuck it on TuneCore and SoundCloud and left it there. Only to be informed that it was getting a really, really weirdly high number of plays. To date – as of Feb. the 24th, 2025 – after 20 days, it’s had 2,315 plays. (I think that’s still increasing though the floodgate has closed.)
What the heck?!?
Every single release I’ve ever had has got less than 300 plays. Even the super-high quality professional productions. Most get just over 100, since 100 is what SoundCloud will automatically generate from their user base. This time, I did not ask for that automatic function, I didn’t even use the usual popular tags. I didn’t even add a buy-link. I didn’t bother with a music video, or an IG reel or a Spotify canvas. I produced the music video you see at the bottom of this post two weeks after I released the song.
I just designed a cover for it, since you can’t publish without one. Other than that, I did nothing to it. Absolutely nothing. Nada. So, I can only assume that, for whatever reason, this little song – and it really is little – is likeable. But in which way, and why, and by whom, I have no idea. I do not think that whatever I’d done is replicable with the next song.
JANE DOE MUSICIANS
I think of myself as a Jane Doe amongst musicians. Not dead, but an unidentified, nameless, unknown person with no track record, no fans, no followers and no actual listeners. Those are the facts. So what happened here is quite strange. Most Jane and John Doe’s, like me, would pay to get even 500 plays, and even if they know the whole thing is fake and the listeners are not real, but algorithms being applied. I’ve always said I’ll never buy that kind of thing. Without being signed to a publisher or studio, or being in some kind of collaboration-co-release commercial deal, you are up the creek with no paddle. (This song was not written with my co-writing partner.) So, now I’ve had all those listeners and I have to wonder WTAF?!? Sorry, but those words are all that I’ve had in my head for the past two weeks.
listen for yourself
Well, here is the little song, which I wrote from personal experience, not even bothering to switch the perspective of the lyrics to make them more universal. Seriously, the words are so specific, I can hardly imagine them resonating with anyone else.
The vocals are by Shelley Harland, performing as Dawn Lief, who put together the melody for the verse and pre-chorus that she had to sing, to best suit her range (obviously). She can hit a top note with blade-like precision, and wrote a cadence of falling notes from high to low for both parts. I couldn’t sing that if you put a gun to my head. So, thanks to her talents, the melody has an operatic quality which gives it some needed intensity, because the composition overall is very simple, B♭/ C Maj., and a perky 128 bpm.