A little break from the norm…
*Can’t see the video? [See it here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sPVPxvvcm4)*
This is a song I wrote a while back, that is broken into three “acts” if you will. The song is composed from multiple layered acoustic music pieces as well as some bass guitar and strings (that’s right, folks, no metal here). The song is a little long, but it is intended to tell a story as opposed to being radio-friendly.
When I wrote *Unite* I knew it needed some kind of spoken words on top of the music to flesh out the meaning of the song and provide atmosphere. I spent hours scouring the net trying to find the right speech that told the right story and met the tenor of the music as it progresses through the acts. I wanted the song to speak to the nature of the world today.
After an extensive search I discovered that the greatest, most inspirational speech was given by [Charlie Chaplin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin) of all people; a comedic actor famous for his *silent* movie work. Until I saw this speech I had never actually heard Charlie Chaplin speak; I had only ever seen him waddling around with a cane doing slapstick.
His speech in this song is from [The Great Dictator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Dictator) released in October 1940 and distributed by United Artists. It is a beautiful, perfectly written and powerfully acted speech and when I first saw it it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. My inclusion of this speech is not only intended to tell the story of the song, but it is a tribute to a truly wonderful comedy and drama actor and his contributions to cinema and culture in the form of his acting, production, composition, and writing.
I hope you enjoy it.
