Close-up: Blanker – Pink Slip

(written by John Norwood, Blanker)

“Pink Slip might be my favorite song from the last Blanker album. I feel like it’s just poppy enough to be catchy, just heavy enough to rock, and just quirky enough to hold your attention (despite it exceeding the four-minute mark). As it turns out, the content of the song and the way it was written go hand-in-hand.

I work for a small company that never really allows you to be ‘off the grid’, and everyone ends up bringing our work laptops on vacation. After a period of burnout, I decided to book a spur-of-the-moment long weekend trip to London, a place I’d never been before. On the morning of my outgoing flight, I was on a conference call and muted myself while playing scales on my guitar. In the process of playing, I stumbled upon the main verse riff for Pink Slip. Later that day, I quickly recorded the riff in demo form along with the chorus and then ran out to catch my flight.

London is an amazing city and I had a great time during the four days I was there. My typical day involved getting up early and spending 4-5 hours handling work emails/etc. before I could venture out and explore the city. I had the demo instrumental playing on repeat the whole time and would jot down lyrics as they popped into my head.

I felt a bit sore about not being able to unplug from my job completely, even over a mini-vacation, and that’s the direction in which the song ended up going. Like most Blanker songs, the lyrics reflect a kernel of truth along with a healthy dose of hyperbole. By the time, I got back home, I had the verse and the chorus completely written. I put together a bridge, re-recorded the whole song for real and that was that.”

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The ‘Close-up’ series contains insight provided by artists about their work.