Radical Face - One Last Dream

So this one was has a bit of story behind it.

Last Friday I got contacted out of the blue by the creator of the show "The Blacklist." There was a very important final scene in the the season finale, and there was suddenly an issue with the music that was slated to go along with it. I was asked if I could come up with something for the scene over the weekend, as it was due to air on Wednesday. But it was a long cue -- about 5 minutes. We had never spoken before that moment, but they've featured me on the show multiple times and it's been a really big reason that people have heard of me at all. So of course I was happy to at least try.

I got a cut of the scene, some notes about the tone and the mood, and then the work started. Writing to cues is a bit different than writing songs, because the tempo and mood have to fit something that already exists. It's about amplifying a mood instead of generating it from scratch. So just sorting the structure can take a lot of time. I could also tell right from the start that I'd need strings on this, so I asked Josh, my partner, to help me come up with some cello parts. He's really great at playing emotively, so we got all that sorted in a couple hours. The rest was a blur. But it's fun to just move sometimes and go entirely with gut responses. There wasn't time to second guess anything. And luckily it was all moods and tones that are well within my wheelhouse.

To jump to the end, the piece worked out well and was accepted. And since it will have already aired before I put out my next newsletter, I am uploading it early.

For the art, I just grabbed one of the images from my "Rain" series I did earlier this year that felt like it paired pretty well. It's something I painted on Procreate, on my iPad.

[dylangalloway]

It’s crazy how radical face captured the essence of your life flashing before your eyes

[StarWarsTherapy]

"I can't do it."
"That's alright."
"I don't want to."
"I understand."

[stingray]

Cried when I heard it on the Blacklist. What a beautiful piece.

[mysticalbeauty]

The most powerful yet heartbreaking scene in the blacklist.

[agha]

1:14 perhaps the most powerful scene in tv history for me. I did not realise I was capable of crying for a tv show. This magical showmanship was beyond amazing. I love this music

[Vereshchak]

So beautiful... This song made the final scene so powerful!! Thanks❤

[apostoloschatzigeorgiou]

James Spader is easily one of the greatest actors out there.The role fits him so well!!

[hamidqazi]

Don’t know wether the Liz’s death scene made this background music so much heart-touching or this music made that scene just so much heart-shattering. But Blacklist brought me here to search for this masterpiece. One of the beautiful piece of music I listened ever. ❤️

[zed_]

“There is nothing that can take the pain away. But eventually, you will find a way to live with it.”

[kurdtcoben]

The most beautiful thing about your music is that, when I was watching that episode for the first time, it only took a few seconds before I knew you made the song. Even without lyrics there's just something so uniquely "you" about your music. Thank you for making tunes that make me feel and for writing lyrics that make me think and, most importantly, thank you for being you. It means a lot to me.

[supernova]

This was the saddest scene I ever watched. Cried for a whole month.

[carlosdaniel]

I never thought I would suffer so much for a scene from some series.
I connected so much with the blacklist that Liz's death was torture for me.

[bonniestewart]

Your presence in this existence is a gift. Thank you for sharing your power with us.

[Traytell]

The most heartbreaking scene in The Blacklist 😢😢

[lazygamingjd]

I finally found the source of the music! Thank you, man. It's beautiful. Touching and heartbreaking at the same time. It made a grown-ass man cry.

[tidianefall]

This song will always remind me that a part of my soul, heart went out and will never come back again. Blacklist is over but as it’s said: « don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened » Thank you radical face for all memories you made for blacklisters❤️

[akashdatta]

this music is what makes the final scene of the blacklist so insanely good. The dream, the realization, the regret for going too far. Damn i feel so sad for red.

[neehap]

this music made the scene!!! BEAUTIFUL. thank you blacklist, you brought me here.

[zed_]

“As bad as you think I am, as far as you think I’m willing to go to protect that which I hold dear... you can’t possibly fathom how deep that well of mine truly goes.”

[Tigermeowpants]

Such a stunning track. May have made me cry during The Blacklist scene.