First of all, this is not a cover of the classic My Fair Lady song (“Ding dong, the bells are going to chime”); it is a new track, and it is a whole lot of fun. Ritchie and Debra did, of course, get married in 2023, and the YouTube video to accompany this shows a lot of the day. Our congratulations to them!
I have to say that in this depressing time on the news, I have been avoiding listening to what is going on, as there is only so much misery you can take. And with music, it has a role to entertain and make you feel better about life; this one does! Back in the day, Paul McCartney was once accused of writing only love songs (not true, of course). His response was to write that classic “Silly Love Songs,” still much loved on commercial radio. There is nothing wrong with silly love songs. I say that with a caveat, because although this song is about love and marriage, the music beneath it takes it away from the saccharine taste that I was worried (from the title) I may be encountering.
Although I always see Ritchie as a blues man (and the guitar work is within that vein), this track, due to the vocals from Debra, is, in my opinion, a great country rock number, one that my colleague Lorraine would enjoy. It is pretty much a full package of a song; it has plenty going on lyrically and musically. It is very radio-friendly, zips along at a pace, and leaves you with a smile. You can’t ask for more than that, really!
We did ask Ritchie about it.
“I started writing the chord structures and riffs for “We’re Getting Married in the Morning” on my Ferndale Grand Auditorium Acoustic. I completed the structure and presented it to Debra, who then composed all the vocal melodies and lyrics. We rehearsed the song acoustically, and when it came to live gig versions, I decided to rock it up a little by utilising the Telecaster through a Fender Champion 50XL amplifier with no effects pedals for a slightly grittier, harder bluesy sound. The song itself has very much a blues-based country rock sound, similar in energy to some of the songs on the classic Led Zeppelin 3 album. We actually recorded two studio versions with our producer, Michael Tingle. The official single is the version utilising the Telecaster guitar, and the second version was entirely Acoustic and Unplugged. I really like this single; it’s definitely blues meets a southern country rock vibe, and because it is lyrically about our wedding, it is extra special, and that’s thanks to Debra’s lyrics and vocal melodies. We write and record whatever we feel has energy and good vibes, whether it be blues, Rock or southern country rock styles, and we hope you enjoy it.”
I did enjoy it!
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By Stevie Ritson
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