As of the end of Season 5 I have debuted 75 of my original songs in Trio, which – to put things in perspective – is just about as many songs as Sheryl Crow has released since 1993.
Not every first appearance was a true debut – for many songs I had been playing them for months, or even years, before they finally made an appearance in Trio.
However, some of those 75 songs really made their debut in Trio – not just their public unveiling, but their first ever recording.
For me, the most infamous first demo will always be “Supposed To Be,” from the first Trio of Season 2, recorded September 30, 2001.
“Supposed To Be” is a narrative song, a peculiar blend of “Every Breath You Take” and “Old Apartment” that would seem alien in just about any set of mine.
It has a lot of chords, and a lot of words. I can’t tell you if I had even played the song once through before the Trio other than maybe for Erika in our living room – only to assure her that it wasn’t really about her, even though the character my narrator is… erm… attached to is clearly based on her.
The lack of rehearsal makes its placement as the final tune a brave one, but apparently I had nothing to worry about – “Supposed To Be” came out perfect in a single try – so much so that I’ve hardly ever played it since.
It may not be one of my favorite songs, but “Supposed To Be” is definitely one of my favorite Trio tracks of all time.