Charred Remains by Romeo Void

Album: It's A Condition (1981)

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Songfacts®:

One of the earliest Romeo Void songs, they played "Charred Remains" live for about a year in and around San Francisco before recording it for their debut album, It's A Condition, in 1981. The band is most remembered for the song "Never Say Never" from their next album, but It's A Condition earned them a following along with some rave reviews. Ric Ocasek of The Cars was so impressed by it, he produced the Never Say Never EP for the band.

The song has a yearning lyric written by their lead singer, Debora Iyall, who finds herself restless in the inky silence of her kitchen.
In a Songfacts interview with members of Romeo Void, guitar player Peter Woods shared his thoughts on the song. "'Charred Remains' is a personal favorite of mine," he said. "It was a musically intricate composition, comprising three distinct sections that blend together seamlessly. The song's verse features an inverted G chord that creates a sense of instability and openness, followed by a solid E chord that resolves the tension."

Bass player Frank Zincavage added: Being one of our earliest tunes, it probably started with Debora and I. Peter and Benjamin [sax player Benjamin Bossi] bring very nice elements to the tune and Jay [Derrah], the drummer on the live LP, gives it some drive. I can't hear it as well on the live version but there is a section where my penchant for 'Peter Gunn'-type basslines drives the bottom end. On the studio LP, we gave some of the sections more space and atmospheric elements. Debora is in a particularly poetic place. Benjamin provides some nice lead licks to the tune."
The song was produced by David Kahne, who also worked at the band's label, 415 Records in San Francisco. He went on to produce Ingrid Michaelson, Sublime, Regina Spektor and many others. According to Peter Woods, Kahne made a major contribution to this track: removing the drums from the verse. "Removing the drums heightened the song's dramatic impact when the second and third sections kick in," Woods said.
In 2023, Romeo Void released an early live version of "Charred Remains" on their album Live From Mabuhay Gardens, recorded at the San Francisco nightclub in 1980.

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