Walk On By
Recording Artist: Bryan Adams
Writers: Jim Vallance
Bryan Adams
Albums: 11 (Universal/Polygram, 2008)
Bare Bones (2010)
Audio 1:
 
Bryan Adams: acoustic guitar, vocal
Máire Breatnach: viola
Colin Cripps: slide guitar
 
Produced by Bryan Adams.  Recorded by Ben Dobie.  Mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Mix This, Los Angeles. Strings recorded by Roger Monk.  String arrangement by Roger Greenaway.  Viola recorded at Pulse Recording Studio, Dublin.
Audio 2: Audio Pending > from the Bare Bones album.
 
Bryan Adams: acoustic guitar, vocal
 
Produced by Bryan Adams. Recorded by Ben Dobie at the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts in Binghamton, New York, June 14, 2010.   Mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Mix This, Los Angeles California.
Comments:
Jim Vallance, Bryan Adams London, May 2007 >

(photo: Lucia Lundin)
In 1978, not long after we first met, Bryan and I wrote an up-tempo rock track called "I'm Ready" (it eventually appeared on Bryan's 1983 album "Cuts Like A Knife").

Nearly 20 years later Bryan surprised me when he re-arranged "I'm Ready" as an acoustic ballad, which he included on his 1997 "MTV Unplugged" album.

In fact, I much prefer the new acoustic arrangement over the original rock arrangement.

"Walk On By" was also originally written as an up-tempo rocker. Once again, it was Bryan's idea to slow it down, perform it acoustically, and add the string arrangement. Even after he'd decided on the "acoustic ballad" treatment, Bryan continued to experiment with the instrumentation.

For example, the first recorded draft of the new arrangement had an Irish flute on the opening melodic theme, the same instrument Bryan used on the unplugged version of "I'm Ready" (Irish flute will be familiar to anyone who's heard the soundtrack for the film "Titanic"). 

It was later decided that a cello might be more appropriate, and I suggested that Bryan contact Jorane, the brilliant and quirky Quebec cellist. At one point Bryan and Jorane were both in France, only a few miles apart, but they were unable to find a suitable time to meet for a recording session.

Domage.

Instead, a viola was recorded in Dublin ... and I think it sounds wonderful.  It was performed by the well-known Irish violist Máire Breatnach.  Below is her impressive biography, copied from her website:
 
 
Máire Breatnach is a musician of exceptional calibre in a number of music related disciplines.

Traditional music and musicology have featured largely in her life and have been a source of great inspiration in her work. Having obtained B.A., B.Mus. and M.A. degrees at U.C.D., she lectured there and in the College of Music, D.I.T. before embarking on a freelance career.
Máire Breatnach >
Máire has composed and recorded four solo albums: Angels' Candles, The Voyage of Bran, Celtic Lovers and Dreams and Visions in Irish Song - Aislingí Ceoil.

On fiddle, viola, whistles, piano and keyboards, guitar and vocals, Máire has performed and recorded with Riverdance, Christy Moore, Alan Stivell, Ronan Keating, Máire Brennan, Phil Chevron, Sinead O' Connor, Altan, Sharon Shannon, Mary Black, Mike Oldfield, Donovan, Dave Gilmour, Sarah Brightman, Gavin Friday, Nigel Kennedy, Donal Lunny, Dolores Keane, Ronnie Drew, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Ronan Hardiman and Bill Whelan. As a record producer, she has worked with Sonny Condell, Johnny McEvoy, Jim McCann, The Black Family, Keith Donald, Pádraigín Ní Úallacháin, Méav and Lasairfhióna Ní Chonaola.

TV and film credits include Glenroe, Tinteán, and Voyage (RTE), A Freezing Summer (Japan), Angela Mooney Dies Again, In The Name of the Father, The Secret of Roan Inish, Rob Roy and Moondance.

Recently, Máire has featured on the two chart-topping albums, Tears of Stone (The Chieftains), which subesquently won a Grammy award, and Éist, for which she wrote the title song, a duet with Brian Kennedy.
Lyrics: I heard that you're leavin' this sleepy little town
The bright lights must have caught your eye cuz you ain't hangin' 'round
Y'know people been talkin'
They say you're makin' a mistake
Gotta get on that Greyhound, forget about what they say, and just

Walk on by
Walk on by
Don't look over your shoulder
Keep your head up high
Just walk on by

i've heard bad things about the city and I'm told that they're true
Better watch out for those guys out there, they're gonna hit on you
So don't talk to no strangers
Y'know it ain't your style
Don't give up when the chips are down, just turn around and smile, and just

Walk on by
Walk on by
Don't look over your shoulder
Keep your head up high
Just walk on by

You're old enough to know why
You're old enough to know why

Now you're standing at the station
Got a ticket in your hand
Guess you got you're mind made up
Gotta get out while you can

Don't say i never told ya
Now the rest is up to you
Those streets can be like a battlefield
When it's hard to make it thru, just

Walk on by
Walk on by
Don't look over your shoulder
Keep your head up high
Just walk on by

Walk on by
Walk on by
You're a little bit lonely you're a little bit shy
Just walk on by

Walk on by
Walk on by
Don't look over your shoulder
Keep your head up high
Just walk on by

Walk on by
Walk on by
You're a little bit lonely you're a little bit shy
Just walk on by