As a boy, he wanted to be… Read Full Bio ↴From Humble Beginnings Come Humble Middles
As a boy, he wanted to be a magician and a ventriloquist. But he couldn't hide the secret or throw his voice.
So he took to music, mostly culled from mom's record club collection. Movie soundtracks like "The Graduate" and LPs from crooners like Tom Jones, Andy Williams, Noel Harrison.
Cross-legged on the sofa, he grasped his shin-bones in both hands and rocked furiously back and forth, while the wax spun under the needle. While mom ironed and dusted, he rocked and dreamed. And while the drapes danced in a breeze, his little boy mind mumbled, "Life is real, and I'm alive."
45 singles also dug their way in. Some cut from the backs of cereal boxes. Others chosen after a listen or two on the AM radio. Yes, he needed THAT song. So he sang it for the record store man: "Come on, you have to have it. I think it's new... 'Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...'"
One day our failed magician was given an organ and a play-by-number songbook filled with Bacharach/David tunes. And though he drew moustaches and Satan eyes on Burt and Hal, he loved that songbook.
Eventually someone gave him a tape recorder. And this day probably seemed harmless enough.
But from humble beginnings...
He'd sing made-up words he didn't understand. Grown-up words about love, war, poverty. Stuff the AM radio and Burt Bacharach had taught him to sing. "Must be the way to go."
Mom eventually bought him a pretty-white, righty Jackson Soloist, and though he played lefty, he simply had it re-strung and played it upside down. "I am right-handed, after all, so how could mom have known?"
In his teens, he began to take more of a personal interest in his lyrics. As girls at school would peck his cheek and giggle on flower day, but walk on. "She's a slut, Ray. Why'd you buy her a flower?"
"Because she's nice," our silly flower boy said.
You know the drill. Countless mixed tapes and poems missed their mark. Maybe once or twice a flower got pressed into a book, but we'd only be speculating there. They all became songs.
He went to college. Wrote some more songs. Joined a band (Six Gun Jury) with his cousin. And they wrote lots of songs too. Even got a song ("Climb The Scene") in regular rotation on commercial radio (WXXP). They did well in Pittsburgh rock challenges, played some gigs. Got some press. Broke up.
"WHY?!"
Baseball, of course. He had to see the Pirates in the playoffs. You'd have done the same.
He married, loved it. Wrote some songs. His mom died, hated that. Wrote some songs about it. He became a daddy of triplet sons, and that was nice. So he put it in a song or two.
He tried to take some cases to trial, hated that. He tried to join a couple other bands, but it wasn't the same. Went to another firm, hated that. Law firm after law firm. He always left them hanging. Burned his bridges. Didn't care.
Day by day, song by song. He was going to find his place in this world (like "James" in that song by Huffamoose).
Finally, he went to work for the government, liked that better. Wrote more songs. But got divorced, hated that. Sad songs come easier, so songs galore. (You must have all of this in your notes somewhere already, right?)
Single life was overrated. Looking for love too often in too many bars. But it was either that or join some animal shelter or church group. And he never liked groups. Still doesn't.
No. He likes songs.
Finally, one day, or maybe it was even in the dark of night, he cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Tom?! Burt?! MOM?! How does this shit work?! I'm lonely as fuck and nobody cares!!"
Silence.
"Ain't it funny...how the time slips away?...."
And he wrote a song about that too. The silence. The lost time. The loneliness. The loss.
Loss after loss, and song after song. This is what weakened your Chancellor, yet kept him strong.
And so, from humble beginnings...come humble middles. Which brings us to today.
"Well...how's it gonna end for The Chancellor?"
I cannot tell you that, my friend. But rest assured, no matter the ending, it will make one hell of a song.
Chancellorpink Breathes Life Into Sad Music
Chancellorpink is a terrific songwriter with sonic imagination. And on his 4th release, 2009's "Life Like Sad Music" (March 22, Wax Electric), he sprinkles lyrics of irresistible depth with elements of outsider rock, power pop and new wave, and with a deep and yearning croon, breathes life into 13 great sad songs.
The sad music started in 2006, when life-long songwriter Ray McLaughlin redefined his musical career, coming out of the shadows of semi-retirement to become the broken-hearted balladeer Chancellorpink. He did so with a determination to do things his own way. For the first time in his life, Ray decided to engineer, produce and play every note of his own original songs. He stepped out. He took a chance.
So how's it going so far for "The Chancellor"?
First came May 2006, when he released his eponymous solo debut and vowed to "record an album a year until I die or become boring." "Chancellorpink" contains 12 literate, indie pop/rock songs, drawing comparisons to old Bowie, a funky Elvis Costello or Crowded House on a vodka bender, with Ray's rich and often plaintive vocals leading the way to favorable reviews and Internet radio airplay for songs "Chancellor Pink", "AnnaJo" and "Disgusting". Chancellorpink also picked up a small cultish, underground following for its deceptively-titled, acoustic love ballad "Cunt".
April 2007 brought about the release of the 19-track "Darkrazor", which Ray described as "a haunted house with 19 rooms; my Beatles' white album only it's black." Songs "Lock Me Up", "Paul's Song", "Everybody Needs A Family" and "A Case Of Noir" garnered some spins on international and local college and public radio airwaves, though no regular rotation. Still, more people began catching on to Chancellorpink's unique blend of poetry, pop and pathos.
But it was not until his 2008 release, "Valentine Parade", that Chancellorpink finally made a real dent on the indie music coffee table. With "Valentine Parade" (released on February 14, but as an antidote for anyone who wants to generally avoid loved-up couples), Chancellorpink brilliantly crafted a post-retro, Euro-80's pop album full of prescient, modern day lyrics and rich vocal harmonies. This was no batch of lullabies. And sales and airplay soared, with The Chancellor finding certifiable indie pop hits in songs "Unfinished Valentine", "Mrs. Kowalski" and "Valentine Parade".
So that now, with "Life Like Sad Music", recorded from July 12-September 20, 2008, at Indigent Studios in Pittsburgh, PA, The Chancellor's got real game.
What drives Chancellorpink, an avid college basketball fan, to play above the rim? He writes a good deal of poetry and describes making both music and poetry as something that is "in the blood". Ray has always been fully immersed in music and writing. He was involved in successful bands in and around Pittsburgh since an early age, and he is also highly educated, holding a Professional Writing degree with honors from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a Magna Cum Laude J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Law.
The Chancellor makes songs rather than having a 'sound', changing the instrumentation from song to song, along with his vocal stylings, to fit each particular song. Says Ray, regarding his music, "Really, my hope is that people who have lost out on love or dreams of any kind can relate to my music, share it, and it spreads. And maybe men can all get back to being loving and sensitive again, but while remaining strong and not taking any shit from the new generation of creeps that the modern world has created. I hope we can learn again not to be afraid, and to stand up for ourselves, with great conviction but also great compassion. Way too much to expect from some indie pop-rock songs? Exactly. And there it is."
Spending time with Ray, you are struck by his warm humor and his immense degree of romanticism and respect for women of intellect and power. He showed a degree of commitment and certainty in his words that, well, maybe he's on to something here. In this female interviewer's opinion, Ray emanates zero bitterness or emo-whiner, but, instead, a sense of -- sans corny here -- soulful truth.
"I hate no one," he says. "Even the people I loathe, I probably love at least a little bit, somewhere down deep. Because I even loathe myself in so many ways, you know? I just hope we all try to get things right and do the right thing as much as possible, and I don't think that's the case most of the time for most of us, including me. And that failure not only hurts me inside, but it also pisses me off some. But I use that hurt and anger to create stuff, and maybe that will start some sort of chain reaction some day, who knows. Or maybe not. Either way, I remain your Chancie Baby, baby." And he smiles again.
You almost want to slap him, but you don't. Because you have a story to finish. And because, you just don't really want to slap The Chancellor. Not at all, really.
Ellen Sarcalow, Performer Magazine, December 2008 (used by permission)(printed but not available on their website)
You'll Like Me
Chancellorpink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is my heart
Straight lines are for the scientists
Who don't know art
And all the cynics and the therapists agree
Five out of five of you
Will never like me
(you'll like me)
I can fill your bathtub with balloons
(you'll like me)
I can fill your heart with pretty tunes
(you'll like me)
When you're blue i'll swallow all your tears
(you'll like me)
I can chase your demons and your fears
Far away
If there's one secret weapon in this world
It is love
For you, of that i'm well supplied
So join the winning side
(you'll like me)
I can sing the colors that you feel
(you'll like me)
I can find your soul and break the seal
(you'll like me)
And break your fever when you have the flu
(you'll like me)
I look better up close than i do
Far away
So far away
You take your time
Deciding where you want to be
I'm standing over here
Hey - you'll like me
Trust me, you'll like me
(you'll like me)
Run away from all those poser nerds
(you'll like me)
Let me build a castle of your words
(you'll like me)
I could teach you everything i know
(you'll like me)
But how'm i s'posed to help you when you're so
Far away
The lyrics of Chancellorpink's song "You'll Like Me" is about a person expressing their love to another and convincing them to be with them. The shortest distance between them is the singer's heart as they believe that love is an art that scientists cannot comprehend with straight lines. The lyrics suggest that despite acknowledging the cynics and the therapists, the singer is confident that the person they love will like them. The song is filled with promises of happiness, love, and care for the other, including filling their bathtub with balloons and chasing away their fears.
The chorus highlights the promises made by the singer, including filling their heart with pretty tunes, singing the colors they feel, finding their soul and breaking its seal, and breaking their fever when they have the flu. These promises are to be believed as the singer proclaims that they look better up close than they do far away. The lyrics conclude with the singer urging the other person to trust them, run away from poser nerds, let them build a castle with their words, and promise to teach them everything they know, but only if they are close together.
The song's lyrics seem to be desperate and repetitive, but the words are powerful as they express the singer's deep love for the other person. The words are meant to convince the other person to acknowledge the singer's love and perhaps reciprocate it. Overall, the song reveals that love can be powerful and convincing and that the singer is willing to do everything in their power to make the person they love happy.
Line by Line Meaning
The shortest distance between you and i
I feel a deep connection with you that doesn’t require any distance to bridge.
Is my heart
My love for you stems from the core of my being.
Straight lines are for the scientists
A literal interpretation of distance has its use, but love is not bound by it.
Who don't know art
Scientists’ minds work in a rigid, logical manner that doesn’t always embrace abstract concepts as love.
And all the cynics and the therapists agree
Most doubters of love, even those who try to help explain emotions, don’t believe that you could truly like me.
Five out of five of you
The vast majority of people won’t give love a chance to bloom between us.
Will never like me
My unique characteristics and ways of showing love are unlikely to be appreciated by most people.
(you'll like me)
I can fill your bathtub with balloons
I can creatively and romantically surprise you and bring lightness to your life using simple gestures.
(you'll like me)
I can fill your heart with pretty tunes
I can express my love for you through enchanting words and melodies.
(you'll like me)
When you're blue i'll swallow all your tears
I’ll support you emotionally during your times of weakness.
(you'll like me)
I can chase your demons and your fears
Far away
I’ll protect you from your fears and negative emotions with my love and strength.
If there's one secret weapon in this world
The one thing that can beat all odds and adversities is love.
It is love
Love is the ultimate solution to all our problems.
For you, of that i'm well supplied
I have an endless supply of love for you because you are worthy of it.
So join the winning side
If you embrace my love, you’ll experience a joyful union with someone who will always stand by you.
(you'll like me)
I can sing the colors that you feel
I can harmonize with your emotions and empathize with your feelings in a beautiful, lyrical way.
(you'll like me)
I can find your soul and break the seal
I’ll help you to discover and express the deep thoughts and feelings that you keep hidden.
(you'll like me)
And break your fever when you have the flu
I’ll comfort and nurse you back to health in times of need.
(you'll like me)
I look better up close than i do
Far away
So far away
The closer you get to me, the clearer the beauty of my love and personality will be.
You take your time
You are hesitant and unsure about your feelings for me.
Deciding where you want to be
You are evaluating whether your future includes me.
I'm standing over here
I am already at the right spot for you, waiting patiently.
Hey - you'll like me
Despite your doubts, I urge you to give me a chance and see that you’ll fall in love with me.
Trust me, you'll like me
I believe in my ability to make you fall for me and want to be with me forever.
(you'll like me)
Run away from all those poser nerds
I’ll protect you from meaningless relationships with people who are not worth your time and attention.
(you'll like me)
Let me build a castle of your words
I’ll use your own unique personality to create something beautiful and lasting that symbolizes our connection.
(you'll like me)
I could teach you everything i know
I’ll share with you all the love, wisdom, and experiences that I possess.
(you'll like me)
But how'm i s'posed to help you when you're so
Far away
Distance and emotional walls will make it hard for me to reach you and help you until you let me in.
Contributed by Mia T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.