A year ago, Pharrell's auspicious blessing was only a dream for D.A. Wallach and Maxwell Drummey, both 21-year old Harvard seniors at the time. But when their demo found its way to Kanye West last December, Chester French quickly became one of the most hotly pursued new artists of the decade, attracting offers from Kanye, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell and Jimmy Iovine. That same demo has become the basis for what will surely be the most talked about debut record of 2008.
Tentatively titled Love the Future, the album was written, arranged, produced and engineered entirely by D.A. and Max in their dorm's basement. Full of intricately imagined pop songs that fuse lush string arrangements with modern beats, it is the product of lifetimes of music making and listening.
D.A. was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been a performer for as long as he can remember. His interests have shifted over time from magic to politics, comedy and drumming -- and finally to singing, songwriting and producing. Max is the product of Boston, Massachusetts and a strong musical upbringing, beginning classical piano lessons at three, studying jazz guitar, jazz and classical composition through high school, picking up further instrumental skills, and finally settling on pop music in college. While D.A. sings lead vocals and Max scores and plays the majority of instruments for Chester French, they work collaboratively on every detail from the first note to the final mix.
The two first met in their freshman year dining hall at Harvard. Along with three friends they formed the first incarnation of Chester French and the quintet quickly cut its teeth playing shows around campus and at Boston bars. At the end of the year, they won a local battle of the bands and, with only two days and $300 to spend, cut a five song EP aptly titled Chester French's First Love.
When school let out, D.A. and Max stayed in Cambridge for the summer, selling copies of the EP on the street by day and writing new songs by night. In their free time, they became engineers at the on-campus recording studio and became fascinated by record production. As they began to master the intricacies of recording, their energies solidified around a common goal: to try to create a classic album in the studio.
As a duo, Chester French worked for three years on Love the Future, making money on the side by engineering recording sessions for Boston area instrumentalists, rappers, and other bands. Finally, in May of 2007, D.A. and Max completed their recording and their degrees, in African American Studies and Social Anthropology, respectively.
Now based out of L.A., Chester French is putting the finishing touches on its epic first offering. Get ready to Love the Future.
Bebe Buell
Chester French Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never hung around with so many nuts
And ‘ye said that there’d be drunk and hot girls
But I’m not tryin to mess with no sluts
Cuz I just need a girl like you
Who doesn’t wanna shop at Dior
I wanna learn a little more
Oh (oh) this ain’t groupie love
Cuz you mean so much to me
You’re my Bebe Buell
You’re my Puerto Rican Pamela Lee
And I’m here and I’m now
And I’m chasing the charts
I’m tryin to buy myself a house in the hills
I’m in town
And you’re down
So let’s go
Now you know that I been locked up in school
And I been foamin at the mouth for awhile
And you might be everything that I need
But maybe I just need to get wild
Cuz all these females, lookin sexy
Start to make me think like a perv
And I been waiting so long that it hurts
I only want what I deserve
(Chorus)
This is my dream
All I wanted was to be seen
La la la la - woah oh oh
La la la la - oh oh
Feelings are strong
Let’s cut our losses move it along
La la la la - woah oh oh
La la la la - oh oh
In the song "Bebe Buell" by Chester French, the singer is expressing his desire for a certain type of woman - one who is not a typical "slut" but also not wrapped up in material goods like designer clothing. He claims to have never been to Los Angeles before, and to be more interested in a non-groupie type of relationship, which he compares to his ideal woman, Bebe Buell, who is a model and musician. The singer also references Pamela Lee, a well-known model and actress, and expresses his desire for fame and success in the music industry.
Taken as a whole, the song seems to be a commentary on the superficiality and objectification of women in the entertainment industry. The singer is looking for something more meaningful than just a hookup or a groupie encounter, and he values women who are independent and not just interested in fame or fortune. At the same time, however, he acknowledges his own desires for success and recognition, suggesting that this is a difficult balance to strike in the world of Hollywood and high-flying music careers.
Overall, "Bebe Buell" is a complex and introspective song that deals with a range of issues related to fame, power, and relationships. It offers a nuanced perspective on the challenges of navigating the often-superficial entertainment industry and the desire for genuine connections in a world of fleeting connections and superficial aspirations.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh no, I never been to L.A.
I have never been to Los Angeles before.
I never hung around with so many nuts
I have never been around so many eccentric people before.
And ‘ye said that there’d be drunk and hot girls
Kanye West said that there would be a lot of drunk and attractive girls.
But I’m not tryin to mess with no sluts
However, I am not interested in engaging with promiscuous women.
Cuz I just need a girl like you
But what I really need is a girl like you.
Who doesn’t wanna shop at Dior
A girl who is not interested in shopping at designer stores like Dior.
So come inside and lock that hotel door
Let's go inside the hotel room and lock the door.
I wanna learn a little more
I am interested in getting to know you better.
Oh (oh) this ain’t groupie love
This is not a case of groupie love.
Cuz you mean so much to me
This is because you hold a special place in my heart.
You’re my Bebe Buell
You are my version of Bebe Buell.
You’re my Puerto Rican Pamela Lee
You are my Puerto Rican version of Pamela Lee.
And I’m here and I’m now
I am present in this moment.
And I’m chasing the charts
I am pursuing chart success.
I’m tryin to buy myself a house in the hills
I am attempting to purchase a home in a prosperous region.
I’m in town
I am currently in town.
And you’re down
And you are available to hang out.
So let’s go
Let us proceed with our plans.
Now you know that I been locked up in school
I have been consumed with my studies lately.
And I been foamin at the mouth for awhile
And I have been anticipating this moment for some time now.
And you might be everything that I need
You have the potential to be everything that I am searching for.
But maybe I just need to get wild
But perhaps I need to let loose and engage in some exciting activities.
Cuz all these females, lookin sexy
Because all of these attractive women are making me feel...
Start to make me think like a perv
... as though I am starting to think in a perverse manner.
And I been waiting so long that it hurts
I have been patiently waiting for a long time, and it is beginning to cause me pain and discomfort.
I only want what I deserve
However, I only want what I feel I am worthy of.
This is my dream
This is my aspiration.
All I wanted was to be seen
All I ever wanted was for my work to be recognized.
Feelings are strong
My emotions are intense.
Let’s cut our losses move it along
Let's abandon anything that is not working and move forward.
Contributed by Carter I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.