Deliberately, Shattered Hearts had been left to last to record. They had attempted it earlier in the week but Jake had called a halt, saying that it had to be done last. Now, as the sand of time was running out, he knew that he had to deliver. The last two days had been an emotional rollercoaster. There had been no reply to his message to Lori and the silence was crushing him. Delivering for Dr Marrs on the vocal tracks had been tough, pushing him to his emotional limits. His personal pain and anguish had filtered through and the producer had declared the songs to be among his best ever work.
They’d left Got My Eye On You and Shattered Hearts for the final session. During the day, both Grey and Paul had been out at the studio tweaking some of their tracking but now it was just Jake and Dr Marrs in the room. Recording Got My Eye On You had taken them almost five hours before the two perfectionists were happy with it.
“Come on, Mr Power,” coaxed Jim. “Last one. Let’s see if we can be out of here by midnight.”
“Give me a minute,” replied Jake. “I want to do this one out of the booth. Can we move the mic out into the room? This one needs to breathe.”
“Sure,” agreed the producer from the live room. “Let me come through there. I want to try something. Back in a minute. Need to fetch something from the store.”
Quietly, Lori opened the front door to JJL, noting that the lights were all dimmed. She could hear voices, two voices – Jake’s and Jim’s. – as she reached the lounge. Nerves began to tighten their grip on her and she almost turned round to leave when the control room door opened. In the dim light, Dr Marrs never noticed her behind him as he rushed down the hallway towards the storeroom. Silently, she slipped into the control room, keeping herself hidden in the shadows.
Through the glass, she could see Jake pacing restlessly around the studio. He was running his hands through his tousled long hair. Even through the glass, she could tell he was struggling. Seeing him looking so strained, almost haggard, tore at her heart. Steeling herself, Lori knew she had to remain strong. As she’d driven up the highway, she’d rehearsed what she going to say to him. Now that her rock star was in front of her, those words were momentarily forgotten.
It had been her intention to drive out to the studio much earlier but Annie, Grey’s mother, had arrived late to watch the kids for her. Both of them had protested about being left and she’d had to stay and put them both to bed before she’d been able to leave. Unusually, it had been Melody who was slow to settle. The little girl had been crying for her daddy, sobbing herself to sleep. Her reaction had made Lori realise that the current situation was taking its toll on the kids too.
Silently, she watched as Jim entered the live room and began to change the microphone set up.
“Can you face me away from the window?” she heard Jake ask. “I need to do this one alone.”
“Want me to leave you to run through it a few times on your own?” offered the producer.
She watched Jake shake his head.
“Ok. Try that setup,” suggested Jim. “See how it sounds.”
Jake nodded.
When the control room door opened, Lori signalled to Dr Marrs not to say a word. Looking more than a little surprised, the producer smiled and nodded then carefully repositioned his seat so that Lori was hidden from view behind him.
“In your own time, Jake,” he said calmly then ensuring the microphone to the live room was muted, said, “Hi. Didn’t expect company.”
“Hi, Jim,” whispered Lori, forcing a smile. “Decided tonight was as good a time as any to talk.”
“Well, wait till he’s through in there,” cautioned the producer softly but firmly. “Last track. Tough last track.”
Understanding, Lori nodded and sat back to watch her husband at work.
Standing alone in the live room, Jake’s heart was pounding. He’d rehearsed Shattered Hearts earlier in the day, knowing that he had to keep his voice under control as he recorded this one. As the title track, it truly was the lynchpin of the album. Closing his eyes, he visualised the band playing it for the fans at the show in Baltimore, recalling their reaction to it.
Wrapping his hands around the microphone, he signalled to Jim that he was ready.
The delicate melody filled his head as he began to sing Rich’s openly emotional lyrics. Keeping his eyes closed, Jake poured his heart and soul into the raw lyrics of being heartbroken, filling the chorus with the pain behind his own shattered heart.
Almost as if Rich was standing over him, Jake delivered a once in a lifetime performance. He drew on his own heartbreak at the mess of his marriage as well as his grief over losing his friend. When he reached the final chorus, his voice began to falter with the emotional tsunami that was threatening to engulf him. By some miracle, he managed to hold the last long lingering note.
“Perfect! Single take. We’re done!” declared Dr Marrs enthusiastically. “Great job, Jake!”
“Thanks, Jim,” he replied, wiping a tear from his cheek. “Don’t think I could’ve done another take.”
“No idea where you pulled that one from. That was special.”
“That was tough,” sighed Jake, finally turning round to face the control room window.
Getting to his feet, Jim said simply, “There’s someone here to see you. Lock up when you’re done.”
As the producer moved aside, Jake spotted Lori sitting in the shadows.
“Lori!” he gasped. “When? How?”
“Hi,” was all she could say.
“I’ll meet you
