Beautiful from Before Seventeen by Nicholas Wells

August, 2002, Age 14

At the time I wrote this, I could not get enough of every love song on the radio, particularly all the romantic 90s/early 2000s ballads that they used to play on “radio Delilah.” That sound definitely influenced me as I wrote songs like this. I also remember being particularly pleased when I wrote these lyrics, feeling like I had exhaustively, poetically, and accurately voiced what needed to be said. I was overcome.

The drums in this song are a mix of a real acoustic kit and electronic samples. For the electronic kick and snare crack, I brought my old keyboard from 1995 to the studio (which has a floppy drive in it, by the way) and we searched for, and found and recorded, the actual drum samples I used on my original home recording in 2002. That keyboard actually played a big role across this whole album, as we recorded sounds from it that have lived in my head as identifying characteristics of these songs for over twenty years.

Nicholas Wells discovered his passion for music early, beginning his songwriting journey at the tender age of eight. His vocal and piano-driven compositions have since served as a diary of his personal and artistic evolution, marked by memorable melodies and profound storytelling.

NicholasWellsMusic.com