See It First: Pink Martini Debuts Haunting Video for New Version of ‘Hey Eugene (Watch Your Back)’
In 2007, Pink Martini released the album Hey Eugene!, featuring the eponymous title track and fan favorite, “Hey Eugene,” a witty, yet heart-wrenching ballad about a fleeting dance, a phone number exchange, and the call that never came.
A haunting alternate version that emerged from the original studio sessions was given new life in Never Stop Falling (in Love), an Oregon Ballet Theatre and Pink Martini collaborative live performance. To commemorate the joint venture, OBT has created an elegant, atmospheric video featuring Pink Martini’s China Forbes on the microphone, and three of the company’s principle dancers performing Nicolo Fonte’s choreography from the piece.
When asked how this spare, eerie composition came to be, Forbes recalls, “It happened spontaneously, as so many things do in the studio…the kick drum came in slow and steady and I just started goofing around singing ‘Hey Eugene” in this melancholic and reflective way. Next thing you know, Thomas joined in and played a spare beautiful chord on the piano, and then John entered on bass at that perfect moment when something needed to happen. Everyone kept it simple and it became this rare moment of beauty that was totally different from how we normally play the song. It was magic.”
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