Recording “Still” at Abbey Road Studios

by EJ Devokaitis

During this turbulent and violence-struck time in the world, I felt this was an appropriate time to create this and spread not only one of my favorite songs of Alanis’, but a powerful & insightful message for us all to consider…or to be uplifted by since we are all getting pelted with horrific images of hatred & violence on a disturbing level these days…

Alanis Morissette photo montage- recording her hauntingly beautiful and powerful song “Still” in the Beatle room at Abbey Road Studios in London. I had the privilege of being a part of it, as i was her right hand man on tour at the time, and it was one of the highlights of my touring career. Mr. Steve Falconer, who was part of the crew at the time, took all of the photographs here. The song appeared at the end of Kevin Smith’s movie “Dogma” – just after Alanis appeared as God. I believe that her idea was to write from a higher spirit/God’s perspective. Whether or not you believe in God, this song is so brilliant to me both musically and lyrically – my personal interpretation is that whatever higher spirit you believe in [if you do], that this god/spirit/consciousness loves us all unconditionally: both in our best moments/behavior and our worst.

For those of you who are new to Alanis’ artistry, or those of you who know her well, but have only heard her radio hits…and maybe even only think of her as an angry woman in “You Oughta Know” from Jagged Little Pill, I challenge you to TRULY listen without distraction and follow the lyrics. To me, it is one of the most inspiring songs ever written. I created this montage/quasi-video using the photos that Steve handed me on a cd, and I think most of them capture the spirit, magic and positivity of that day. we were on tour in europe, and Alanis saw a rough cut of the movie, and wrote this song that night in her hotel room. we recorded it the next day..starting at 7 am and went till 7 am the next morning…a sacred 24 hours. at which point we jumped on the bus and went to do the next show. What an honor as I reflect on actually working on this project, in THAT room where The Beatles recorded their greatest work…you could feel something palpably haunted and magical in the air there.

Credits:
Musicians besides Alanis:
Gary Novak – drums
Deron Johnson – keyboards
Joel Shearer – guitar
Nick Lashley – guitar
Chris Chaney – bass

Crew:
Scott Gordon – engineer
Vince Giannini – guitar/bass tech
Daniel Jensen – drum tech
John Talbot – keyboard tech
Steve Falconer – photography
E.J. Devokaitis – ass’t to Alanis
Darcy Keenan – massage therapist

RECORDING “STILL” AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS