The Naked Truth (song)

[Reid Rosefelt]

The Naked Truth
Words & Music by Reid Rosefelt (2025)

This is my first and only attempt to write a song in the style of a jazz standard. It's going to be on my upcoming album, which is all songs about women.

I played my (real) guitar, played piano, bass, and sax-ish virtual instruments, and programmed the drums.
The anonymous vocalist was a jazz singer in New York for ten years



Everyone lies
That’s the only thing that we can say
That’s always true
‘Cause everyone hides
From the Naked Truth

Someone who justifies
Selling out to the highest bidder
Should consider
The value of the Naked Truth

She’s a marionette
A hapless figure in a cruel chess set
Just a joker
Shuffling through a crooked deck

A plea for sympathy
For one of life’s misbegotten
She’s just forgotten
To remember the Naked Truth

There are no knights in armor around
We’re all on our own ‘til we’re in the ground

In the bitter end
We all will face life’s impartial lens
But cameras lie, so do you and I
While the Naked Truth stands by

While I don’t
forgive, forget, or condone
I still won’t
be the one to cast the first stone

When all is said and done
She’ll never be our favorite one
Just don’t say she’s the only one
To bend The Naked Truth

She’s a marionette,
A hapless figure in a cruel chess set
Just a joker
Shuffling through a crooked deck

And when the last card is played
Some will win, some will lose
‘til the rules are changed
That’s The Naked Truth

 

[Double Helix]

Well conceived, played, sung, arranged & produced (and the sax-oid garnishs work nicely due to your economical & idiomatic execution)
Admirable result, Reid

 

[Reid Rosefelt]

I could sing this song myself before I put it into Synthesizer V.

Inside Synth V, I had the freedom to expand the melody well beyond my vocal range, with leaps and octave jumps for verses, etc.

This is very common for me. After I work on my songs in Synth V, I can't sing them anymore.

 

[David Cuny]

Very nice! To my (inexpert) ears, it sounds great. Excellent job by the singer - nice lows, light high end. Instruments do what they should, and it's put in a great soundstage with a tasteful arrangement.

I also enjoyed the rhyme scheme.

OK, a few nits to completely ignore. To explain, I get grumpy when songs make me think about it instead going smoothly along. Sort of like noticing shaky-cam in a movie. These aren't wrong, I just noticed them.

The phrasing on:

That’s the only thing that we can say / That’s always true

has a break between the lines that made me think "That's always true" was the start of a new thought, instead of the continuation of the prior sentence. See? I said these are nits!

I was also a bit surprised by the sax at 1:08 - I was expecting a solo, but then the vocal came back in, and the sax parallels the vocal. It's handled well, but large drop in volume got my attention.

And perhaps the smallest nit of all - where at "everyone lies...", the bass switches from half notes to quarter notes and again gets my attention. And by the way - tasteful bass playing throughout!