Before the Memory Fades

In 2001, my good friend Baron Raymonde was on a roll. A top saxophonist in the New York area, he had just landed a plum assignment: touring the world as a member of Rod Stewart’s band. Around the same time, we decided to produce a series of tracks aimed at securing him a deal as a smooth jazz artist, though the project wasn’t actively promoted once completed.

Before the Memory Fades includes “Back in the Day,” a track Baron and I co-wrote. The other compositions were written by me. The incomparable keyboardist and producer George Whitty, whose credits include work with Herbie Hancock, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, and many other renowned artists, played keyboards on the project. The lead vocal on “Giving Up Your Love” was performed by Darryl Tookes.

“Giving Up Your Love”
(Music and Lyrics by Gary Eskow)

Lying eyes,
Alibis that don’t ring true,
The little signs that point to someone new.

Walk away, leave it behind,
I tell myself, “That’s the thing to do.”
But this other voice is crying, “Don’t let go,”
And I can hear it too.

Chorus:
Giving up your love? No.
Giving in to losing you? Never!
Giving up your love
Is something I’ll never do.

I should have known that you’re the kind
Who likes to play.
What we’ve got, don’t throw it all away.
In my fantasy, you walk the streets
Following a shadow night and day.
Finally, you reach me in a quiet room,
And then I hear you say:

Chorus

What we’ve got is hard to find.
You’ll wish you hadn’t closed the door.
And when you see how rare it is,
You’ll come back for more!

Chorus