The song’s genesis came from a number of different directions. Firstly, I read an article about the then Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan, where she was described as “looking stunned like some fluffy bunny caught in the headlights of a truck”. Early on as I was mulling over ideas for the song while walking in the countryside, I heard the phrase “Did you think? Not at all!” set to precisely the tune it now has. The phrase “Did you think?” goes up, the way questions do, and the answer, “Not at all”, goes down. I didn't plan it that way; it just happened. It was only when the song was finished that I realised what I’d done. There is also a personal, and private, meaning to the song.
A friend of a friend made this comment about “Caught in the Glare” which I rather like:
[He] impresses with his ability to trace a direct and effortless line from Gerry and the Pacemakers to The Las - no mean feat at all! The Merseybeat is strong with that one, Master Obi-wan!
Indeed, Merseybeat, and especially the Beatles (of course!) was my main influence here. Even though the unmistakeable sound of the Rickenbacker 12 string was also used by the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn, it is George Harrison with whom it will be forever associated – the “Hard Day’s Night” album is full of its jangly arpeggios. The John Lennon track “Anytime at All”, from that album, is a classic Ricky-12 song and it is the doubling of piano by the 12-string on that track that I have copied here.
The George Harrison “Something” chord sequence which I used in “Fallen on my Feet” puts in another appearance here, and I have also borrowed one of John Lennon’s finest chord patterns, which he used in the middle section of “It Won’t Be Long” (“Since you left me, I’m so alone…” etc.) giving a constant chromatic downward motion in the run up to the chorus which takes a side-step at the last minute into an unexpected key. This is a technique that Paul McCartney often used – most notably in “Lady Madonna”.
The structure of the lyrics borrows something from Paul McCartney’s “Here There and Everywhere”. In that beautiful song, Paul begins each verse successively with the words “Here”, “There” and “Everywhere” and then combines them in the final chorus. In “Caught in the Glare” I have started each of the three sections of the verse with “Did you think?”, “Did you care?” and “Did you worry?” then those three phrases are conflated just before each chorus.
A Hammond organ phrase introduces the middle-eight (“And did you coldly calculate…”) which features a passing nod to the Beach Boys in the backing vocals – the “Ba ba baa” vocals are close relations of those in “God Only Knows”. Actually, this section is more of a middle-eleven; I'm rather proud of the odd phrase lengths in this song – a very Lennonesque touch!
The internal rhymes and alliteration were very deliberately put in, but when I scanned through the completed lyrics I thought “I'm not going to be able to sing this; it’s far too wordy.” However, I surprised myself with just how easily it does sing. The rhymes and alliteration make the words trip off the tongue more easily, if anything. By the way, the trisyllabic assonance of “calculate” and “fabricate” was borrowed from the rap genre. Perhaps someone of my generation is not supposed to like rap music but I think that the lyrics of well-written rap have a tremendous vocal energy rarely found in other styles of music.
Instrumentation: All instruments played or programmed by Brian Parks:
Line 6 Variax electric guitar (simulating acoustic 6-string Martin and Rickenbacker 12-string guitars, programmed 1928 Steinway grand piano, programmed Rickenbacker 4001 bass guitar, programmed 1960s Ludwig drumkit recorded at Abbey Road, programmed Hammond C3 organ, handclaps, lead vocals, backing and harmony vocals.
Lyrics
Did you think nobody would see through the size of the lies you spread in their name?
Did you think they all would agree to be fooled by the rules made up in your game?
Did you care what they thought when at last you were caught
And you showed no capacity for shame.
Did you worry what they’d say at the end of the day
As you spread around the blame
Did you think? (Not at all).
Did you care? (Don’t be a fool).
Did you worry? (Not what you would call).
Now you’re caught in the glare of the headlights and a lesson’s about to be learned
Like a rabbit that’s hypnotised staring with sightless eyes
Wondering which way it should turn
Did you think your curious take on the world was observed not only by you?
Did you think if anyone questioned your views you’d abuse them until they withdrew?
Did you care what they felt about the hand that you dealt
Ev’ry stage of your crooked little game
Did you worry ev’ry day that they might not wanna play
So you’d blacken their name?
Did you think? (Not a lot)
Did you care? (Not a jot)
Did you worry? (Gonna tell you what)
Now you’re caught in the glare of the headlights and a lesson’s about to be learned
Like a rabbit that’s hypnotised staring with sightless eyes
Wondering which way it should turn
And did you coldly calculate ev’ry word that you said
And then proceed to fabricate all the drama you need
To feed the hunger in your head.
Did you care what they thought when at last you were caught
And you showed no capacity for shame.
Did you worry what they’d say at the end of the day
As you spread around the blame
Did you think? (Not at all)
Did you care? (Don’t be a fool)
Did you worry? (Not what you would call)
Now you’re caught in the glare of the headlights
And there’s only place you can go
Caught in the glare of the headlights. Caught in the glare of the headlights