[Use my supplied British male voice throughout. Preserve its accent, tone and pronunciation in singing, rap and speech. Brooklyn refers to the story and drums, not the accent.] [Extended male a cappella intro — no instruments] [Layer the supplied voice: intimate lead, humming, vocal bass and falsetto. Long pauses; build slowly.] Ooh… You should see me now… You should see me now… Got my face above the avenue, Bigger than the room I’m singing in. Everybody looking up at me… Would you know me if you let me in? [Layered harmonies] Say my name… Say my name… The one before they made it change. Back when I was just that Black kid from Brooklyn, Singing through the wall till somebody knocked. Mum would call me twice to come and eat, I’d say, “One more minute— I’ve nearly got it.” [Long wordless passage, harmonies swell] Ooh… ah… You should see me now… [Silence. One exposed voice.] You should’ve known me then. [Hard drop — supplied sample’s groove, bright chords, gliding 808s, Brooklyn Drill drums] [Verse 1 — confident melodic flow] Used to miss the last train, now they hold the plane, Used to spell it twice, now they all know my name. Saw my face on a bus, had to laugh at the sight, Then another rolled past on the opposite side. First cheque paid the bills, next bought Mum a place, All my awkward school pictures in expensive frames. Got a room just for records, got a view of the bridge, More than I ever pictured from the house we lived in. Then they scripted my answers for the interview, Said, “We love your story—here’s the version we’ll use.” Took the joke out the answer, took the crease out the shirt, Called the old me a phase, said the new one would work. [Pre-Chorus — silky harmonies] And it worked, didn’t it? Look at that queue. Whole block wrapped round For a better look at you. Hear them through the dressing-room door. Take one breath. Give them what they came for. [Chorus — upbeat, infectious, bittersweet] Oh, I look good in the city lights, Got the whole room singing every line. I’m the man they all wanna be— Everybody gets a piece of me. Hands up high when the bass comes in, Big bright smile and I do that spin. Got a life I never thought I’d live, Nothing left that I haven’t given. [Post-Chorus — stacked vocals] You should see me now! You should see me now! Everybody knows my face round here. Who can I let my guard down near? [Verse 2 — sharper flow] Table upstairs, don’t remember the meal, Post a shot of the watch, that was part of the deal. They said my old posts needed deleting, Spent the flight watching younger me speaking. I was loud, I was wrong, I was funny sometimes, Had a terrible trim, had a hell of a time. Now a room full of people approves what I say, Then I read how authentic I was the next day. Old friend rang, said, “You still coming through?” I said, “After this run.” He said, “Yeah, that’s you.” Wasn’t even angry, that was harder to hear, Used to walk round his house, now I pencil him in. And I love when the crowd takes the song from my mouth, Twenty thousand voices and the lights go out. For a minute, I’m where I always wanted to be. Then the lights come back. They’re waiting on me. [Chorus — full groove] Oh, I look good in the city lights, Got the whole room singing every line. I’m the man they all wanna be— Everybody gets a piece of me. Hands up high when the bass comes in, Big bright smile and I do that spin. Got a life I never thought I’d live, Nothing left that I haven’t given. [Bridge — exposed male a cappella] I don’t miss the bills we couldn’t pay. I don’t want to give the house away. I just want to sit on someone’s floor Without a picture proving I was there. Mum still calls me by my middle name. Still tells me when I’m talking strange. Last week she asked, “You happy, love?” I told her where the album was. [Pause.] That wasn’t what she asked. [Build — sample returns, rising drums] Keep the cameras rolling, I know where to stand. Someone fix the collar. Someone shake my hand. I had a song before the slogan, Had a voice before the deal. I want to sing a line tonight Without asking how to feel! [Final Chorus — explosive beat, raw belt, British voice] OH, I LOOK GOOD IN THE CITY LIGHTS! GOT THE WHOLE ROOM SINGING EVERY LINE! I’M THE MAN THEY ALL WANNA BE— SOMETIMES I WISH THEY’D LET ME LEAVE! Hands up high, let the bass come in! I know that boy’s in here somewhere! Before the suits, before the spin— I WANT TO HEAR HIM SING AGAIN! [Outro — pounding drums, jubilant harmonies] You should see me now! You should see me now! Just that Black kid from Brooklyn— I liked the way he laughed! Let me sing it how I wrote it! Let me have that feeling back! [Massive final hit. Silence.] [Spoken in my supplied British voice] Mum… Yeah. It’s me.
