[110 BPM in the key of D minor, The track features a prominent arpeggiated synthesizer lead with a bright, digital timbre and a short decay, A clean electric guitar plays rhythmic, muted eighth-note patterns, The bass is a thick, analog-style synth bass playing a syncopated 16th-note pattern, Drums consist of a crisp electronic snare and a tight kick drum, Female vocals are processed with light compression and subtle doubling, A high-pitched, resonant synth lead enters during the instrumental breaks, performing a melodic hook with portamento, The arrangement uses gated reverb on the snare and wide stereo panning for the synth pads.] [Intro - telephone ringing, synth pulse] The telephone rang at a quarter to two, I almost ignored it, but somehow I knew. No number was showing, no name on the line, Just three little rings in the dead of the night. I lifted the receiver and waited for you, There was nothing but breathing, then somebody spoke. He said, "Do you remember the room by the sea?" I said, "There are thousands of rooms you could mean." He laughed very softly, then asked where I'd been. I looked at the clock and watched it turn green. I knew that old voice, though I couldn't say how, Some things disappear, but they don't disappear now. [Hook] Velvet telephone, calling through the night, Velvet telephone, keeping me awake. You can hide your number, you can hide your name, But you cannot hide the reason that you came. [Verse 2] He talked about Paris, the rain on the glass, A hotel in winter, a train we had passed. He remembered the dress that I wore that night, The one I had burned in the morning light. I said, "Tell me something that only you know." He answered, "You cried when you watched me go." For a moment the room seemed to turn into blue, And I knew that the stranger was somebody I knew. [Instrumental Break - synth sequence] The city was silent beneath my window, A taxi moved slowly through streets made of gold. I could have asked him to come to my door, But I knew that I didn't want yesterday anymore. [Bridge] "Why did you call me?" There was silence again. "I wanted to hear If your voice had changed." I smiled at the telephone, though he couldn't see. [Final Chorus] Velvet telephone, calling through the night, Velvet telephone, disappearing with the light. You can keep your secrets, you can keep your name, But you cannot bring the woman back again. Velvet telephone, the morning's on its way, Velvet telephone, I have nothing left to say. I put down the receiver, I turned out the light, And left the velvet telephone alone with the night. [Outro] Three little rings... Then nothing. The line went dead, and so did the past.
