The motivation for “Turn Off the Tears”
came from his sister and the lyrical spark stemmed from his uncle, inspiring
Vân Scott to maximize both his production mastery and his vocal prowess. It’s true
of all songs, but particularly ones intended to motivate the listener – the
details hold the power to transform “entertaining” into “personal and stirring.”
Some details are readily apparent, such as the brief
reverberating burst (at 1:02) that definitively separates the chorus from the following
verse. Other details are subtle-yet-impactful, such as at 1:46, when the
vocals convert from lo-fi to high resolution after the first syllables of “Are
you gonna keep on crying your eyes out?” There isn’t an obvious explanation for the resolution shift, but its existence is effective.
Vân Scott is the performance moniker of Scott Oatley. The explanation of “Turn Off the Tears,” states:
“The song began as a request from Scott’s sister, Kayt, to help express ‘what it’s like to go through pain that no one else understands.’ Kayt’s life was put on pause in 2017 while she reeled from the setbacks and mental hurdles caused by a traumatic brain injury. After enduring 12 more concussions over the next 7 years, she managed to persevere through the darkest nights of the soul to once again ‘start living in the light,’ a heartfelt cry found in Scott’s chorus.”
The lyrics at the bottom of this post are
clear reflections of the sister’s request, particularly the first two verses. Regarding
the uncle’s role in the song:
“The title ‘Turn Off the Tears’ was inspired by a comically familiar phrase from Scott and Kayt’s childhood. Those same words were once shouted by their uncle to a car full of bickering cousins, quickly pacifying the whiney breakdowns that would erupt from the back seat. Scott, however, flips the nostalgic yet negative context of the phrase into a positive and uplifting mantra that wills oneself to persevere through life’s most trying times. According to Scott, it might be ‘the song that [Kayt] needed more than the song that she wanted. I hope that the song and the story behind it will be an encouragement to others who are struggling in their day-to-day lives to keep fighting and to never give up hope.’”
Once a demo singer for Maroon 5, Scott’s
voice and music has been featured in over 50 film and TV projects, including
blockbuster film soundtracks for La La Land, High School Musical 3, and SING,
and on hit TV shows like Black-ish, The Simpsons, and The Voice. He released
his first full-length album Almost Gone in 2021, featuring the single
"What's Coming Next?" that went on to become the Overall Grand Prize
Winner of the 2021 USA Songwriting Competition.
“Turn Off the Tears” by Vân Scott
“The song began as a request from Scott’s sister, Kayt, to help express ‘what it’s like to go through pain that no one else understands.’ Kayt’s life was put on pause in 2017 while she reeled from the setbacks and mental hurdles caused by a traumatic brain injury. After enduring 12 more concussions over the next 7 years, she managed to persevere through the darkest nights of the soul to once again ‘start living in the light,’ a heartfelt cry found in Scott’s chorus.”
“The title ‘Turn Off the Tears’ was inspired by a comically familiar phrase from Scott and Kayt’s childhood. Those same words were once shouted by their uncle to a car full of bickering cousins, quickly pacifying the whiney breakdowns that would erupt from the back seat. Scott, however, flips the nostalgic yet negative context of the phrase into a positive and uplifting mantra that wills oneself to persevere through life’s most trying times. According to Scott, it might be ‘the song that [Kayt] needed more than the song that she wanted. I hope that the song and the story behind it will be an encouragement to others who are struggling in their day-to-day lives to keep fighting and to never give up hope.’”
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VanScottMusic/
Website: https://www.vanscottmusic.com/
Bandcamp: https://vanscott.bandcamp.com/
Website: https://www.vanscottmusic.com/
Bandcamp: https://vanscott.bandcamp.com/
Lyrics of “Turn Off the Tears” by Vân Scott
Sun’s been hiding in shadows
Like a walk to the gallows
Without a friend by my side
There’s a million questions
And they all feel like weapons
‘Cause no one knows what it’s like
Every day feels the same again
Like I’m going under
All of my doubts come flooding in
How long till I
Turn off the tears
Stop running
Stop running from the fear
Start living
Start living in the light
You don’t have to hide
‘Cause the sky is clear
Oh, it’s time to
Turn off the tears
I remember when dreaming
Didn’t mean I was sleeping
I’ve kept my eyes closed for so long
Don’t know what I’ve been missing
But my entire existence
Is just a shell of what it was
Turn off the tears
Stop running
Stop running from the fear
Start living
Start living in the light
You don’t have to hide
‘Cause the sky is clear
Oh, it’s time to…
Are you gonna keep on crying your eyes out?
Are you gonna keep on crying your eyes out?
Are you gonna keep on crying
Keep on crying
Keep on crying your eyes out?
Turn off the tears
Stop running from the fear
Start living in the light
You don’t have to hide
‘Cause the sky is clear
Oh, it’s time to
Turn off the tears
Stop running
Stop running from the fear
Start living
Start living in the light
You don’t have to hide
‘Cause the sky is clear
Oh, it’s time to
Turn off the tears
Turn off the tears
Turn off the tears
Sun’s been hiding in shadows
Like a walk to the gallows
Without a friend by my side
There’s a million questions
And they all feel like weapons
‘Cause no one knows what it’s like
Every day feels the same again
Like I’m going under
All of my doubts come flooding in
How long till I
Turn off the tears
Stop running
Stop running from the fear
Start living
Start living in the light
You don’t have to hide
‘Cause the sky is clear
Oh, it’s time to
Turn off the tears
I remember when dreaming
Didn’t mean I was sleeping
I’ve kept my eyes closed for so long
Don’t know what I’ve been missing
But my entire existence
Is just a shell of what it was
Turn off the tears
Stop running
Stop running from the fear
Start living
Start living in the light
You don’t have to hide
‘Cause the sky is clear
Oh, it’s time to…
Are you gonna keep on crying your eyes out?
Are you gonna keep on crying your eyes out?
Are you gonna keep on crying
Keep on crying
Keep on crying your eyes out?
Turn off the tears
Stop running from the fear
Start living in the light
You don’t have to hide
‘Cause the sky is clear
Oh, it’s time to
Turn off the tears
Stop running
Stop running from the fear
Start living
Start living in the light
You don’t have to hide
‘Cause the sky is clear
Oh, it’s time to
Turn off the tears
Turn off the tears
Turn off the tears
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