Song Stories: "Blindspot" by The Shambles

 Blindspot

(music: Bart Mendoza / lyrics: Bart Mendoza & Maya Morris)

Recorded by the Shambles at Blitz Recording Studios, San Diego, produced by Richard Livoni with the Shambles, 1996. Bart Mendoza (vocals, rhythm guitar), Kevin Ring (lead guitar), Mark Zadarnowski (bass), Bill Calhoun (keyboards), Brad Kiser (drums).

Originally released on the Shambles Clouds All Day (1996, US / Blindspot) with the U.S. edition on Blindspot Records and two editions in Spain on SNAP! Records. The same version of the song appears on the compilation album, Into the Jet Stream of Pop (Canada / Beautiful Music, 2004).

“That one has an interesting creation story,” said Mendoza. “The song title itself was inspired by the word in a Wire song, but the chorus and the part of the first verse came from my being late to meet a friend, Maya Morris, one night. She left, but not before writing a note about some relationship troubles she was having, which she taped to my TV’s screen. I took that note, reworked the wording, added some lines, wrote a tune and had the song pretty much overnight.” This led to further collaboration. “I really liked the way she phrased things, so I asked if she had other writing I could see. She did, which inspired a batch of other tunes”

“Blindspot” has been covered several times, including by Michigan dream pop group, Glowfriends, who also performed a live version of the song on San Diego TV station, KUSI, by Serbian group, Eva Braun, and by Los Angeles based mod / power pop trio, The Eddies. The song also provided the name for Mendoza’s Blindspot Records music label.