Have you ever done that thing where you have to copy an address someone has handwritten, but you can’t make a part of it out, so you just draw the shape of the word and hope the postman will figure it out? What I’m trying to say is, Making out the lyrics to Imagine It by Dirty Projectors is hard. A pair of Grado SR-60 headphones, state of the art (2002) audio software, several different recordings of the song - all these have helped in the production of a set of words undeniably similar to whatever it is Dave and the girls are singing. A marginally easier task was transcribing Dave and Amber’s twin guitar lines, a.k.a. the riff of the decade, into tab and orchestral score.
If you’re not familiar with Imagine It, or have only heard the Prince-plays-rubber-band version of it on the New Attitude EP, then I suggest you view the greatest YouTube clip there is or ever will be, then grab the Daytrotter session version of the song. Then email telling me all the notes and words I got wrong.
Lyrics to Imagine It by Dirty Projectors (on Useful Chamber lyrics page)
Imagine It by Dirty Projectors - guitar tab and score (pdf)
Postscript - if you’re a drummer, you might want to check out Billy’s YouTube channel, where he has posted clips of himself playing along with Useful Chamber, Temecula Sunrise and various other bands’ songs.