Chords for Shawn James Interview | The Last Of Us 2 | Through the valley

[Cm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ How I got the [Ebm] song in the Last of Us 2 trailer _ [Ab] [Ebm] is, it was, it's actually kind of
crazy when I think about it.
I got an email from a person at Sony [D] PlayStation
_ and they were [E] very straightforward [Eb] and they said [Ab] we're interested in using this
song [B] for a project.
They didn't tell me [F] anything.
Not what project, not how it
would [Eb] be used, not _ [B] who would [F] do anything.
They said that someone was gonna cover
the song so they [Eb] wouldn't be [E] using [B] my version.
So that was like hmm,
interesting, [Eb] I wonder.
But they didn't tell me anything and they asked if I
would agree to it and _ [Gbm] you know at first I was I was thinking about it and it was
like _ well I kind of want to know what it's gonna be used in.
[B] But then I got a
little selfish and I was like well no matter what if Sony is gonna use this
with a video game, [Gbm] _
anything _ [Eb] I can get to help push the music forward it
would be really helpful and I know that they have a massive audience.
So I agreed
and it was kind of scary though because I didn't know what it would be, what
would happen, [B] what game, who was covering it, would they do a good job, would they
make it something strange.
So for two and a half [Gbm] years I didn't hear [Dbm] anything
about the project whatsoever and I was in the dark but I understand why.
[Gb] Because they got to keep it hush-hush. _
[Gbm] But they didn't tell me even.
So then I get an email the day [Dbm] before the PlayStation Experience [Bm] _ [E] release
where they released like information about the new games and [Dm] trailers and [G] the
same guy said [E] you should watch this tomorrow.
So I was like oh okay.
So I sat
through two hours of [Eb] watching it, tons of different games, and I was like man when
is this gonna [Bb] happen?
Because [E] I wasn't thinking about it but they typically
save the best for last and I didn't think much about it.
I really thought
that my [Eb] song was gonna be used [Abm] in, you wouldn't even notice it, [Eb] it'll be [Db] in the
background somewhere [Eb] as something was [E] happening and the people that really
listen they'll get it.
But I didn't think it would be that big of a deal.
And then when the trailer [G] started playing and I realized it was the Last
of Us sequel, it was just, my mind was blown again.
I did not expect it
whatsoever to be used so prominently in the game too and sung by Ellie.
Like that's crazy, that's ridiculous.
So [Abm] it blew [Cm] my mind and as soon as that
_ happened all my friends, everybody, they [Gm] just watch it because they love
PlayStation as well and [D] they were calling me like did you hear that your
song is in this?
And I was like yeah I just found out when you found
out.
[E] So it was it was kind of a surprise [Dm] but a beautiful [Cm] surprise [E]
[Cm] and it's
[Eb] helped me out immensely.
A [Gm] lot of people who wouldn't [Dm] have listened to
the music before found out [Gm] about it and they searched the back catalog and now
[G]
I have people [Eb] from all over the world _ listening to my [Ab] music from five years
ago to the new stuff to [G] everything.
And the beautiful thing about Through the
Valley is that I never really thought [D] anything would happen with it because
it's a very _ sad, [Gm] a bit dark, and kind of a depressing song.
And I [Eb] recorded it five
years ago in my [C] bedroom, this old 1930s house I was living in in Fayetteville,
_ Arkansas.
And the fact that [Gm] it's that song that you know turns out now to be
my most popular song is really validating as an artist for me because
now I [Ab] have this mind.
In the past I had [Eb] a mindset of okay it's probably gonna be
[N] something more catchy or something more happy or upbeat that people are gonna
like and now it's my dark sad stuff that's blown up so it's beautiful [F] for me
that means I can do [Ab] that and _ _ [F] be able [Gb] to _ _ [Ebm] get something out of it I guess. _
But [Bbm] _ [Gb] it's really beautiful and I found out later afterwards that
Neil Druckmann, the creative director at [Ebm] Naughty Dog, he was a fan and he [Db] was
the one that [Gb] chose that song because it lined up so [Db] well with [Eb] the emotion and
[Gb] kind of the darkness [Fm] and the feel of [Eb] The Last of Us game.
So when I found [Db] that out
it [Ebm] was, I bowed down.
I was like thank [Bbm] you so much for _ doing this for me
[Ebm] and his answer was you know thank you [Bbm] for making amazing music.
If _ _
[Eb] _ it
wouldn't have chosen [Bbm] that you know and it's inspiring to him the song just as
[Gb] much as what he's done is inspiring to me and [Ebm] helps me push things further than
I ever could get [Bbm] on my own so it's very beautiful. _
_ [Ebm] _ _ [Bbm] _ [Cm] I loved it yeah and that's something that she talked [Gb] about in the panel
is that at first she was trying to sing it like me [Cm] and kind of like very
perfectly and not perfectly but more like me [Eb] and then she had to go to a
vocal coach [Abm] that _ helped her create Ellie's singing [Fm] voice based on kind of
what she went through and the character she is [Ab] and would be and
kind of [E] create this voice for her [N] that's _ it's not her own voice, it is her own
voice but it's also different because she's kind of acting you know what I
mean.
So I _ thought the version was absolutely very good.
She killed it.
It was spot-on like the intimacy of it and kind of like there's a few
weakness [Eb] points where her voice cracks or [D] something but [E] it's [Eb] so [Abm] emotionally
beautifully done that I think she absolutely nailed it.
Absolutely. _ _ _
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