‘Show Not Yourself Glad (At The Misfortune of Another)’ is the latest solo single from former Racer X and Mr Big guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert, taken from his forthcoming conceptual album, WROC, set for release on 27th February via Music Theories Recordings.
WROC is an abbreviation for Washington’s Rules Of Civility, and Gilbert has used America’s first president’s etiquette guide book as the basis for his work. Allegedly written when Washington was between 14 and 15, he appears to have taken notes liberally from one previously written by French Jesuits. Regardless, Gilbert was enthused to apply the 16th century guidelines for the “hyper-advanced social order of today’s world” into music.
“I’ve never in my life had such a good time writing songs,” the guitarist reflected. “I would look through the rules, sing them out loud and see which ones worked. Sometimes I’d have to flip something around or grab another rule for a bridge, but a lot of these songs are word for word.”
Discussing the new single in particular, he commented: “‘Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another’? This Washington rule is easier than it looks, as it doesn’t forbid you from feeling glad at an enemy’s misfortune. It just tells you not to show it!
“If you listen to this new song and my older song, ‘Enemies (In Jail)’, next to each other, they’ll likely cancel each other out, as their messages are pretty much the opposite of one another. In any case, enjoy the crazy chords, the sweeps in the slide solo, and the layered vocal harmonies. This song also contains a second possible New Year’s resolution: ‘Spit not in the fire.’ I predict 2026 will have much less spitting in fires. Happy New Year!”
‘Show Not Yourself Glad (At The Misfortune of Another) follows previous singles, ‘Go Not Thither’ and ‘If You Soak Bread In The Sauce’ taken from WROC.
The full track listing for the album is: ‘Keep Your Feet Firm And Even’, ‘Show Not Yourself Glad (At The Misfortune Of Another)’, ‘Maintain A Sweet And Cheerful Countenance’, ‘Go Not Thither’, ‘Orderly And Distinctly’, ‘If You Soak Bread In The Sauce’, ‘Let Thy Carriage’, ‘Speak Not Evil of the Absent’, ‘Turn Not Your Back (To Others)’, ‘Conscience Is The Most Certain Judge’, ‘Every Action Done in Company’, ‘Spark Of Celestial Fire’ and ‘George Washington Rules’.
The idea for the album came to Gilbert during the flight home from the last show of Mr Big‘s final tour, where the group bid farewell to a packed house at Tokyo’s Budokan Arena.
“I don’t know why it came into my head,” Gilbert shrugged. “But I love using lyrics to build melodies. I think I was looking for my own Bernie Taupin, who writes all the lyrics for Elton John. Neil Peart is another example, as he wrote the lyrics for Rush, while Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee composed the music. I wanted to find my own Bernie or Neil, because while lyric writing is something I’ve certainly done, it’s not really my favourite part of the process. So, I got George Washington to be my Bernie Taupin!”
You can check out the video for ‘Show Not Yourself Glad (At The Misfortune of Another)’ here at RAMzine.
