When I’m President

When I’m President sounds like an anthem that takes its time to grow. The track starts with a mellow groove, almost like a band rehearsal warming up, but at the one-minute-and-a-half mark it explodes into a chorus that grabs you and won’t let go. It’s not a song that hits you right away; instead, it wins you over with layers: first the drums and bass setting the rhythm, then the clean guitars weaving in with the backing vocals of Gary Cherone, and finally that solo by Nuno Bettencourt that seems to float above everything. The mix gives it an epic feel without losing the essence of hard rock, as if the song breathes in two tempos: the calm of the verses and the intensity of the chorus.

They recorded it in the United States, in the same year More Than Words catapulted them to stardom, but this isn’t a ballad. Here the focus is on raw sound and how the instruments converse with one another. Michael Wagener handled the mix and production, and the result has that clarity that makes every note count. Engineers Craig Doubet and Bob St. John captured the moment without overloading the channels, leaving room for Cherone’s voice to shine. It lasted four minutes and twenty-two seconds, but in that time there’s enough ideas packed in that nothing feels missing or superfluous.