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It was around May 2003, when MuchMusic’s “Exposed” broadcasted a video from Michelle Branch’s studio sessions, apparently to create some buzz for her (then) upcoming album, “Hotel Paper”.

In it, Branch is heard singing an extract of a song called “Lay Me Down”. The clip was instantly adored by many fans, its short length (56 seconds) didn’t stop them from naming it a “favorite” and it had them anxiously waiting for the album’s release, so they could listen to the song in its entirety.

You can listen to the clip here.

(We don’t consider ourselves fans, but we’ve stumbled upon said clip just recently, and we must admit we liked it a lot; hence this post.)

Surprise

“Hotel Paper” was released on June 24, 2003; for reasons unbeknownst to humans till this very day, “Lay Me Down” wasn’t in it.

A Different Take

On November 4, 2004, Michelle Branch announced she would be teaming with Jessica Harp to form the band “The Wreckers“. A couple of months later, it was known that “Lay Me Down” would be included in the the Wreckers’ debut album (title ‘tk‘, probably dropping in March). Fears that the song would be re-recorded to suit the Wreckers’ country-esque style were confirmed 10 days ago, with the release of this video from the band’s studio sessions.

Crap (though, to be fair, many people like the new version too).

Producers, Producers

The original version of “Lay Me Down” was produced by Josh Abraham (credits), who did “One Of These Days” in Branch’s latest record.

The newest version is probably being produced by John Leventhal who’s in charge of the Wreckers’ album. Leventhal (bio – credits) did “Hotel Paper” and “It’s You” on Branch’s latest record.

Our Point Being?

As you’ve probably figured out by now, this means that the original version of “Lay Me Down” will probably never see the light of day. Isn’t it bad for such a great song to end up this way?

We thought so.

This is the Internet, the place where everything’s possible. I’m sure that someone out there has a friend who’s close to Josh Abraham, maybe works in his label (JAB Records), or –I dunno– is a close relative to Staind (or Korn).

Bug your contacts, see what you can find, help us unearth this great song. Email us with hints and tips (or the full version of the song, thankyou) – full anonymity is guaranteed if you wish so, and you’ll be our next best friend.

Alternatively, you can just leave a comment below.

UPDATE #1: Please read “Lay Me Down: Update + Call for Action“. Your help would be appreciated.

UPDATE #2: (March 27th, 2008) You can now listen to the original version in its entirety, in streaming mode from Michelle Branch’s official website. Click here for more.