The Speed of Love

Background and Commentary

“Neil takes another tack [from Alien Shore] on writing a love song here, this time demythologizing the whole notion of a love song.”—Robert Telleria, Merely Players

“‘The Speed of Love’ is kind of a mid-tempo, more sensitive rock song. That song probably took me the longest [of the pieces on Counterparts] to find just the right elements I wanted to have in the drum part. What made it a challenge is that I wanted the feel and the transitions between sections to be just right. I played that song over and over, refining it until I was satisfied. I don’t think the listener will hear all the work that went into that track.” (Modern Drummer)—Neil in Merely Players

“I just saw one of Frank Zappa’s last interviews the other day [this is in 1994], and he was talking about love songs, and the reason he would never write one is he thought they were essentially evil, and that they raise this imaginary ideal of a perfect relationship which doesn’t exist in reality. And ‘Speed of Love’ actually . . . is a song about love, about the subject of it. Again, demythologizing, debunking.” (Up Close)—Neil in Merely Players

Lyrics

Love is born with lightning bolts
Electro-magnetic force
Burning skin and fireworks
A storm on a raging course
Like a force of nature
Love can fade with the stars at dawn
Sometimes it takes all your strength
Just to keep holding on

At the speed of love
A radiance that travels
At the speed of love
My heart goes out to you

Love is born with solar flares
From two magnetic poles
It moves towards a higher plane
Where two halves make two wholes
Like a force of nature
Love shines in many forms
One night we are bathed in light
One day carried away in the storms

At the speed of love
Nothing changes faster
Than the speed of love
My heart goes out to you

We don’t have to talk
We don’t even have to touch
I can feel your presence
In the silence that we share
Got to keep moving
At the speed of love
Nothing changes faster
Than the speed of love
Got to keep on shining
At the speed of love
Nothing changes faster
Than the speed of love

At the speed of love
A radiance that travels
At the speed of love
My heart goes out to you

Tablature

Excerpted from Ultimate Guitar.

Chords:
F [xx3211]
Fsus2 [xx3011]
A [x022xx]
A# [x133xx]
A#sus2 [xx3311]
C [x355xx]

(Intro) The open G is not sounding 100% correct, but it’s the closest I got
|——-1————-|——1—————–|——-1————-|
|—–1—1—1—1—|——–1—1—1-1—–|—–1—1—1—1—|
|—0——-0—0—0-|—0——0—0—–3-2-|—0——-0—0—0-|
|-3——————-|-3———————-|-3——————-|
|———————|————————|———————|
|———————|————————|———————|

|——1——————-|
|——–1—1—1-1——-|
|—0——0—0—–3-2-0-|
|-3————————|
|————————–|
|————————–|

(Chorus Chords) Fsus2 A# C Fsus2 A# A

(Solo)
|———-|———-|———-|—————-|——-|—————-|
|-16-16-18-|-16\15—-|-15——-|-18-18-18-18-18-|——-|15————–|
|———-|——-17-|—-15-12-|—————-|-15-17-|—————-|
|———-|———-|———-|—————-|——-|———-15h17-|
|———-|———-|———-|—————-|——-|—-15h17——-|
|———-|———-|———-|—————-|——-|—————-|

w/ feedback
|———-|
|———-|
|———-|
|-vvvv-|
|———-|
|———-|

(Break Chords) Fsus2 A#sus2 Fsus2 F

(Bridge)
|——1h3p1—1!-1h3p1—1!-1h3p1—|
|————1———-1———-1-|
|—0——————————–|
|-3———————————-|
|————————————|
|————————————|

(Outro) w/ feedback
|—————|——-|———————|————-|———-|
|-18-18-18-18-18|—-15-|–15!–18–20——–|—-15-15—-|-18-18-18-|
|—————|-15—-|———————|-17——-15-|———-|
|—————|——-|———————|————-|———-|
|—————|——-|———————|————-|———-|
|—————|——-|———————|————-|———-|

|—————|——-|———–|————-|———-|———-|
|-18-18-18-18-18|—-15-|-15!-18-20-|—-15-15—-|-18-18-18-|——-15-|
|—————|-15—-|———–|-17——-15-|———-|-15-17—-|
|—————|——-|———–|————-|———-|———-|
|—————|——-|———–|————-|———-|———-|
|—————|——-|———–|————-|———-|———-|

Some dips w/ bar
|———-|———–|—-|
|–18–20–|–18vvvvv–|-18-|
|———-|———–|—-|
|———-|———–|—-|
|———-|———–|—-|
|———-|———–|—-|

For complete tab, go to Ultimate Guitar.