SAC Challenge Week 3: “Wear Anything”

March 1, 2015 — Leave a comment

This week’s challenge was tough but I came up with a song early in the week.  I spent a day touching up the lyrics and recording a simple, quick demo of “Wear Anything”.

Kids love hats (so do grown ups) and idea is fairly obvious.  You can grow up to be who you want to be.  I will love you for who you are.

I’ve included two links to the demo.  The first is my original recording, the second features another SAC Challenge participant Mikalyn Hay.  I think the song is suited to a female vocal and she kindly agreed to sing a version of it for me.  Thanks Mikalyn and Michael!

Wear Anything

Who you gonna be-
Where you gonna go-
What kind of hat are you gonna wear?

A baseball cap-
A cowboy hat-
A pink beret or a derby

A panama-
A yamaka-
A black pork pie or a beanie

You can wear anything-
with that smile on your face

A tam o’shanter-
Just might be you-
Maybe a turban or a fez

A fruity hat-
Or a propeller cap-
Something crazy to make the news

You can wear anything-
with that smile on your face
You can wear what you want-
for me

Here’s the original demo.

 

Here’s the version in a different key featuring Mikalyn Hay.

 

SAC Challenge Week 3: Writing for Advertising

February 23, 2015 — Leave a comment

This week’s challenge comes from Heather Gardner, Music Supervisor for Vapour Music.  She wants us to write a 60 second spot that “captures the spirit of a child.”  She cautions us that it shouldn’t be emotional or “heart-stringy” but instead fun and quirky.  “Purely fun” is the exact phrase.  The lyrics need to speak to childhood (in a fun way).

A number of reference tracks are provided, including The White Stripes “We Are Gonna Be Friends“, “Mushaboom” by Feist, and Karen O’s “Where the Wild Things Are.”

We’ll also need to be able to slice the song into 15/30/60 second cutdowns.

This is a good challenge and I think I get the gist of it, having listened to the reference tracks.  My first impulse is to go minimalist, with a Jack Johnson vibe.  I have a riff and a few lyrics for a song about “hats”.  Yep, headgear.  Let’s see what happens.

SAC Challenge 2015: “Choose” now at demo stage!

February 20, 2015 — Leave a comment

I’ve been writing about the progress of my song “Choose” for the 2015 SAC Challenge.  Rob Wells has challenged us to write a pop song for a female vocalist and aimed at the teen market.  Oh, and keep it under 3:30.

This is outside my comfort zone but I’ve managed to cobble something together.  Thematically the lyrics centre on the idea of having “choices” and the girl wanting the boy to commit to choosing her.

I’m singing on the demo but clearly it would be better to have a female vocalist doing it (if anyone is interested I can provide the music bed).

The melody could be a bit stronger in my opinion but I’m happy with the overall results, especially given that at the beginning of the week I wasn’t sure if I was going to have anything at all to share.

It’s a simple chord progression all the way through (D/G/B/A) and relies on changes in the lyric phrasing to give it a sense of movement.  The song doesn’t have a bridge per se, although I stuck in a short break before returning to the chorus.

Apple loops are used for the rhythm tracks but I played the other synth parts that embellish it.  I also snuck a little bit of distorted guitar in the final section to give it some grit.

Here are the revised lyrics as sung on the demo.  A link to the song is below the lyrics.

Choose

When it comes to music-
you have to make a choice
do you like it straight or swing-
do you want to dance or sing

When it comes to movies-
you’ve got to make a choice
do you want to laugh or cry-
or do you like a thrill ride

When it comes to a lover’s test-
it’s multiple choice
it’s your voice
so what’s it gonna be boy-
A, B, C, or D

I know love is strong-
but if you wait too long
I’ll be gone before you know it

So you can make your move-
you know I will approve
and I’ll love you over and over again

Let’s not wait forever-
to be together
you don’t want to lose me-
it’s time to choose

When it comes to candy-
you have to make a choice
do you like it sticky sweet-
do you like to trick or treat

When it comes to fashion-
you’ve got to make a choice
do you go for Calvin Klein-
or any old design

When it comes to a lover’s test ….

[repeat chorus]

SAC Challenge: “Choose” verse development

February 18, 2015 — Leave a comment

Okay, so “choice” is the unifying theme that I’ve decided to use for the song “Choose”.  The chorus lyrics were shared in a previous post and in my last post I wrote about unifying themes for songs that use simple titles.

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far with the verses and a pre-chorus included.  I chopped it into short phrases because I can hear the lines being sung quickly with a 1/16 note pickup on the opening lines followed by 1/8 note rhythm.   I’m a bit uncertain with the pre-chorus, even though I like the reference to a multiple choice test.  Here we go…

“Choose”

Verse

When it comes to music-
you have to
make a choice
do you want it
straight or swing
do you want to
dance or sing

When it comes to movies-
you have to
make a choice
do you want to
laugh or cry-
or do you wanna
real thrill ride

Prechorus

When it comes to a lover’s test-
it’s multiple choice
it’s your voice
so what’s it gonna be boy?
A, B, C, or D

Chorus

It’s time to choose me-
you don’t want to lose me
not this time around

Our love is strong-
but if you wait too long-
I’ll be gone before you know it

You can make your move-
you know I’ll approve
I’ll love you over and over again

I can’t wait forever-
to be together
you don’t want to lose me-
it’s time to choose.

Verse

When it comes to candy-
you have to
make a choice
do you like it
sour or sweet-
do you like to
trick or treat

When it comes to fashion-
you gotta
make a choice
do you go for
Calvin Klein
or any old design

Prechorus

When it comes to a lover’s test-
it’s multiple choice
it’s your voice
so what’s it gonna be boy?
A, B, C, or D

Chorus

 

 

 

 

SAC Challenge: finding a unifying theme for the song

February 18, 2015 — Leave a comment

In my last post I shared the chorus for a song called “Choose.”  One thing I admire about the pop formula is how songwriters will establish a unified theme around a simple concept and play with it in the verse development.

Echosmith’s “Bright” is a love song that uses astronomical imagery as a unifying theme:

Did you see that shooting star tonight?
Were you dazzled by the same constellation?
Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me?
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right
‘Cause now I’m shining bright, so bright
Bright, so bright
Bright, so bright
And I get lost in your eyes tonight

This kind of writing takes a simple, everyday word or cliche and puts a new spin on it.  I love the ingenuity in it.

So, for “Choose” I’m working on the idea of choice as a thematic motif.  I’ve started to develop some verse ideas. I’ll share them in my next post.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39747297@N05/5230479916/in/photolist-8Yczsd-cbcCk3-7jNmHv-dipm3P-5FefTX-sKjX3-5Fixk1-bBUjs2-bCwEoZ-4qLmk2-ccHti1-bUswQr-2Nati-eALvw3-5bjaoE-dULRxt-boZz85-daMjCh-5FivxU-nfWQif-bEU9xB-evy1D8-78WDg-3f6kZz-bQ7zsp-5FefXP-ddus1V-dwHLRn-5FiwF3-3Ao8mS-9NCMZT-5EYCfm-cpXBxm-e48NRC-8h9176-bBUupB-jvie5t-jjWWL7-2BS8QV-2pvf6Z-4ZHLs3-5WnYcr-422k5w-63dWbv-fbyEfd-oJsYJa-bxN9YA-fSNt1b-dURTpS-3AEivQ

SAC Challenge Week 2: “Choose”

February 17, 2015 — Leave a comment

I’ve started work on this week’s challenge from Rob Wells.  It’s a doozy for a songwriter like me who has been targeting middle-aged listeners with lyrics that deal with the complexity of relationships later in life.

Rob wants us to write an explosive pop hit aimed at a much younger audience with a female vocalist in mind, so I’ve spent time on Songza listening to selections from the “Teen Pop” genre.  It’s such formulaic music but it’s impressive for how the songwriters can come up such interesting hooks and themes within such tight constraints.

I noticed quite a few songs are simple one-word titles, like “Shower” or “Bright” or “Style“.  It’s always interesting leading up to the chorus to discover what approach the songwriter has taken with the word.  “Shower” by Becky G., for instance, is a smitten girl so happy about the guy that she’s sings in the shower when she thinks about him.  It’s a great image and one that will resonate with the audience.

For my part, I’m going with the flow.  A one-word title: “Choose”  as in “choose me.”  It won’t win any Grammys but it’s a start.  And I’ve got a draft chorus for it too based on a series of rhyming couplets:

Baby, it’s time to choose me-
you don’t want to lose me
not this time around

Our love is strong-
but if you wait too long-
I’ll be gone before you know it

You can make your move-
you know I’ll approve
I’ll love you over and over again

I can’t wait forever-
to be together
you don’t want to lose me-
it’s time to choose.

It’s simple but if I can come up with a decent melody and hook, then it might work as a chorus.  The verses will need to add detail and colour but I’m thinking it needs to revolve around the theme of choice.  Maybe something along the lines of having so many choices to make, or something like that.  Any ideas, suggestions for my list of choices, are all welcome!

It turns out (of course) that David Guetta has a song of the same title which actually takes an opposite perspective to the lyrics I’ve written.  I could imagine the two songs setting up a counterpoint between two opposing perspectives.

Reflecting on SAC Challenge Week 1

February 16, 2015 — Leave a comment

The SAC Challenge opened with Matt Dusk’s pitch request.  I have to confess that it’s outside the style of writing I’ve been cultivating for the past year and therefore a bit out of my comfort zone.  I have listened to the reference tracks he offered and I began to play around with a title idea, with great input from some other songwriters participating in the challenge.

“Beautiful Freeze” is full of possibilities but if I’m going to develop it, I need to find a musical angle for it.  I’ve got the seed of an idea but not quite ready to record and share it yet.  I usually write with guitar, so working with piano puts me in a different zone, both musically and technically (i.e., not a strength).  However, I like the “icy” quality of a simple piano track and I’m playing with the chord progression

C … Csus4/F …  Am7 … G

C … Csus4/F … Gsus4 … C

And I’m going down tempo rather than up.  I’m working with the a phrase “Like the frost in the trees/it’s a beautiful freeze”. The image and phrasing needs to be stronger but I have to start somewhere.

I’m going to sit with it as the challenge continues and see where it might go.  I’m started to explore some collaborations with it too but that’s a challenge too when working online.  I hope to be able to continue to work on that as well.

 

SAC Challenge: developing “Beautiful Freeze”

February 11, 2015 — Leave a comment

Thanks to Jenny Sjolund for her suggestion in my previous post about working with song titles.  I offered the title “Beautiful Freeze”.

She pointed out we could take it in an ironic direction by suggesting a break up.  Instead of strobe light on a dance floor “freezing” her/his face at a moment in time, it’s a flash of lightning during a thunderstorm.

The couple is fighting during a storm and a break up is imminent.  But for that split moment, s/he sees a beautiful person that they fell in love with.  It’s tragic.  Thunderstorms are beautiful and dangerous at the same time.  Wind, rain, thunder.

Freeze is an ironic juxtaposition with the heat of summer and suggests love going cold in the middle of a heat wave.  There are plenty of emotional layers and images here to work with.

Could it work up tempo?  Or is it more down tempo?

Or, we just stick to a winter theme…

SAC Challenge: Object Writing

February 11, 2015 — Leave a comment

I’ve started object writing in the mornings as part of my routine during the Challenge.   This is Pat Pattison’s standby technique for developing writing that emphasizes sensuality (i.e., connecting to the senses).  Pattison is a well-known songwriting instructor at Berklee College of Music in Boston.  Among his most biggest champions is former student John Mayer.  By any measure, that’s a pretty good endorsement!

At five minutes a day, it’s amazing how the object writing exercise helps focus and hone my imagination.

Here’s a primer on object writing.  It’s also a good (and fast) way to generate more in-depth ideas for a song concept in early development, and move away from the most obvious stuff that comes to mind.

Working with a title

February 10, 2015 — 2 Comments

I’m playing with the phrase “Beautiful Freeze” as a possible title.  Check out this post on SAC about writing from titles.

I’ve done it before with my song “Two Nights in Toledo”, which I documented here in detail.  Maybe too much detail.

Anyway, what I love about titles is that they can go so many directions, especially if you resist the temptation to take the first idea that comes to mind.  Set that one aside and work to generate some other, less obvious themes.

I often search Flickr for visual images to help me imagine an idea.  Here’s something that comes up when I search for “Beautiful Freeze”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/26327184@N07/4492268156/in/photolist-9haCm8-9eBxpv-9hdvFU-9eBxpF-9eBxpB-7QUL6R-9hdvFG-9haCkP-4ED5rC-9haCke-9haCkv-9hdvFY-9haCkk-9eBxpM-9haCkV-9hdvFS-7QY2EQ-7QY3Pf-7QY4a3-7QULsR-pAsU8N-pSNbpg-acAunH-ndRTYm-4hDPgF-acAunt-ny2xPx-by2FzZ-9gw4e2-9fwCdr-k6FehL-dMDmEa-9pRMCk-9fwCPK-9fzKkA-dTUAhR-dmEuUb-5pzn1p-99nLPP-dYpByY-pJtycE-aNweDD-aNweDP-AGH4R-5Yx1G4-5RxQ3m-9fzEHw-iH33rb-5TWCYe-9fzDso

A moment frozen in time.  Both the photo and the ice can “freeze” a moment.  This makes me think about cameras and flashbulbs, strobes.  Maybe beautiful freeze is a moment on the dance floor when the girl (or boy) is “frozen” by the strobe light?  Captured for an instant in the midst of the music and the flow of everything.  You want to hold on to it, but it’s gone just as quick.

Maybe we have a premise for a song here… any takers?