Assignment 3: Writing Bridge w/a Partner, Part 1

People We'll Never Know (demo w_organ).mp3

"People We'll Never Know" was written and recorded sometime in 2007. It's a series of verses and a closing section, which I suppose I intended to be a repeated chorus originally. I did this recording at home with GarageBand. It could use a bridge as well as a new verse/chorus arrangement. Lyrics and chords follow.

People We'll Never Know

Verse: G / bm / em / D

End section: am / D / G / C x 2

I can't explain why I just took off my coat and slept

I slept through the whole damn day

woke up at 6 and checked the mirror and fixed my hair

I'm expected somewhere at 8

Changed my plans and called up Sam and I guess we'll drive

in the summer's fading light

The town's a bore but we'll explore all the countryside

where my favorite secrets hide

The roads are home to snow white horses and walls of stone

and people we'll never know

Tonight I'll spend

With a few good friends

Laughing at lovers we've had and

We'll have again

Assignment 2: Melodic Profile Study/Replication

what I wrote:

CLiMB iF YOU WiLL

run up the hill

don’t you trust anyone

till you sing

where the word of god won’t dull the sound

climb, if you will,

up this tree and we’ll reach

for the fruit

that will leave us stoned and bruised and lonely

free and lonely

touch, if you must

touch my face let me blush

hold my waist

spin the cloth into the fray

on repeat when I’m sixty-four

507,000 people lying side by side

1 ton of lava in their lungs

voltage in their digits

on the same high wire lullaby that conceived them

a million years ago

ah but you

and the slope of your back

and our flash in the pan-American relief

I’ll scrawl, if I may,

up your side

and I’ll shake down your hide

for to sleep without belief baby baby baby

come, if you will

come

canyons

die

Song:

“When It Began” – The Replacements, All Shook Down (1990)

• Verse starts low, ends high just before chorus. Chorus reinforces the upper register but does not push it further. The bridge is the interesting part. Makes use of minor 2^nd intervals, singer Paul Westerberg delivers highest note of song prior to final chorus.
• I’ve always been a huge fan of melodies in the major scale that leave out the minor 2^nd intervals, but I never really realized this song was doing it. Just another reason why I’ve found this song so appealing. I think I’ll try experimenting with this for my composition.
• The melody also has somewhat of a 2 steps forward 1 step back approach. It compensates for every ascension by going back down again. Definitely contributes to the feeling of yearning the song evokes.
• Overall a simple, but clever melody. Worth emulating.

Assignment 1: Cover Song

Cover: "Tell Me That It Isn't True" - Bob Dylan, Nashville Skyline (1969)

I considered a number of ideas before deciding on “Tell Me That It Isn’t True” off Bob Dylan’s unique 1969 Album, Nashville Skyline. It was difficult for me to find a song I truly loved, but was also willing to change. I played around with some Taylor Swift covers where I altered the lyrics but kept the melody and structure in an attempt to highlight the promise of a song otherwise obscured by it’s silly words, but didn’t find the exercise ultimately worthwhile. I also created a folk version of “Kids of the Black Hole” by 80’s punk legends Adolescents, which was interesting, but not satisfying to play. Finally I decided to cover my favorite songwriter and transform his foray into country into a prototype of my (arguably) favorite genre: power-pop. The Byrds performed a similar action to great success, particularly with their rendition of “My Back Pages,” which I consider one of the first great power-pop songs (alongside Beatles classics “Eight Days a Week” and “And Your Bird Can Sing”). The chords and melody in my version are essentially the same, with the exception of some minor flourishes that help it capture the power-pop feel. The key of the song has also been changed to F major to better suit my vocal range.