Tag Archives: songwriting

Masters of Song Fu – Update #11 – Bad Fish (The Song From ‘Jaws’)

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You must choose one of those 1970’s Williams-scored Spielberg/Lucas flicks (JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, 1941, or STAR WARS). and write “The Song From…” that the film never had, in the style of a 1970’s pop tune (particularly in your instrumentation).

And thus ended Song Fu…

Here is my final non-competitive effort. The instrumentation could have been a bit more lush and over-the-top, but I was running too short of time for such luxuries. The bassline is a bit more mundane than when I first recorded it, as it became the subtle reference I mentioned last time. Then I blew any subtlety away in the last few bars as the bass reveals itself much more blatantly – it’s super-corny, but I just couldn’t resist it. Sorry.

Click here to hear the song

I don’t know whether there are plans for another run of the Song Fu challenge and, if there are, whether I should re-apply. A couple of the deadlines have been pretty tight (usually due to being away with work), but I’ve got 4 new songs out of it of varying quality, with inspiration for a couple more. What do you reckon?

Anyway, here are the lyrics and chords:-

[verse 1]C              Gm7  My, what big teeth you have,          Am             FSaid the swimmer to the fish    C                    Gm7One drop (of blood) in a million    Am             FAnd she became the dish       C        Bb     Fmaj7   Fmaj7of the day.       C        Bb     Fmaj7   Fmaj7of the d   -    a   -  y.

[verse 2]The mayor of "Shark City" isA sceptic through and throughIgnoring the problem until itSwims up and bites youon the ass

[chorus]         C   FIt was a bad fish       Am               Gm7->BbLike a piscine Jack the Rip-per  C   FA bad fish Am           BbA giant psychopathic kipper Fmaj7 x4 bars

[verse 3]Swapping tales of scarsWith buddies and a drinkYou'll need a bigger boatThis one's going to sinkfairly soon

~Chorus~

[verse 4]You'd be a much more efficient killerIf you didn't have that tell-tale finAnd you could still be alive todayIf you'd swallowed that oxygenSmile you son of a bitch

~Chorus~

Fade out on Fmaj7

Masters of Song Fu – Update #10

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You must choose one of those 1970’s Williams-scored Spielberg/Lucas flicks (JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, 1941, or STAR WARS). and write “The Song From…” that the film never had, in the style of a 1970’s pop tune (particularly in your instrumentation).

The song is written, both music and lyrics, and is called “Bad Fish”. It has four verses, each one of which deals with a key scene in the movie, and a silly little chorus that’s somewhat scathing about the protagonist of the story.

There was nearly an accidental reference to ‘The Man in the Boat’, which would have been quite apt, but it interrupted the flow of the song, so it was left out. There is another subtle reference, though, which I’ll leave you to work out when you hear it.

The next step is to start the recording process and dig out suitable quantities of funky 70′s pop sounds…

Sharklore

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Great White Shark

I’ve got a few possible verses put together for the Song Fu challenge, though no music as yet, but my research into Jaws and the history of the film and book has given me inspiration for another new song. I did think about making it the challenge song, but it is a couple of steps away from the plot of the film and too serious to be done as a 70′s movie-pop song.

The off-shoot comes from the story told by one of the film’s characters, Quint, in a monologue not in the book and apparently substantially ad-libbed by actor Robert Shaw, about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during WWII. Having read some actual survivors’ accounts of the event, there’s a lot more to the story that resonates with the best and worst of human character. I’ll elaborate more about it soon, once the Song Fu song is done and dusted and I can concentrate on bringing the story threads together in a way that makes sense within a song.

Masters of Song Fu – Update #9

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The fourth and final challenge has been posted. The competition is now between the remaining challenger, Jason Morris, and the leading master, The Rifftones. The challenge is another genre-specific one, though the remit is a bit more limited than previous rounds:-

You must choose one of those 1970’s Williams-scored Spielberg/Lucas flicks (JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, 1941, or STAR WARS). and write “The Song From…” that the film never had, in the style of a 1970’s pop tune (particularly in your instrumentation).

I can think of a few possible options for this, but I think I’ll go for Jaws as the one with most scope for writing an interesting song about. Time to put the string synth to the test – cheesy orchestral washes coming right up…

Incidentally, I actually had a dream last night that I was attacked by a shark whilst swimming in Loch Lomond (which is freshwater and shark-free), defending myself by punching it on the nose (which apparently CAN work as an act of last resort). I don’t know what prompted that subject, as I’ve not been aware of shark-related news since this article caught my attention a couple of weeks ago, however it is too good a coincidence to ignore!

Masters of Song Fu – Update #8 – The Ballad of Rufus Amos Adams

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Your task is to write a country ballad – using a backstory of your own creation – called “The Ballad of Rufus Amos Adams“.

Here’s the song for Round 3 of the Song Fu challenge (you know, the one I was knocked out of at round 1):-

Click here for the song

For some background to the song and the additional challenge I set myself, see this post. It does include all the items I mentioned, including a wobbly theremin-pretending-to-be-a-pedal-steel-guitar solo. Having now listened to the other challengers I realise that there was no yodelling, but I don’t know that would sit very well in a ballad, plus it was not in my original list, so too bad.

Here are the lyrics and chords (non-Scottish readers – minor translations included – move your mouse over a word you don’t understand):-

[verse1]  G        G           C               GI left the farm in the morning, around 6G       G             D       DFed the cattle on the wayG                G         C          GHeaded South for Dallas to pick up my girlG                  G         D        D And that's when my life went astray.

[verse2 - same chords as v1 except last line]She was waitressin' in the Korean restaurantNoodles on poodles she'd serveWhen a truck, red 'n' green, with the name of Christine    G              D          G         GToo fast round the corner did swerve

[verse3]Gm                 Gm      Cm        CmWhat happened just then, I fail to recall       Gm       Gm           Dsus4    D7But my world it descended to Hell          Gm         Gm          Cm     CmThere was kimchi and shitzhu and bodily parts in    Gm         Gm              Dsus4    D7The rubble and dust where they fell

[verse4 - same chords as v3 except last line]I grabbed the truck driver and gave him a kickin'For killin' my sweetheart so swellBut she wasn't dead - she'd just banged her headGm          D7          Gm         GAnd I spent time in the Bar-L

[chorus]G                        CI'm known around here as Amos AdamsG                     DSometimes as Rufus or Hank       G                   CI'd consider it lucky if I lived in Kentucky  G                  DInstead of a village just West of Buckie          G                    CWhere the trains are sporadic, money is tight  G                       DA bottle of Talisker gets you through the night  G                   CI wish to God that my Mama, that sod,    G        D              G         GHad named me something like Shug.

[verse5 - same as v2]Let out of prison this Christmas just pastI hoped for a change in my luckWhen I got home she wrote, on a tiny wee note"I've left with the man and his truck"

[instrumental verse - same as v2]

[verse6 - same as v2]Now I'm only a jakey from a wee Scottish townBut my life's like a Johnny Cash songMy name isn't Sue, but Rufus will doI guess Nashville is where I belong

~Chorus~... Had named me something like Tam.... or named me something like Doug... or even something like Shug

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Masters of Song Fu – Update #7

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Your task is to write a country ballad – using a backstory of your own creation – called “The Ballad of Rufus Amos Adams“.

The song is now written, having walked around all week with a list of the requirements in my pocket and no idea how to get them all together. The answers came once I had the story behind the ballad, and the various items then all slotted into place fairly well.

It’s the story of a Scottish lad with a country and western name and the trouble that follows because of it – it sits somewhere between ‘A Boy Named Sue’ and Billy Connolly’s version of ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’. It features ALL the subjects required for the ‘perfect’ country song as well as a little reference to ‘Stobby‘. I’ll post the lyrics when the recording is complete, probably tomorrow night.

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Masters of Song Fu – Update #6

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The third challenge is up and ready to begin. They’re down to just two Masters and two Challengers now, with the final round approaching soon. The latest challenge is a bit of a stinker:-

Your task is to write a country ballad – using a backstory of your own creation – called “The Ballad of Rufus Amos Adams“.

To me this is a bit of a wide-open challenge – really the song could be about anything so long as Rufus is mentioned somewhere. Time for some self-imposed restrictions to get the brain something to grab onto, but what should they be? Country is not a musical genre I’m particularly familiar with beyond the ‘classics’, and have almost no experience writing anything in that vein. The possible exceptions to that being ‘The Middle Eastern Western’, which was just a country backing to some Gulf War (v1) and old cowboy film samples, and more recently ‘Stobby’, which has a bit of a country-rock sound to it in places.

So, what makes a good country song? 10 seconds googling gives us a list for the attributes required for the ‘perfect’ country song. They are as follows:-

  1. Clever lyrics (a pun, a joke, or a play on words, preferably in the title of the song)
  2. Regret
  3. A stalwart, but flawed, protagonist
  4. A pedal steel guitar
  5. Alcohol (of course)
  6. Reverence for the land, especially the South

Steve Goodman and John Prine also suggest:-

  1. Mama
  2. Trains
  3. Trucks
  4. Prison
  5. Gettin’ drunk
  6. Farms
  7. Dead dogs
  8. Christmas

Arguments about lists like this could rage for decades, but it seem like a good start based on the country songs I’m familiar with, so here’s my additional challenge:-

Include at least 10 of the subjects required for a perfect country song from the supplied list.

Of course, I will try to get them all in the song, but that might be just too much to ask!

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Masters of Song Fu – Update #5 – The C5 Shuffle

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Your challenge is to choose a famous inventor and craft a song proposing a “dance craze” based on either the inventor or one of his/her most well known inventions.

Just finished mixing this non-submission to Song Fu.

Here is a link to the song.

Sinclair C5 Press Photo

It’s called ‘The C5 Shuffle’ and the inventor in question is, of course, Sir Clive Sinclair. For those outside the UK or too young to remember, Sir Clive designed the best-selling home PC in the UK. It was pretty wretched, even for its own time, but was the door into computing for thousands. His follow-up invention was eagerly anticipated, but the battery-powered C5 was something of a failure, being both before its time and far from reliable or even practical. There are plenty of them still about, see here, but I think I’ve only ever seen one on the roads myself. From the way the vehicle is driven in the picture and the chorus of the song, it should be pretty clear how the dance works.

Here are the lyrics for the song, along with some chords for the musically inclined:-

[Verse1]GTrundling alongBSo close to the groundC3 wheels are spinning, butCmwhat's that clicking sound?

Watch out for the fumesRoundabouts are deadlyHills are out of boundsIn our electric pedalled medley

[chorus]      G            D  D7  Dm7We're gonna do the C5     C            G  G6 G       DIt's kinda like a three-wheeled jiveInvented by good old Sir CliveLet's take it for a MicrodriveAnd the Hoover motor might contriveTo get us all home alive

[Verse2]Arms close to your sidesGrab the handlebarsShoulders up and downWiggling your arseBattery's gone flatPedal for a whileNow get out and pushYou're dancing with such style

[chorus]We're gonna do the C5It's kinda like a three-wheeled jiveInvented by good old Sir CliveLet's take it for a MicrodriveAnd the Hoover motor might contriveTo get us all home alive

Gm                   F                       C2      Am7I've got used to the scornful looks from the passing carsGm                     F               Am7        C2and their comments and mocking tone so derisoryGm                             F                   C2         Am7But they'll be laughing on the other side of their facesGm                F         Am7           D              D(higher)In 10 short hours once I've recharged the battery

[Verse3]Arms close to your sidesGrab the handlebarsShoulders up and downWiggling your arseBattery's gone flatPedal for a whileNow get out and pushYou're dancing with such style

[chorus]We're gonna do the C5It's kinda like a three-wheeled jiveInvented by good old Sir CliveLet's take it for a MicrodriveAnd the Hoover motor might contriveTo get us all home alive

[alt chorus]We're gonna do the C5 (ah ah ah)It's a miracle we're stayin' alive We're gonna do the C5 (it's so delicious and moist)I dunno how we're still aliveWe're gonna do the C5 (we're heading for home)Let's hope we all arrive alive

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Masters of Song Fu – Update #4

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The second round of Song Fu has begun and the next challenge has been set. As expected, I didn’t make it through to the next round, but I’m planning on following through with each of the challenges anyway. It focuses the mind and sets an unbreakable deadline to create something new. So…

Your challenge is to choose a famous inventor and craft a song proposing a “dance craze” based on either the inventor or one of his/her most well known inventions.

This struck me as a much more interesting challenge than the first, as within the space of a minute of reading this challenge I had 3 ideas about subject matter, though it quickly became apparent that only one of those was really workable. I won’t reveal any more at this stage, though I’m pretty sure that it won’t be duplicated by those still in the competition as it has a bit of a UK bias. I will say that I have already got a first draft of the lyrics written, which I’m pretty happy with. Just need to work out some music to go with them and I can get stuck into recording.

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Masters of Song Fu – Update #3 – 100th Post!

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The final day of voting for round one is here, and I think I can safely say that it’s the end of the road for this song fu disciple as far as the official competition goes. I enjoyed the challenge, though the song is not a great piece of work – certainly it didn’t deserve to be in the top of the pile, though I did personally prefer it to a couple of others in the competition. Of course, my tastes are pretty far from normal songwriter fare, so I’ll not name names.

So thanks to those of you who voted for my efforts – 1% of the vote may not seem like a lot, but it means that almost 20 people thought my song was better than all the rest, which is fine by me. Or maybe I just got the ‘pity’ vote.

Whatever the reason, thanks, and you’ll maybe be pleased to hear that I’m planning on continuing to follow the challenges even though I’ll be out of the official competition. I think it’s a good way to keep flexing the old songwriting muscle and building up my Fu for the next time…?

100 Posts

Yes, this is the 100th post to this blog. I’m really pleased how far things have come since I kicked this off a couple of years ago. Thanks to those few of you who pop back for a visit now and again, and also to my family who put up with my musical meanderings.

Have we got a video?

There is now a video to accompany the song ‘Choices‘ from ‘Difficult Second‘. You can view it in miniature above or at the Lunacy Board site, or click here to see it on YouTube – please leave your comments and feel free to give it a nice high rating!

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