Day 7 - Whew! Made It, Barely.

Wow! Busy week. Been listening to and reading about as many of my fellow songwriters as I can fit in. Some really beautiful material being created through this inspiring program.

I haven't posted my personal title, themes and first lines yet. Not sure I see the benefit. We'll see.

I began a new song for week 1. I was just completing the research (I often write songs that require research), when in my writing software, I noticed a song I started a couple of years ago. It's been bugging me ever since. This week challenged me to finish it, so I did.

This is a guitar/vocal scratch track with no processing (except for a limiter with dithering on the output), recorded using the electret condenser mic on my M-Audio Microtrack, and edited in Pro Tools. Not bad sound, considering.

I've embedded the Soundcloud track here, so viewers can read the lyrics as they listen, if they want to.

For ease of access, I'll also post it on the Challenge Blog and S.A.C. Challenge Facebook group page.

I don't write a lot of protest songs, but once and a while I get the urge. This one was inspired by the award winning video "Food Inc." by film maker Robert Kenner. Hope you like it.

Please Note: The widget works in some browsers but not in others, so just in case, here's the external link:

Soundcloud: Salt Of The Earth



Salt Of The Earth

Verse 1

He's a generation farmer, that's all he's ever known
Kept his loving wife and daughter, and a son who'll take the farm
Works the soil from dawn til dusk, blessed by God and sun and rain
He's never been the kind of man to go against the grain

Verse 2

On the wind the bad seed blew in, and grew amongst the good
Now the corporation's making threats against his livelihood
To the company thugs it's just another battle for control
They're trying to drive him under, they want to take his soul

Chorus 1

People say he's the salt of the earth
Just wants an honest dollar for a hard day's work
Now he's fighting to survive, for everything he's worth
Salt of the earth
Salt of the earth

Verse 3

His closest friend and neighbour for more than forty years
Went bankrupt fighting law suits, from those damned bioengineers
All he did was save his seed, for planting next year's crop
Some whining lap dog turned him in, now his life's a hatchet job

Chorus 2

People say he's the salt of the earth
Born with his sleeves rolled up, and his hands in the dirt
Now he's fighting to survive, for everything he's worth
Salt of the earth
Salt of the earth

Bridge

The lobbyists blindside the politicians
The corporations sabotage the law
While honest farmers sweat and bleed
This fight against the demon seed
Is win, lose or draw
Win, lose or draw

Chorus 3

People say he's the salt of the earth
A man as strong as his handshake, as good as his word
Now he's fighting to survive, for everything he's worth
Salt of the earth
Salt of the earth

Extro

Salt of the earth
Salt of the earth
He's the salt of the earth
Salt of the earth

(Repeat to fade)

(c) 2014 Wayne Rose

Day 2 - So Many Songwriters To Inspire Us All

Wanting to take Chris' assignment seriously, I spent a few hours last night looking up songs I remembered as impressing me, either for their titles, themes, or opening lines. Some difficult decisions.

Here are the nine I decided on, though the same exercise could come out differently a thousand times. I've included the names of the writers with each song. After all, for me at least, it's as important to know who wrote the song as who performed it:

Titles: 

1. Blue Bayou (Roy Orbison & John Melson)

2. Nowhere Man (John Lennon)

3. Someday (Alan Jackson & Jim McBride)

Themes: 

1. alcohol addiction (Whiskey Lullaby - Bill Anderson & Jon Randall)

2. pure unadulterated love (Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman - Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen, Robert Lange)

3. life is tough (Born Under A Bad Sign - Booker T. Jones & William Bell)

First Lines:

1.

"Turn down the lights, turn down the bed

Turn down these voices inside my head"

(I Can't Make You Love Me - Mike Reid & Allen Shamblin)

2.

"Well, if I had money, I tell ya what I'd do

I'd go downtown, buy a Mercury or two"

(Mercury Blues - K.C. Douglas & Robert Geddins)

3.

"On days like these, when the rain won't fall

And the sky is so dry, that even birds can't call

I can feel your tears disappearing in the air …"

(Days Like These - Janis Ian)

Interestingly, I keep an extensive list of song ideas, and guess what? Sometimes these ideas take the form of titles or hooks, sometimes a story or theme, and sometimes a few lines (though they don't always end up as the first lines of the song). Nice call, Chris!

Day 1 - Sheesh! I'm Late Already

Exhausted but still excited. Nearing the end of my first day of the S.A.C. Songwriting & Blogging Challenge 2014. It's Monday night, actually Tuesday around 2:00am.

Sunday night I pulled an all-nighter, revamping my website - still a ways to go on that. Then set up this blog, so I can follow the rules of the challenge. Like many of the participants, I need to make this happen, mainly to prove to myself I can.

I've been writing and playing music for most of my life. But I've never been really prolific, usually writing in fits and starts. Now I have no other career to distract me, wonderful support from my wife, and no excuse. It's time to buckle down.

A song a week, I can do this!

I read on the S.A.C. site that professionals write three to five songs a week. I don't doubt it. As an advertising copywriter in the late '60's, I used to write three to five print ads a week. And believe me, that's no mean feat. Contrary to what you might think, the quality standards in that business are very high, at least in the shops where I worked.

I'm new to blogging, so I'm not really sure what I should be talking about here. I'll just let it evolve.

I intend to listen to everyone's songs, and read their blogs, at least a few times each. I'm so impressed with the creative and technical ability of this group of songwriters, a few of whom I've met personally, but mostly not..

Intimidated might be a better word. But what the heck - you do the best you can, which is usually a lot better than you think it is. Yeah, I worked through Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way", twice. So I can get over the psych games I so often play with myself.

When I do, I'm really pumped to do this. I'm sure we all are. And I wish the very best success to all of you.

'Til next time ...