Category Archives: Blog

Elvis Vegas Baby Interview (Frère Jacques Mix): 52 Songs In 52 Weeks — Song #34

“Elvis Vegas Baby Interview (Frère Jacques Mix)” is my 34th song in my songwriting challenge I call “52 Songs In 52 Weeks.”

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Q: Elvis, what’s it like to drive a sports car?
A: Man, it’s better than a fried peanut butter and ‘nana sammich

Q: And Elvis, what’s your favorite childhood song?
A: Frère Jacques

Q: And Elvis – one last question – what’s your favorite city?
A: Vegas, baby!

Reasons For The Fall: 52 Songs In 52 Weeks — Song #20

“Reasons For The Fall” is the 20th song in my songwriting challenge series “52 Songs In 52 Weeks,” where my goal is to write and record a song each week for a year. This song has a blues feel.

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It’s just a blank wall
Standing so tall
It seems to stretch on forever

Under pale skies
Never colored by sunrise
The wanderer’s memories fly
But they won’t flock together

Chorus
No, he can’t recall
All the reasons for the fall
Now he’s kept apart
From the place where healing starts, oh no

A flash of a cold room
One long afternoon
Where he signed all the papers

Then they all stood
Though he barely could
And he left that room running on vapors

Chorus
No, he can’t recall
All the reasons for the fall
Now he’s kept apart
From the place where healing starts, oh no
Oh no

Instrumental chorus
Outro

There’s More Time In Life (When You’re Making Time For Friends): 52 Songs In 52 Weeks — Song #18

“There’s More Time In Life (When You’re Making Time For Friends)” is the 18th song in my songwriting challenge series “52 Songs In 52 Weeks,” where my goal is to write and record a song each week for a year. This one has a bit of an Americana/Country feel.

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I’ll be traveling down the highway
If you don’t mind me dropping in
I’ve lost track of many friendships
Thought I should do some checking in

Chorus
Where’s the time in life?
There’s more time in life
When you’re making time for friends
Where’s the time in life?
There’s more time in life
When you’re making time for friends

Well I paid old Joe a visit
And his health was fading fast
We broke the bread, shared wine together
While we still could share a laugh

Chorus
Where’s the time in life?
There’s more time in life
When you’re making time for friends
Where’s the time in life?
There’s more time in life
When you’re making time for friends

The branches bare with winter
Make cobwebs for the spring
And I’ve set these wheels a rolling
Can you hear them as they sing?

Chorus
Where’s the time in life?
There’s more time in life
When you’re making time for friends
Where’s the time in life?
There’s more time in life
When you’re making time for friends

Solo

Chorus
Where’s the time in life?
There’s more time in life
When you’re making time for friends
Where’s the time in life?
There’s more time in life
When you’re making time for friends

Contrast Poem: 52 Songs In 52 Weeks — Song #17

Contrast started life as a poem. Then, I had the idea of using contrasting sounds, so I put it to music. Later, I got the idea of sampling my vocals and using them like drums. Needless to say, it’s a weird song. Enjoy.

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Contrast
As we must do
As we do
As we all crawl and all fly
Contrast

Just a symptom of the universal symphony
Just a nine-way’s slice of off and on and nowhere’s in between
Just gilded states of charged space, abrogation of fidelity, and concentration of such

Contrast

Spider webs and sunlight
Kisses and remembrances
Kisses after midnight

Altitude and attitude

Talking ’bout
Contrast

Just a symptom of the universal symphony

Contrast

Talking ’bout contrast
Contrast

Some crawl, some fly
Contrast

Set Yourself Free (Doing No Time): 52 Songs In 52 Weeks — Song #16

“Set Yourself Free (Doing No Time)” is the sixteenth song in my songwriting series 52 Songs In 52 Weeks. Hope you like it.

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Well, there ain’t no solution
When there ain’t no crime
If someone breaks your heart
They won’t be doing no time

If you build your own prison
Inside your own mind
Where the nights stretch out forever
And the keys you can’t find

Chorus
You’ve got to set yourself free
You’ve got to set yourself free
You’ve got to set yourself free
Well, you’ve got one life so live it
Don’t let them take and give it

Solo

When they’re not coming back
When they’ve run with all the money
When you’re all dressed in black
And the bees won’t make no honey

Chorus
You’ve got to set yourself free
You’ve got to set yourself free
You’ve got to set yourself free
Well, you’ve got one life so live it
Don’t let them take and give it

Bridge
Oh no no no no no
You’ve got to let them go
Let today be
The day you set yourself free

Chorus
You’ve got to set yourself free
You’ve got to set yourself free
You’ve got to set yourself free
Oh, you’ve got one life so live it
Don’t let them take and give it

Solo

Chorus
Set yourself free
You’ve got to set yourself free
Come on and set yourself free
You’ve got one life so live it
Don’t let them take and give it

Hermine (Halloween Mix) – 52 Songs In 52 Weeks— Song #15

Hermine is song number 15 in my series “52 Songs In 52 Weeks.” I started this song in September 2010, and really liked the intro, which has a My Bloody Valentine influence. The title comes from Tropical Storm Hermine — see information about Tropical Storm Hermine on Wikipedia — and the melody came to me as I walked through big rain drops resulting from the storm.

The original chorus and bridge — to the extent there was a bridge — didn’t take the song anywhere. So I messed around with the song off and on for years, and finally decided to change the feel completely in the chorus. I like the shift in the new chorus and the space in the new bridge. The new bridge wasn’t moving back naturally to the chorus, so I reintroduced the voice to prepare the listener for the shift back. Hope it works for ya. I finished recording the demo for Hermine on Halloween 2014. The demo is currently available as a free download.

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I’m So In Love (I Would Have Laughed Before): 52 Songs In 52 Weeks — Song #14

My fourteenth song in my series 52 Songs In 52 Weeks.  I hope you enjoy it.

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When they said love was forever
I didn’t know you then
Now when they say love is forever
I’m so glad I let you in

Chorus
Oh now I’m so in love
But I would have laughed before
Oh I — I’m in love
If someone had asked before
Oh now I’m so in love
But I would have laughed before
Oh I — I’m in love
I would have laughed before

Now we build our love together
We keep our word, it grows within

Chorus
Oh now I’m so in love
But I would have laughed before
Oh I — I’m in love
If someone had asked before
Oh now I’m so in love
But I would have laughed before
Oh I — I’m in love
I would have laughed before