At the weekend I did something I've always wanted to do: I wrote and recorded some music.
I'm a massive music fan and I've grown up valuing the power and importance of music. I love it and I listen to it all the time. Pieces of magic that others have created. Some of it is throw-away pop (Shed Seven are massively under-rated); some of it is unbelievably crafted pieces of orchestral music (I can't get enough of John Barry and Philip Glass at the moment) while the pinnacle of all music - for me - is Pink Floyd. I've written a few times about Pink Floyd so I won't go off on one again, suffice to say the way their music is crafted transports me to a place. They met studying Architecture and I think you can hear that in the music, as it creates shapes and spaces and situations in your mind.
My love and adoration for Floyd has been one of the reasons I've never written anything. I'm used to hearing music that is unbelievably good, and I never wanted to even try and compare myself to it. And that's the key right there - comparing yourself to it.
In our industry there's a lot of emphasis on comparisons - comparing agencies with agencies; clients comparing their work with work from other clients; old target audiences with new target audiences; and all the back-end stuff that I despise - Planners comparing themselves to other Planners in the eternal game of one-upmanship. And do you know what? Most of it is meaningless, it takes time away from the real task in hand and it's a distraction to the ultimate goal.
So, I decided not to compare anything I create musically with anyone else. I figured if I continue to do that I'd never create any music and that's a silly reason not to create music.
Just be happy with what you create and forget about everyone else. Base your success on your efforts, not on the efforts of others.
So the tracks below are the first songs I've ever created. By usual standards they're not very good, but I'm very proud of them. I'm very proud of them because I've expressed myself in a new way.
Below are my virgin creations.
My friend Sel (lead singer and guitarist of a great North Eastern band) and I sat in his little studio last week and over several beers quickly crafted two short songs. I'm particularly happy with the lyrics (below the music) - they encapsulate what I was trying to say. Sel played the guitar and sorted the drums and I helped out with the bass and other bits and bobs.
Enjoy. If you don't enjoy, don't enjoy.
Working Title
(A song about the career trap; forgetting the real point of life and working harder and longer because that’s what the system dictates)
Over bridges, over ground, over worked, like everyone around,
you think you got it all sussed out.
Another day on your knees trying anything to please, you’re slowly fucking up,
you think you got it all sussed out.
And you come and you go,
and you always end up in the ground,
‘coz they know but don’t show,
there’s plenty more like you around.
Keep your eye on the prize for another slice of pie or another pair of shoes,
you think you got it all sussed out,
“Follow me it’s a treat!”
“Is there any more to see?”
“Another step to take…”
you think you got it all sussed out.
And you come and you go,
and you always end up on the ground,
‘coz they know but don’t show,
there’s plenty more like you around.
You, you think you got it all sussed out.
You, you think you got it all sussed out.
Part of the sum
(A song about the depressing predictability of the fast food industry thriving in working class areas)
It’s a dirty shame,
menu pre-ordained,
a dirty shame.
Just another day,
it’s a dirty shame,
that you’re living for.
Wrap it up; zip it up; give it up,
your part of the bargain’s done,
wrap it up; zip it up; live it up,
just another part of the sum.
It’s a dirty shame,
overflowing in the rain,
a dirty shame.
The gut is in the bin,
it’s a dirty shame,
all you can eat again.
It’s a dirty shame,
it’s not just you in pain,
a dirty shame.
Wrap it up; zip it up; give it up,
your part of the bargain’s done,
wrap it up; zip it up; live it up,
just another part of the sum.
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