Lyrics!

There are three songs below. No….not recorded properly. I sang them, naively and with trepidation, into the iPad. They are revisits to old songs from the 1970s period. Currently, new songs are being deep dived with new lyrics. Inspiration for lyrics is a struggle currently though. Life is pretty mundane at the moment. In a gentle way, but nevertheless…….very mundane.

There is a time when the lyrics flow naturally. Then there are times when they really are, as said, a struggle. Currently, my lyrics are strangely maudlin. A new perspective is being sought. So I began to look at how I wrote back in the day. The 1970/80s younger me.

Before the song titles ‘Mistaken Identity’, ‘Audience’ and ‘Natural Lady’ (all audio bar available below) are the numbers 6, 3 and 7. On my iPad there is a recent set up file called ‘Songs and Ideas. New, Finished and Old’. The list goes from number 1 up to 46. Under each title of all the songs in that list are ‘experimental lyrics’. The ‘Finished’ songs have all the lyrics done and dusted. So. That is why numbers exist in front of the song titles below. I simply performed copy and paste from the file. Didn’t want to re type all the lyrics again for the blog.

As just said, the songs list on my iPad file includes brand new ideas, recent songs that have been finished and uploaded here to WordPress over the last year and a half…….and a few of my old, solo self written songs from the 1970/early 80s that have tunes I rather like. From the times I experienced with the bands Soft Ground, The XCerts and Team 23.

For example of updating a song. ‘Old Man’ was a song I wrote really early in my Soft Ground days. It was impossible for me to remember the true nature of the song and how we played it. I remembered a fair few lyrics. So rewrote the vibe. I think the tune is fairly close too. But it was fun to hark back to my early songwriting days and see where new ideas went.

I realise I keep repeating this, but all the instruments (electric and acoustic guitars and AKAI MIDI keyboards) and vocals are played by myself. I use only the GarageBand drums, choices in their templates library, and tweak them to fit the songs. I know there is a massive amount of songs out there with AI input nowadays. Never touched it. Never will.

New tunes are always initially fine to put a La, La, La sung vibe to. Then comes the difficult part of finding inspiration and writing lyrics that have to be developed from deep within the psyche. They have to have a ‘sense of style’. However! Not only in the new songs. If there is to be a consideration of revisiting old songs…then changing old lyrics is vital for updating. I’m 70 this year. No longer 18 years old and fluffy headed. 18 years was 52 years ago! I don’t pose on dance floors anymore.

I love the new sound of Faded Walls (below). And, as stated, my lyrics here in this song are a bit maudlin. I need lighter therapeutic lyrics really. Despite the lyrics, there is an intention to get the swirling echo musical sound vibe of Faded Walls into the old songs further below when recording them again. Try to get a more upbeat lyric vibe too.

Because I wrote a fair few XCerts songs on my own, I feel it would be nice to re-imagine them. Comparison study of today’s views on life.

Audience, Natural Lady, Mistaken Identity and Losing Out are four that I feel, with new lyrics, could definitely be fun to work with..

First. Mistaken Identity. Got a feeling I can update this with a ‘Faded Walls’ swirling echo sound vibe. I like the XCerts tempo. But feel it would benefit a slightly slower pace.

6. Mistaken Identity. (Summers).

Original lyrics. Stick to or change? Wait until I record it probably and see what the vibe is.

I need you

To prove my innocence

I’ve no alibi

It’s up to you

To make them see sense

Goodbye you

Hello me

Mistaken identity

We’re unified, unified, unified.

What’s his name?

Find out

What d’ya mean

It’s the same as mine

This ain’t no game

I’ve been sentenced to a life inside

Goodbye you, etc.

Second. Audience.

3. Audience. (Summers).

Lyrics? Need altering or tweaking! Maybe imagine the line written recently in the song ‘18 years was 50 years ago’. ‘Stop hiding in the corner in your tip-top hat. Dreaming your back on the stage’. So, maybe it would be interesting to go with a reflective vibe of what it would feel like to be before an ‘Audience’ nowadays.

Or, maybe the Audience could be myself in the mirror. Literally looking at myself in the mirror and reflecting on the changes seen. That has a very Frail Autumn theme vibe.

ORIGINAL LYRICS BELOW.

Audience,

Won’t you stay awhile

We could pose a little

Particularly if you like the sound…

The style,

Hey Man!

I’ve been watching you.

But have you been

Watching me.

Blurred images

With no direction

It’s like looking in the mirror

With no reflection

Coz when I’m down

I’ve gotta get up

And when I’m up

Stick around

If I’m trapped

Then I’ve gotta break free

How can you call yourselves my friend

There’s a million reasons

Why I disagree

Dancing (I’m still dancing)

Blowing kisses imaginary

And I’m laughing

And you would be laughing too

If you could see what I see

Hey Man

I’ve been watching you

But have you been watching me.

Thirdly. Natural Lady.

7. Natural Lady. (Summers).

Original lyrics. As I seem to remember I wrote in the XCerts. Cannot find an original recording however. Do I change the title and write a completely new theme? It would be nice to write about a lady with no airs or graces really. Naturally beautiful in spirit and style. Write to determine that this is a lady who is much older now and has still has grace in her character and personality. Again, the Frail Autumn vibe continues.

The La, La, type vibe in the audio gives a completely different opportunity to expand from the original lyrics below. Singing the lyrics below over the La, La sounds in the audio bar didn’t fit. Got a bit more flowery with my recent melody update. A bit more experimental than the original one I wrote.

You,

You make me so damn nervous

Time after time

No need to impress.

No fancy clothes.

No makeup

In your worn down shoes

You don’t fake it

To tell you the truth

You light up each

And every day.

And oh yeah

No two bit smile

Just that look of ‘okay?’

Gives you a pure sense

Of style.

You’ve got a head full of dreams

You’re a poet

You’re a life in tune

And you know it

To tell you the truth

You brighten up life

In each and every way.

It’ll never be over

It will never, ever end

We’ve had some good times

As lovers and friends.

Thought I would add this piece of messing about. I can’t play keyboards in all seriousness. One finger pushing down a note at a time type stuff. Bit like my typewriting skills. But tinkering about with background sounds in the songs can give a vibe. Give me something real is one of my new recently written songs. I’ve begun catching new songs as experiments on the Mac system now. Gives me a better idea of the whole promise that it could be a decent worthwhile pursuit of a song. Or a ‘Nah! Bin it’ one.

Also, song titles that fit Spring to Autumn can be added appropriately in each section. Maybe a Winter themed written song at the end of the ‘album’.