Analyzing My Songs

How I Write A Song!

2011-03-29T15:02:00.001-05:00

Episode 10 of my YouTube series, "A Songwriter's Journey" discusses in detail how and the process of writing my new song "Expensive Zip Code"

Please leave a rating, comment and add this blog to those you follow!
All the best to you!
Dave Colvin

March 6th Writer's Round

2011-03-11T15:59:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday I had the pleasure to host the 6-7pm Writer's Round at The Listening Room Cafe in Nashville, TN -
We had a great enthusiastic crowd and a great time!

I created a playlist of the 5 songs I sang that evening if you'd like to see what the evening was like!

I have another one coming up in June and will let you know the time and date shortly!
Yours in Music! Dave

Co-Writing Songs!

2011-02-22T16:29:00.000-06:00

Episode 6 of my YouTube video series, "A Songwriter's Journey" discusses my two co-writing appointments from last week and how different yet successful both were!

Please leave a comment or rating!

We All Dream

2011-02-13T09:48:00.000-06:00

In Episode 5 I explain how I wrote a song specifically to submit to a TV advertisement through www.musicdealers.com - a website that provides a way for songwriters to submit for TV/Film opportunities!
Please comment and rate this post! Have a great day!
Dave

A Songwriter's Journey - Episode 4 - The Business Plan

2011-02-08T17:45:00.000-06:00

A Songwriter's Journey - Episode 4 details the business plan I have used the past 4 years to work towards getting my songs out there to be heard and shared with the world.
Please leave feedback , comments, or questions below!
Dave

A Songwriter's Journey - Episode 3 - How's Your Heart Today?

2011-02-03T14:56:00.001-06:00

Before we start on creating a Business Plan for the songwriter, I thought we'd take a quick recess to listen to a song - the real basis for what brings us here in the first place.

1st up "How's Your Heaart today?" inspired by Oprah's interview of Keith Urban.

Please leave a comment and rating!!
Dave

A Songwriter's Journey - Episode 2 - Arnybarn Music!

2011-02-01T16:04:00.000-06:00

Episode 2 is now available for viewing!

Today's topic: The origin of "Arnybarn Music"

New Internet TV Series "A Songwriter's Journey" with Dave Colvin

2011-01-29T10:32:00.000-06:00

Join me, Dave Colvin, as I chronicle my journey to share my original songs with the World!
Try out my new internet TV series on YouTube, "A Songwriter's Journey".
Each episode will discuss what I am doing on a daily basis to achieve this goal! It should be a lot of fun and mistakes will not be edited out so come on by and see where I'm going - not really too certain myself - which is fun too!

Thanks again for your support of my music!
Dave Colvin

Songwriter's brick wall getting higher?

2011-01-18T17:00:00.000-06:00

I have been kind of depressed since yesterday.
I pitch my songs to indie artists on a regular basis and rejection is just part of the process that one gets used to.

But, yesterday I received an email from someine I'd pitched a couple songs to. The artist was sending the email to the many writers who had submitted songs to be considered for inclusion in her project. In the email she thanked all the writers and told us how amazing our songs were.

However, her Producer had convinced her to only use her original songs on the CD. Now that is fine but she then goes on to state that she placed a listing in RowFax looking for songs because she didn't feel her original songs were strong enough.

So why would the producer try to convince her to not use outside writer's material? I can only think of one reason and that reason being money. These days with the demise of CD sales and folks illegally downloading MP3's on the internet, it is getting harder for the artist to make money. They used to get it from CD sales. So to scrape cash from wherever they can they are using original songs because at least they can earn royalties as the songwriter and if they own the publishing - those royalties as well. Even if the songs aren't good enough - they at least can save money by not paying the mechanical royalties that would be necessary if cutting a song written by others.

I totally understand their reasoning - it is why I set up my own Arnybarn Music publishing company back in 2006.

However, although I love performing and singing - I know I'm no Kenny Chesney or Darius Rucker - but I do try to write competitve songs that they might want to record. If more artists follow the direction this Indie artist I've been speaking of is taking, the brick wall songwriters must scale and overcome just got a lot higher.

Hence my depressive mood......8>(
Dave

Inspired by Keith Urban on Oprah - How's Your Heart Today?

2011-01-18T11:15:00.006-06:00

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were guests on the Oprah Winfrey show back in December. In the first segment, Keith told a story of when he and "Nick" first met. They really hit it off and then, although he still is not sure why, asked her a very personal question, "How's your heart?". He said he even isn't certain why he asked her that question but the great thing was her answer....she said, "It's open"

Well, being a songwriter and recognizing a great song story I immediately wrote both phrases down in my idea book and let the idea roll around in my head for a few days. Not long after, I sat down with my guitar and started playing a ballad chord progression. I sang, "How's Your Heart....Today?" Not sure why I added the "today" but it felt right for the song so I continued.

To make the story more universal I placed the characters by a shore walking and talking for hours.

The song sounds very John Denver-like to me as I sing it. I then performed the song at a Writer's Round here in Nashville at The Listening Room on Jan. 3rd - the song was very well received. I joked that I co-wrote it with Mr. Urban - maybe we'll get to meet someday?
The video link attached is a quick music video I made for the song with the images going from black and white to color symbolizing the change in the growing relationship.

Let me know what you think of "How's Your Heart Today?"

HOW'S YOUR HEART TODAY
(c) 2010 Dave Colvin

VERSE 1 HOW’S YOUR HEART TODAY?
IS IT OPEN? IS IT CLOSED?
THE MORE LOVE YOU LET IN
THE STRONGER YOUR HEART GROWS
THOUGH WE JUST MET
I FEEL LIKE I CAN ASK YOU ANYTHING
HOW’S YOUR HEART TODAY?
HOW’S YOUR HEART TODAY?

VERSE 2 HOW HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN?
IS IT HAPPY IS IT SAD
I HAVE BEEN MY OWN WORST ENEMY
TURNING THE GOOD IN LIFE TO BAD
I NEED SOMEONE STRONG TO GUIDE ME
SHOULD I LOSE MY WAY AGAIN
HOW HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN?
HOW HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN?

BRIDGE THEN WE TOOK A WALK ON DOWN BY THE SHORE
HOLDING HANDS – FEW WORDS WERE SPOKEN
BUT PRETTY SOON I KNEW WE’D BE SO MUCH MORE
WHEN YOU ANSWERED - YOUR HEART WAS OPEN ….

(instrumental)
VERSE 3 …. WE WALKED AND TALKED FOR HOURS
TILL IT WAS TIME TO HEAD ON BACK
THEN YOU TURNED TO ME TO ASK
YOU TURNED TO ME TO ASK…….

VERSE 1 HOW’S YOUR HEART TODAY?
IS IT OPEN? IS IT CLOSED?
THE MORE LOVE YOU LET IN
THE STRONGER YOUR HEART GROWS
THOUGH WE JUST MET
I FEEL LIKE I CAN ASK YOU ANYTHING
HOW’S YOUR HEART TODAY?
HOW’S YOUR HEART TODAY?
HOW’S YOUR HEART TODAY?

2011 Plan for Arnybarn Music!

2010-12-07T16:31:00.000-06:00

I've been working on my 2011 business plan for not only my songwriting but also for my publishing company, Arnybarn Music (BMI). One of the action plans is to use my existing blog site http://analyzingmysongs.blogspot.com/ to let you all join me on this journey of getting my songs shared with the world!

I will still share the "How" of my songwriting process, but also the daily and weekly ups and downs of trying to get these songs heard.

I will use the blog still as a journal but since I am not fond of typing, I will use Videos serving as a video journal so when a song of mine goes to the top - you will be right there with me!

Let me know if you have any ideas you would like to see on the blog site. I will let you know when the first new entry will be posted but until then please feel free to go there and read all the previous postings I have already made up through February of this year!

Let's have some fun with this!

:>)

Dave

Until I'm 83

2010-02-12T18:06:00.001-06:00

Until I'm 83 was written on 1974 on the same piano you can see in the attached video. It is a wonderful, beautiful Grand Upright built by Bradford & Sons estimated between 1890 and 1900.

It was a period of time before my wife and I started dating and loneliness was a major theme of most of my songs during that time. In fact I was actually working on a musical play based on teenage loneliness (a task now performed by Taylor Swift!). The musical included another song I wrote from a poem my brother penned called "Alone Is Never Quite Real". Unfortunately for the musical, my future wife and I started dating and the musical never was completed!
It was a time when I used metaphor which now is frowned upon in lyrics but I still admire songs that use that usage of storytelling because it makes the listener think a little. Today, if you don't spell it out plain and simple your song doesn't make it - so it appears.

So I used "Tears are the legs of the actor, pain is the blood of the poet" to show the loneliness we all endure at one time or the other. Now when I sing the song I get tilted heads indicating "What??"

At age 18 when the song was written, 83 seemed like such a long way off! Now it appears ever so close at age 54 and the song seems dated. Yet the theme remains, just changed by the times we live in.

I hope you all enjoy "Until I'm 83"!
Dave

My first "VLOG"

2010-02-03T15:49:00.000-06:00

Last May I thought I would try something new in discussing "HOW" I write my songs so I got on my iMac and did a video log, a VLOG, of my discussing the writing process for my song, Place Of Gratitude!
The song is playing in the background, but if you want to hear it without the video go to "PLACE OF GRATITUDE"
following that link also gives you the lyrics and a chance to become a fan of mine on Reverbnation!

Please comment and let me know if you enjoy this method of talking about the songwriting process rather thean all text! I appreciate your feedback!
Dave

Place of Gratitude video:

Pitching Songs in Nashville

2010-02-01T17:17:00.000-06:00

Because of a few amateur songwriters who have sued the Major record labels (RCA, SONY etc) for "stealing" songs the songwriter's may have mailed unsolicited to the companies, the majors created a barrier only allowing known publishers, songpluggers and lawyers to submit songs.

Sad but true - a few bad apples DID spoil it for the rest.

But it mostly is about relationships here in Nashville. Getting to know artists and powers that be! I've been working hard the past 3 years doing just that.
I have a well known guy who pitches my songs to the majors - a little of an expense for me but worth it.

Also, I use a "Tip sheet", RowFax, and pitch songs myself to the smaller labels BUT ONLY after contacting them first to get permission - that is VERY important!! Each listing in RowFax will have the contact name or email address for the project. A simple email stating I saw the listing and request permission to submit no more than three songs for them to consider for their current project. They usually will say yes to submit and usually are nice enough to let me know the result (pass or keep the song to listen again later).

Occasionally I will follow up if I've not heard back after one month at the very least - maybe two months. These are very busy people and my little submission is not the first thing on their priority list!

In all correspondence THANK THEM for their time and consideration of your material! It may seem like a little thing but courtesy is SO important! It is part of building these relationships!

I keep a listing in a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet of the date, contact name, artist project, song(s) submitted and notes regarding any feedback, comments I may have received. This helps me to not accidentally duplicate a submission and appear to be rude or unprofessional!

Is it frustrating? Sure, but I believe in my music and want to share it with everyone so it is part of the process for me!!

Believe, persist and eventually you will succeed!

I Love Our Life

2009-06-22T12:23:00.002-05:00

Thought I'd take a few minutes to go over the process of how a song I wrote just two weeks ago is already pro-demoed and being pitched by my songplugger here in Nashville.
Recently, I was experimenting on my iMac in Garageband with different loops and tracks. It seemed evrything i tried complimented the other tracks and before i knew it I had an intro, verse and chorus. The wonderful thing about computer composing is you can then copy/paste and suddenly you have 3 verses and choruses. It took an hour or so though to find an appropriate sound for the bridge. A mandolin and acoustic guitar track filled the need.As I was putting this all together, I kept humming a melody to the tracks - I used GB's piano/keyboard interface and created a melody line using one of the organ voice sounds available but I was playing the notes on the computer keyboard.
But,what about lyrics? I try to always jot ideas down in a notebook or on my laptop. I had a lyric I'd written back in January titles "How I Love Life" - I'd forgotten completely about it - but as usually happens, in reviewing the lyric 4 months later - it sucked. But I liked the title.I couldn't get "How I Love Life" to roll off the tongue easy and at one point I just sang... "I Love Our Life"... those light bulbs went off all over the place.
With that title the lyrics seemed to complete themselvesBut again the hard part was the bridge - what do I say that's different yet ties everything together? In the versesI tried to convey movemnt through life - two people (tried to be gender neutral) loving each other for a long time sharing life's experiences. So it became simple - the bridge was "Side by side - Hand in hand" which flows into verse 3 that's is about moving on together into the next plane of existence.
So, I laid the vocal down and the song was finished in about 4 hours. I knew I had something when my wife heard it and was humming it 10 minutes later after hearing it.I emailed the song to my cousin, Bryan who is also a songwriter. One of his suggestions was to add to the vocals in the chorus - he was right so the repeating echoes were added (later leading to the duet possibility).
I normally send my songs to my songplugger, Chris Keaton, after they've been studio demoed but I wasn't sure if I had something worthy to spend my unemployment check on (smile).... I emailed my demo to Chris who emailed back that the song really worked for him and with it's universal appeal should be very pitchable. My wife had mentioned she thought it sounded like it could be a duet - that had not occurred to me but it reviewing it I saw the same thing.I sent my tracks to my favorite demo producer, Kent Goodson, who got a male and female to sing the duet. After some tweeking we got the sound to work. Normally you can write key transitions in but since I'd made the tracks in my key they had to really work around that but they did!So the first song on my player http://www.reverbnation.com/davecolvin is the song now being pitched just shortly after it was created called...I LOVE OUR LIFE -
Thought you'd enjoy the process of creating this particular song - not really my usual way of writing, but it worked so that's all that matters!
Best to all
Dave

You Are Living On

2009-01-24T16:53:00.003-06:00

Tribute to my late Father-in-law, Al Butts with a song I wrote for all who suffer loss of a loved one in their lives.
It has been an idea in my head since the passing of my parents 3 years ago. After Al died it all came together.
I woke one morning with the phrase "You Live On" ... but somehow I just couldn't get that to fit musically as a lyric. So it developed into "You are living on..."
A good deal of the song came on my first sit down at the piano but I let it perculate for a week or so and got rid of some of the rough edges (like "stilled those lively bones...")
Here are the final lyrics:
VERSE 1
JUST THE OTHER EVENING WE WERE TALKING ON THE PHONE
YOUR ADVICE WAS SURE AND STEADY BUT YOUR VOICE WAS NOT AS STRONG
ILLNESS SEEMS TO NOW HAVE CLAIMED YOU
HEAVEN’S CALLED YOU TO COME HOME
YET WE KNOW YOU HAVE NOT LEFT US ALL ALONE
CHORUS
YOU ARE LIVING ON IN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO LOVE YOU
YOU ARE LIVING ON IN ALL THE LIVES YOU HAVE TOUCHED
DEATH IS NOT AN ENDING THOUGH PHYSICALLY YOU’RE GONE
YOU ARE LIVING ON – YOU ARE LIVING ON
VERSE 2
THE NEWS OF YOUR LEAVING USCAME AS QUITE A SHOCK
EVEN WHEN IT IS EXPECTED
WE WANT MORE TIME ON THAT CLOCK
NOW WE GATHER ALL TOGETHER
LEANING ON EACH OTHER’S LOVE
KNOWING YOU ARE WATCHING US FROM ABOVE
CHORUS
YOU ARE LIVING ON IN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO LOVE YOU
YOU ARE LIVING ON IN ALL THE LIVES YOU HAVE TOUCHED
DEATH IS NOT AN ENDING THOUGH PHYSICALLY YOU’RE GONE
YOU ARE LIVING ON – YOU ARE LIVING ON – YOU ARE LIVING ON

Demo was produced by Digitracks Demo Service.
Sung by Anita Anderson and fiddle by The Fiddle Queen;........

I made a tribute video here:

You Are Living On

Kentucky He made Sense of it all analysis

2007-12-02T14:41:00.001-06:00

Here are the lyrics from when I originally wrote the song back in 1990;

VERSE 1 YES, HE WAS CALLED KENTUCKY
CAUSE HE CALLED THAT STATE HIS HOME
SAILORS TOOK TO NICKNAMING FROM WHEREVER THEY DID ROAM
THE WAR IT BROUGHT A BATTLE
KENTUCKY’S SHIP WAS DOWN
HE SWAM THROUGH THE WATERS TILL THE OTHER SIX AND HE
WERE FINALLY FOUND

CHORUS HE MADE SENSE OF IT ALL
THE DYING AND THE LIVING
THE DUTY AND ITS CALL HE MADE SENSE OF IT ALL
HE MADE SENSE OF IT ALL

VERSE 2 THEN HE LEFT KENTUCKY MOVING ONTO THE MIDWEST
GIVEN SPACE IN A FACTORY PAINTING TRACTORS AT HIS BEST
THE WAR NOW WAS 8 TO 5, HE TENDED BAR AFTER DARK
SOMEHOW HE TAUGHT HIS KIDS TO STRIVE AND BELIEVE
THEIR LIVES WERE MORE THAN JUST A LARK

CHORUS HE MADE SENSE OF IT ALL…
BRIDGE HE DREAMS OF SAILING OUT ON THE SEA
IN A SHIP OF HIS OWN HE FEELS SO FREE
AND IN HIS FACE HE FEELS THE OCEAN BREEZE
IN A SHIP THAT HE WOULD CALL KENTUCKY

VERSE 3 NOW KENTUCKY’S IN HIS SEVENTIES
THE CHILDREN ARE GROWN AND GONE
BUT HIS GOLF GAME’S IN THE NINETIES
AND HE STILL GOES HOME TO THE WOMAN HE’S LOVED FOR SO LONG
alternate line…..(HE STILL GOES TO GIVE HIS STRENGTH TO OUR MOM)
CHORUS HE MADE SENSE OF IT ALL….
TAG FINALLY IT MAKES SENSE TO ME – KENTUCKY - KENTUCKY

I was taking songwriting classes taught by Jack Segal when we lived in California.

As I explain in the video in the previous blog, as part of the class, someone brought in James Taylor's "Millworker" for us to pick apart and analyze.
Afterward I just said out loud, "Man. I wish I could write a song like James Taylor...."
Upon which Jack responded, "Well, Dave, why don't you?"

That is one of the most POWERFUL questions I've ever been asked in my life -

What Jack was saying was that we ALL have talent within us - we just get in the way with our lack of belief and acceptance of allowing the creativity of the universe to flow through us.

I stayed up all night that night in 1990 and wrote about a subject I know - my Father! Writing about what you know is also a good thing to understand about songwriting. Coming from a small city in central Illinois it would be hard for me to write knowledgeably about the inner city life of New York - for example.

Jack liked the song but had some "suggestions". He thought I used "Kentucky" in too many different ways - Dad's nickname, his home, his boat.
I actually thought about that a lot when writing the song and intentionally did that -
Why, because Kentucky influenced my Dad's entire life to some degree - not just one segment.

I also originally had the last line of the 3rd verse refer to him going home each day to our Mom. When I started to pitch he song professionally, it became necessary to change that line to the one you hear in the video below - "He still goes home to the woman he's loved for so long"

But the fascinating part to me is the tag line - for 16 years it was "Finally it makes sense to me - Kentucky...." It was my way of saying I was finally understanding Dad's life and the decisions he made.
BUT - it always bothered me.

Then when I was getting ready last spring to go into the studio to cut it for my latest CD. "HOME" - I was rehearsing it and out popped "Someday I hope that I can be.... like Kentucky..."
PERFECT!! It felt right and also makes it easier to pitch to other artist to possible record.

The song actually was the 2nd song I wrote on the subject, but "Kentucky In Me" while more pitch able for radio, didn't quite tell the story like I wanted to tell it.

I'm pitching both these days.

Next up - not one of my songs but a discussion on "wordy" songs OR songs with less than 30 words in the lyric - which is best?

But please let me know what you think of Kentucky, He Made Sense Of It All -

Until next time
arnybarn

Kentucky, He Made Sense of it All 2007

2007-11-19T21:13:00.000-06:00

OK - I promised to analyze the lyric but I got to thinking it would be a better learning experience for you to see the NEW version of the song 2 years after the video from the last post -

I WILL talk about the lyrics next time but see if you can tell the subtle but significant changes I made to the song that took some 17 years to fall into place.....

The same song from 9/29/07 - Kentucky, He Made Sense of it All.....

arnybarn

Kentucky, He Made Sense of it All

2007-11-19T19:29:00.000-06:00

Several years ago after taking a songwriting class with famed songwriter, Jack Segal, I wrote a song about my Dad called "Kentucky, He Made Sense of it All". Before I break it down for you, watch this video from my 50th birthday party where I explain the genesis of the song's creation and content.

In the next post, Ill explain why I used the phrasing and the melody in the manner I chose.
All the best!
Arnybarn

Wishing It Was April Again

2007-11-12T12:46:00.000-06:00

In 1975 at the ripe old age 0f 20 I wrote a song about heartbreak and desire called Wishing It Was April Again.
Here it is at a recent performance;

Lyrics:
Verse 1 DEAD LEAVES
IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AUTUMN
SITTING ON THIS BENCH
STARING AT THAT COLD NOVEMBER SUN

Chorus WISHING IT WAS APRIL AGAIN
WISHING IT WAS APRIL AGAIN

Verse 2 SNOW BOUND
STUCK INSIDE SO WARM AND COZY
LOOKING AT THE SNOW
PEOPLE’S FACES ARE THE COLOR OF ROSES

Chorus WISHING IT WAS APRIL AGAIN
WISHING IT WAS APRIL AGAIN
WISHING IT WAS APRIL AGAIN
WISHING IT WAS APRIL AGAIN

Bridge BUILDING CHARACTER AFTER ALL THOSE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
MAKES IT ALL WORTH IT
ANOTHER MORNING COMES AND
WINTER HAS TURNED INTO

Verse3 APRIL DAYS
YEARS ADD UP CONSECUTIVELY
EVERYTHING IS GREEN
BUT I’M STILL ALL ALONE

Chorus WISHING SHE WAS HERE AGAIN
WISHING SHE WAS HERE AGAIN
WISHING IT WAS APRIL AGAIN
WISHING IT WAS APRIL
WISHING IT WAS APRIL- OH
WISHING IT WAS APRIL AGAIN

The song has changed over the years but what you hear and see is 95% the way I wrote it 32 years ago. I was somewhat proud to be able to get the word "consecutively" to fit nicely into the lyric as well.

In discussing the opening grabbing line - I went back and forth about "Dead Leaves...." I often thought maybe I should say "fallen Leaves" but Dead Leaves gives more of the loneliness and emotion I was feeling when I wrote the song so I kept it in.

One lyrical tool songwriters use to denote passing time is either the calendar (Calendar Girls by Neil Sedaca or I just called to say I loved you by Stevie Wonder) or to count down numbers....
I chose to use the seasons to describe the passing of time and loneliness - a technique I would borrow 30 years later in a song called "Gently Falls" (to be analyzed later)

The song is not about a girl named April - however I attempted to write it so that impression could be made. It indeed is about losing love in the month of April - and wishing I could go back in time.

In the bridge I try to rationalize what has happened and how the loneliness makes me stronger only to find out winter has passed and it is almost a year later.....

Though this has always been a personal favorite song of mine I have been pleasantly surprised at the audience response to it when I perform it in public.

Let me know what you think of "Wishing It Was April Again"!
All the best
Arnybarn

Song of the Year nod

2007-11-10T15:51:00.000-06:00

I just received notice that "Change The Way" made "Suggested Artisis" in the Song of The Year Contest for the month of September!!
Go to this link to see my name posted!

http://www.songoftheyear.com/winners/2007/sept2007/sepsug.htm

Cool!
Dave

Change The Way analysis

2007-11-07T13:29:00.000-06:00

When I lived in California in the late 80's and early 90's, I took songwriting classes from Jack Segal, who wrote Scarlet Ribbons and When Sunny Gets Blue, and Jason Blume who wrote Change My Mind made famous by John Berry.
Both of them emphasized that the opening line HAS to grab the listeners attention.
Change The Way (To hear song go to MySpace at) http://www.myspace.com/arnybarn

So for Change The Way I used

YOU DON’T WANT TO OPEN YOUR EYES
AS THE SUN RISES UP IN THE MORNING SKY

What I was shooting for was to have something more than "you don't want to get out of bed because life sucks......"

Another tool I used to set the tone was to use the minor chord for the verse beginning. The song is written in the key of G - which I tease with in the opening intro musical section. Then I slide into Em for the verse to give a down feeling.

I went back and forth on using "sky" to rhyme with "eyes" rather than "skies" - The near rhyme seems to work but I'd have no trouble if an artist felt more comfortable using "skies"

The 2nd half of the verse continues the theme of life getting to the subject....
BILLS TO PAY AND THEY’VE CUT OFF YOUR PHONE
IN THIS CROWDED WORLD YOU FEEL ALL ALONE

For the last line I take myself out of the Em riff and move myself up to D major to springboard in to the chorus which being in G Major has a very positive feel to go along with the theme of the lyric now....

Chorus
CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS
AND THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT CHANGE
CHANGE THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE
AND THE LIFE YOU LIVE WILL CHANGE
IT’S JUST YOUR THOUGHTS YOU NEED TO REARRANGE
MAKE WAY FOR CHANGE AND CHANGE THE WAY

This is the message of the song and the music is written to convey positive upbeat hope! I've performed this several times now and by the time I get to the 3rd line, people are clapping along rhythmically - it's great!

So for verse two, I need to continue the story - the subject obviously got up and went to work but in his mood things still got worse and he'd rather be back home in bed.

THE BOSS IS MAD CAUSE YOU’RE LATE AGAIN
NO MATTER WHAT WELL YOU JUST CAN’T WIN
YOU WANT TO GO HOME AND CRAWL IN BED
AND PULL THE COVERS UP OVER YOUR HEAD….

I still struggle with line 3, thinking I maybe should say "You want to go home and crawl BACK in bed"
Again, if an artist would rather sing it that way, I'd have no problem with that. I just had trouble so I figured others would too.
But the lyric does circle back around to launch again into the chorus...

The bridge is intended to tie it all together - while "changing the way" is up to the subject to do, it tells him/her they HAVE the answer inside...

HOW DO YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN
YOU ALREADY KNOW
THE ANSWER LIES INSIDE YOU
LOOK DEEP WITHIN YOUR SOUL

I then use an old musical trick I learned 30 years ago studying Barry Manilow's songs. I call it "The Manilow Modulation"

To keep a song from sounding repetitious, to modulate up half a step or a whole step is pleasing to the ear.

So here I move from G major to A major for the final chorus and tag the last lines for emphasis.

This song practically wrote itself when I sat down with my guitar last August. My wife and I had seen a PBS special with philosophy guru, Wayne Dyer promoting his new book about changing your thoughts changing you life.

I hope this has been helpful to newbie songwriters and I invite your comments and suggestions always.
and remember to
Change The Way!
arnybarn

Change The Way

2007-10-31T20:36:00.000-05:00

Here's "Change The Way" at a recent performance -

Here's the lyric to my latest song, Change The Way.

CHANGE THE WAY
copyright 2007 by Dave Colvin

VERSE 1 YOU DON’T WANT TO OPEN YOUR EYES
AS THE SUN RISES UP IN THE MORNING SKY
BILLS TO PAY AND THEY’VE CUT OFF YOUR PHONE
IN THIS CROWDED WORLD YOU FEEL ALL ALONE

CHORUS CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS
AND THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT CHANGE
CHANGE THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE
AND THE LIFE YOU LIVE WILL CHANGE
IT’S JUST YOUR THOUGHTS YOU NEED TO REARRANGE
MAKE WAY FOR CHANGE AND CHANGE THE WAY

VERSE 2 THE BOSS IS MAD CAUSE YOU’RE LATE AGAIN
NO MATTER WHAT WELL YOU JUST CAN’T WIN
YOU WANT TO GO HOME AND CRAWL IN BED
AND PULL THE COVERS UP OVER YOUR HEAD….

CHORUS CHANGE THE WAY……

BRIDGE HOW DO YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN
YOU ALREADY KNOW
THE ANSWER LIES INSIDE YOU
LOOK DEEP WITHIN YOUR SOUL

CHORUS key change
CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS
AND THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT CHANGE
CHANGE THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE
AND THE LIFE YOU LIVE WILL CHANGE
IT’S JUST YOUR THOUGHTS YOU NEED TO REARRANGE
MAKE WAY FOR CHANGE AND CHANGE THE WAY

TAG IT’S JUST YOUR THOUGHTS YOU NEED TO REARRANGE
MAKE WAY FOR CHANGE AND CHANGE THE WAY
MAKE WAY FOR CHANGE AND CHANGE THE WAY

I'll analyze the lyric in my next post!
Musically yours!
arnybarn

Learning to write songs

2007-10-28T15:47:00.000-05:00

1965; Besides wanting to compete with my friend Lance in writing songs, I also had another reason. I had gotten a six string guitar for my 10th birthday and was taking lessons at the local music store, Macon Music in downtown Decatur, Illinois.
I found it frustrating however - taking lessons that is. The teacher, a nice enough fellow, wanted me to learn notes and how to read music, imagine that! I just wanted to play like Paul McCartney - another left handed guitar player and a BEATLE!
It would be years however before I learned that first, you need to learn the rules and then you learn how you can break them.
Breaking the rules is important in songwriting because in order to have that song stand out among the rest, it must have something that catches the listener's ear - causes them to say "Hey, I like that" - or"I need to hear that again!"
So at age 10 what did I do?
I quit the guitar - for almost 2 years!

I kept "making up" songs for the next two years but it really wasn't until I picked the guitar back up that I really started to get serious about songwriting

For me back then, if I learned a new chord, I'd write a song around using it! I learned all the basic chords, A, D, C, E but life changed when I discovered ......Bminor!! You will hear that throughout my songs even to this day. Bminor serves as a perfect transition chord when you have written the verse in a Major key and are looking for the chorus or the bridge to set apart from the rest of the song.
F#m works well too and combine it with Bm - watch out! :>)

I'll get more into song structure later but it was in learning to play the guitar, then chords on the piano, where I learned to experiment with songwriting.

If you are just learning an instrument, you should get a song book of your favorite artist, complete with tablature (chord) diagrams and that also helps learn new chords to lay inside your tunes. My early songbooks consisted of Simon & Garfunkel, Peter Paul and Mary, Creedence Clearwater and of course in 1970 the songbook for Sweet Baby James - James Taylor.

One of my first performance was in junior high at a talent show where a buddy and I did "April Come She Will" straight from that songbook.

So that's how I started - I will fast forward next blog with my most recent song, Change The Way, and break it down lyrically for you to give some insight to where I am today.....
still learning - and always learning - to write a better new song.
Musically yours!
arnybarn

Welcome!

2007-10-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

This is my first Blog for Analyzing My Songs!

I've been writing songs since the age of 10 (42 years now) and want to share the ups and downs of writing my songs that may give some insight to others who write songs!

I plan to take a song I've written and break it down as to why I placed this word here or that phrase there and give a little history as to the reason I wrote the song.

It is my hope this will be informative as well as occasionally entertaining and I invite you to check back often as I "blog" on this journey.....

My first song I ever wrote was a little ditty composed at the ripe old age of 10 called "Walk Over the Rainbow"
Why I wrote it; my best friend Lance had written a song so I just HAD to write one as well! Little did I know it would start me on a lifelong effort to place feelings and thoughts, blend them with music, and sing them for family, friends and even.....strangers! Something tells me I probably just watched the Wizard of Oz on TV before I wrote it...

Walk Over The Rainbow - 1965
Oh we walk right over that rainbow
We will walk over the rainbow
And when we’re over the rainbow
We will find another one to cross
And you can join us in the walk
Oh we will walk walk together
Oh we walk right over that rainbow
We will walk over the rainbow
We will Walk Walk Walk Walk Walk
YEAH!!!!!!

Not much to analyze here but notice the big Beatles finish on that last line!

That is all for post #1 - see you next time!
arnybarn