Happy Birthday Elvis

An associate of Mark Andrew, Helen Reizer really liked the song and kindly prepared a Press Release for me. I sent this off to as many contacts as I could find. This included the Elvis communities, press agencies etc etc.
After doing the ring around and cold calling to various agencies, publications and radio stations, I finally got a break. The Parkes Elvis Festival committee called me up after I hounded them like a hound dog and asked if Mark Andrew would come to Parkes to promote the song and perform a set on the main stage.
Fantastic I thought and immediately contacted Mark to let him know. Unfortunately Mark was unable to attend as he had already made holiday plans so I had to work out a way to get myself to Parkes and have the song played over the PA.
That was achieved after I notified Parkes that I would be delighted to attend with my son and bring along a CD to give them the opportunity to play the song for the first time globally, however Mark was unable to attend due to his holiday plans but was pleased that they would play the song.
An article was also published on the Elvis information Network in Australia and the Manly Daily decided to run a story to coincide with the Parkes Elvis Festival.
I decided to release the song on Elvis Pres;ey's birthday, the 8th January 2012 as a digital download.
With the press releases, the 4000 friends that Mark Andrew had, and the invite from the Parkes Elvis Festival I was confident that we would shift plenty of copies.

Alcoholics Annonymous or Automobile Association

Acronyms are a wonderful thing for the incrowd specific to that acronym. If I look at ETA, most people associate it with Estimated Time of Arrival. If however you are an Elvis fanatic, ETA means Elvis Tribute Artist. There are literally thousands of Elvis Tribute Artists globally and they have been increasing since the King departed.
I was in need of an ETA once The New Elvis Presley had been recorded and so the search was on. Living in Australia, and having the Parkes Elvis Festival as an annual news worthy event, there were plenty of ETAs to choose from.
Eventually I came across Mark Andrew who was Melbourne based and had headlined at Parkes for a few years previously and had recently came 3rd in a ETA World Cup in Wales of all places.
I sent Mark the song and he thought it was fantastic and would be a great iTunes hit and with his 4000 friends he would be in a position to promote it.
A vocal less mp3 was sent to Mark Andrew and he overlaid the lead vocal part and sent back the WAV files. The results weren't great and following a discussion with my vocal teacher and musical director Mark Hall it was decided that Mark Andrew needed to come to Sydney to record the vocals under our direction.
Mark Andrew was kind enough to travel up on Friday 30th December which was a date that all parties could make. Once the recording was complete Mark travelled back the same day to Melbourne and continued his own preparations for his New Years Eve show.
With an ETA singing in the style of Elvis, it was time to promote the song throughout the Elvis community and take advantage of the ease with which a song can now be globally released to digital outlets such as iTunes.
I did a lot of research and finally went with Tunecore to distribute the song. They advertised that the charges were menial and I got to keep all the profits. My outlay was the initial cost of distribution which was $10 plus an annual fee of the same amount to keep the song in the digital stores.
As a test, I had distributed Superstar on the 27th December and to my great surprise and joy it was up on iTunes within 3 days.
I decided that as Elvis was born on the 8th January, that this would be the date of the release. The song was uploaded and then the next step was to promote and market the song.

Susan Boyle

In December 2011, we had finally progressed to a point where we were in a position to record two tracks. The New Elvis Presley and Superstar. Now these songs are not linked and Superstar has no reference to anything remotely Elvis Presley. It does however remind me of Susan Boyle for some strange reason. The band consisted of myself, Mark Hall on keyboards and backing vocals, and two lads from a local band called Bridgemary Kiss, Andy on guitars and Harry on drums.
We booked some studio time with Herman Kovac who runs Ramrod studios and incedently was the drummer from an Australian band called the Ted Mulry Gang. They had numbers 1 songs in the 70's.
The intention of the first recording session of 3 hours was to get the drums, bass and keyboards down for both songs. The proficiency of Andy, Harry and Mark in this session allowed us to lay down the rythmn section of a third song called 'Two Lost Souls'. Neither Andy or Harry had heard the song before but through Mark's and my direction they were able to produce a great fit for the song. I provided guide vocals on all three tracks at the session.
The next session allowed us to get lead and rythmn guitars plus additional keyboards and strings. The final evening session booked was to record all the vocals. I recall travelling back to Sydney from a two day trip in Melbourne full of a heavy cold with a session that evening. I had taken a lot of Senega and Ammonia to help my voice but when it came to the session I bombed badly and the results were really poor. I was extremely upset and down on myself and my confidence took a massive blow. The rest of the time was spent working on additional keyboards and ensuring the right sounds were achieved in the mix.
An additional recording session was set up for the following week where I succeeded in getting the vocals down but as the session wore on the voice deteriated badly and 'Two Lost Souls' suffered as a consequence. We had achieved the goal though of getting 'The New Elvis Presley' and 'Superstar' done, although looking back the progress I have made with my vocal lessons since then would have improved both songs significantly.
The last phase was mixing down the tracks and mastering them. This was done on a Friday and a further afternoon. Armed with the final master I was ready to track down an Elvis Tribute Artist who might want to take on the task of recording the vocals.

Rock and Roll

Fast forward a couple of years and I find myself picking up my oldest daughter Rachel from a piano lesson. Her piano teacher is Mark Hall who runs the music and drama departments of Warringah Performing Arts in Brookvale, NSW, Australia which he owns with his wife Julie who runs the dance school.
Rachel mentions to Mark that I write and record songs. Mark asks if he can listen to some of my material. I took in some old recordings of Roller Coaster, JoyRide and Lemon Tree which I recorded a few years back plus an early version of The New Elvis Presley.
Mark really likes the songs and said he could really improve my vocal performance by having formal lessons. I have never been the lead singer in all the bands I have played with. I have been content to write the songs, play guitar and let others sing so this propsect was very daunting.
I recall at my first lesson, I played Mark my latest song 'Kicking and Screaming' on the piano. Mark was able to transpose the song to the correct key for my voice and also play the song on his Clavinova with various accompaniments which really lifted the song.
I was very self conscious about my voice and so it was re-assuring to have someone who could place it correctly, play the song immediately in the correct key and provide an arrangement that sat perfectly with the integrity of the song.
Around Christmas 2010 we were discussing recording The New Elvis Presley and using a tribute artist to sing it, but we didn't get round to it. That project would have to wait another year. During that time, I had been writing plenty of material and working on a set of other peoples songs Mark has chosen to improve my voice.
One of my songs was called 'Superstar' and Mark felt it was time that I could be unleashed to an unsuspecting public, so after starting my lessons in April 2010, my first live performance was in December of that year and as Robert Plant one sang - It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.

Radio Play

It is interesting to recall that at the original time of writing which was 16th June 2008, any thoughts of releasing it globally would have been a sign to seek psychiatric help. Basically there was absolutely no chance of a songwriter in their late 30s being given that opportunity. Irrespective of any grand ambition of that nature, I still enjoyed recording my compositions on my Roland VS1680 which I had bought in England in the last millennium. This along with a Dr Rhythm drum machine I was able to record it. Once recorded I sent it to some colleagues for their feedback which was positive. I had joined Triple J Unearthed which was a site where unsigned artists could upload their songs for people to listen to. I originally uploaded three songs I had recorded previously called Rollercoaster, Joy Ride and Lemon Tree. When 'The New Elvis Presley' was recorded I sent it to David Garrood, a colleague in Brisbane who was associated with a community radio station called 99.7FM Your Better Mix. As luck would have it, he was filling in for the usual Friday night DJ who was taking a break. He played the song on Friday 26th March and sent me a clip of him introducing the song. It was played under the title 'Long Live the King' which explains why I still haven' t received any royalties for that auspicious occasion.

Full Lyrics

Folks, as promised please find the full lyrics to 'The New Elvis Presley'. The next blog I will provide details of thow it was first recorded.

_{The New Elvis Presley}

_{Here comes the new Elvis Presley, can’t believe my eyes} 

_{It is Elvis incarnate as I look towards the skies}

_{Here comes the new Elvis Presley, hip swaying too}

_{Iconic jump suit and cape, and wearing blue suede shoes}

_{Some quiet please, a little less conversation, get off your knees, rise up in celebration}

_{Altogether now let’s sing, Long live the king, long live the king}

_{Here comes the new Elvis Presley, gonna kiss and tell}

_{Light up the lights of Las Vegas, book a room at heartbreak hotel}

_{Here comes the new Elvis Presley, and he’s doing fine} 

_{Unlock the gates of Graceland and free your suspicious minds}

_{Some quiet please, a little less conversation, get off your knees, rise up in celebration}

_{Altogether now let’s sing, long live the king, long live the king, long live the king, long live the king}

_{Some quiet please, a little less conversation, some quiet please, a little less conversation}

_{Get off your knees, rise up in celebration, altogether now let’s sing,}

_{Long live the king, long live the king, long live the king, long live the king}

_{Everybody sing, long live the king, everybody sing, long live the king}

Stairway to Heaven

We have now arrived back at the bridge 'some quiet please, a little less conversation, get off your knees, rise up in celebration, altogether now sing......' before the 2nd chorus. This is then followed by a lead guitar break. I am the first to admit my lead guitar skills are passable having spent all my time in bands as a songwriter and rythmn guitarist. My favorite guitarist is Jimmy Page who was so versatile and could mix it up with majestic lead breaks, heavy riffs and intricate acoustic work. I can only dream of playing like that. Ironically enough, I started guitar lessons as an 11 year old at school using a nylon string acoustic, but that only lasted about half a dozen lessons due to the fact I had to miss out on sport to attend. I had to learn three blind mice and listen to Segovia. That in itself is not an issue, but I feel that if they had mixed in contemporary riffs at the time it may have captured my interest. Anyway, the short and long of this is that I lost 5 years in my development as a guitar player which might as well have been a million for the lost ground both technically and theoretically. The reason I draw your attention to this fact is that although I can deliver a spontaneous lead guitar break which sounds great, my ability to replicate it is sadly lacking. On an early version of this song, there is a lead break which I really liked but couldn't get the same effect on later recordings. Jimmy Page was famous for selecting the solo that felt right in the song rather than technically being the best take. I would love to have been able to apply the same principle but I'm no Jimmy Page by any stretch of the imagination. I will post the entire lyrics to the song in my next blog.

Suspicious Minds

I was about to call this post 'Graceland' but that triggered Paul Simon's song in my head, so I went for 'Suspicious Minds' instead, although this triggered off 'Fine Young Cannibals'. Be my guest and check out 'You Tube' for both these songs. For the intellectually astute, you would have realized that both 'Graceland' and 'Suspicious Minds' feature in the last two lines of the 2nd verse. 'Here comes the New Elvis Presley, and he's doing fine, unlock the gates of Graceland and free your suspicious minds'. These lyrics continue the storyline of apparently witnessing the second coming of Elvis which plays nicely into the hands of a 'doubting Thomas' analogy. The lyrics deliberately draw parallels to a religious experience throughout. As I mentioned previously my songs start with the opening line and a melody, so the whole imagery for the song formed at that point, and each line was constructed to support the underlying theme. We have now concluded the 2nd verse. If you have enjoyed this post why don't you write a comment. I'll be happy to hear from you.

Heartbreak Hotel

We are well on our way to completing the song, You are all familiar with the structure of the song, and if this is your first visit to the blog, I recommend you start from the beginning to bring yourselves up to speed. The 2nd verse commences with 'Here comes the New Elvis Presley, gonna kiss and tell, light up the lights of Las Vegas, book a room at Heartbreak Hotel.' I like the inferences of these lines. Famous people are constantly subject to 'kiss and tell' stories in the media. The alliteration in the first part of the 2nd line also pays homage to Elvis's seven years on the strip from 1969 - 1976 and the last reference was Elvis's first number one. Heartbreak Hotel was written by Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton in 1955. Elvis never wrote any songs himself although he appears on the songwriting credits of nine songs that he performed. According to various sources this was down to Colonel Parker angling for more money for Elvis and therefore himself, but who are we to judge. Next time we will finish off the verse. As mentioned last time I am more than happy for comments, so don't be shy. My website is http://www.tunecore.com/music/guysimons

Long live the King

'Altogether now let's sing, long live the King' is the final part of the bridge with the word 'King' landing on the 'A' chord for the chorus. The chorus is set up with the chords 'A', 'C', 'D' and 'E' each one taking a bar. The song is constructed with an intro, verse, bridge and chorus which is then repeated. The first chorus is repeated twice before going back into the intro. You will see that the 2nd chorus is repeated 4 times before the guitar break. Elvis is synonymous with the term 'the King', hence why I used it. Next time we will look at the 2nd verse which uses further Elvis references. For those of you who do not know me, please feel free to contact me or take a look at my Tunecore website at http://www1.tunecore.com/music/guysimons

A Little Less Conversation

After leaving the verse on a 'D' chord, we move into the bridge with a 'B minor' chord with the opening salvo 'some quiet please' and then back to the 'D' for 'a little less conversation'. Staying true to the theme, it is envisaged that a crowd has assembled to witness this 'second coming', but the merry throng are a rambunctious lot and therefore multiple conversations are taking place. The narrator is desperate for some hush and basically tells them to shut up. This is the second reference to an Elvis song. The next lines 'get off your knees, rise up in celebration' maintains the imagery of reverential people joining in praise for the 'New Elvis'. Writing this piece reminds me of 'The Life of Brian' which has to be one of the funniest films ever made and was financed by George Harrison. This is not a Beatles blog however, although they are my favorite band. I also love Monty Python but we digress. I encourage any readers of this blog to get in touch with me. So far we have been graced with then presence of hits from the US, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France and Russia, although I imagine the non-English speaking countries would have been by accident.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

As we proceed down the literal path of 'The New Elvis Presley', we have established a spiritual connection through the opening lines. The 3rd line of the 1st verse starts in the same way that the song begins,'Here comes the new Elvis Presley'. I find that this is a trait that I display on occasions and the same style was used in 'Superstar'.  The next part of the line is 'hip-swaying too' which is a common stereotype for Elvis and therefore was a natural progression. As part of the rhyming quatrain which is created by two pairs of rhyming couplets, I had already established 'and wearing blue suede shoes' as the ending of the first verse. This image of Elvis wearing blue suede shoes and the obvious link to the Carl Perkins song that Elvis made famous, then begs the question. What else is he wearing? The preceeding phrase 'Iconic jumpsuit and cape' then literally 'jumped' out at me and then allowed me to complete the line with vivid imagery. Now I am sure that the sartorial eloquent amongst you would argue that such a combination doesn't work, however I will leave that to the experts such as the hosts from the show 'Queer Eye for a Straight Guy'.  

Conspiracy Theory

I thought the title of this post would appeal to my mate 'Beany' who is one of the world's authorities on conspiracy theories. I hear that he is on personal terms with Michael Moore. One of the world's most prominent conspiracy theories is the fact that Elvis lives. Sightings are frequent and there are many websites that post them, even the official Elvis Presley website encourages people to send in photos, although to be honest these sightings are specific to images of Elvis rather than a living breathing Elvis. Take a look when you get a chance and you too can see Elvis shopping at KMart, lining up at airport terminals and so on ad infinitum. This now brings me to the 2nd line of the first verse 'It is Elvis incarnate, as I look towards the skies' This continues the story of the narrator's incredulity at seeing someone that is Elvis personnified. It also implies a spiritual experience. Incarnate is defined within the Oxford Dictionary as a spirit 'Embodied in human form'. If you have your guitar handy, you can play the first 2 lines at a tempo of 154, 8 bars each. The chords are A, A, A7, A7, G, G, D, D. I will post the entire song at the end of this particular blog. The next blog moves from the spiritual to the idiosyncratic which will suit the freudians amongst you.

Can't believe my eyes

Armed with an opening lyric and melody, it's time to introduce the instrument. In this case the guitar. I have a Yamaha APX-10C acoustic/electric. This guitar is about 20 years old and is what I start many of my songs on. I find that I will play some chords and then apply the lyric. I originally started this song with an 'E' chord (the song was moved to the key of 'A' about 18 months ago after I had met Mark Hall. This is the key the releasd version is in) and would then play a sequence of chords whilst searching for the next line. The opening line always sets the scene and conjures up the imagery associated with the song itself. 'Here comes the new Elvis Presley' to me threw up an image of someone that looked, sounded and had all the same idiosynchracies as Elvis. A carbon copy, replica or clone. Hence the next line 'can't believe my eyes', is a natural progression of the scene.

Testing, testing, one, two, three........

Are we sitting comfortably, then I'll begin. First, a question. How do you begin to write a song? You ask a hundred people and you'll probably get a hundred different answers. There isn't a right way or a wrong way, but for me there is 'My Way'. Dependent upon your age, you like me have conjured up in your minds the song made famous by Frank Sinatra. I can visualize Frank as well as Sid Vicious crooning their way through it. That particular song has deeply ingrained memories for me as it was always played as the clock struck midnight every New Years Eve in 'Hunters', a public house in Cheltenham, England throughout the mid 80's and early 90's. My songs are almost always created whilst strumming the guitar or playing the piano. This fiddling (apologies for the musical pun) about provides the spark of creativity that leads to a lyric supported by a melody. The lyric then provides a theme to work from. My song 'Another Bad Day at the Office' is a classic example. The opening line begins 'It's been another bad day at the office for me' and uses a minor chord followed by a major 7th. That sets the scene for a melancholy song that references 'Coleridge's albatross', '60lb. monkeys' amongst other aptly chosen lyrics. As you can see, I am not averse to referencing other writers or artists in my songs where they suit the theme. In my song 'Lemon Tree', the lyric ' you said like Hendrix, we'd kiss the sky' adds a nice touch. 'The New Elvis Presley' however, broke the mould slightly, as it was conceived from a throw away line. I recall being at work having a chat with a couples of guys in I.T. when Greg Naidoo walked in. I flippantly said 'here comes the new Elvis Presley'. The statement had nothing to do with Greg having any physical resemblance to Elvis. It was purely the fact that Greg was 'cool, hip, sic' or any other pertinent phrase that describes someone with an aura. I was immediately struck with the line 'Here comes the new Elvis Presley', and by the time I got home that evening the associated phrasing and melody had already formed and the beginnings of a new song were underway. Please tune in to the next installment and feel free to contact me, recommend this blog to others, or just do whatever is expected within the correct blogging protocol. Guy

In the beginning........

This blog will take you on the journey of my song 'The New Elvis Presley' from inception to its global release on all major digital download outlets on the 8th January 2012, to coincide with Elvis Presley's birthday and as part of the 35th anniversary celebrations. I will update this blog periodically and welcome any feedback. I am also happy to answer questions. Long live the King. Guy Simons