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