Welcome to the fifth installment of Laying Down the Sound! After completing my breakdown of “Colored Balloon” last week, I now move on to a different song, this one called “Unraveling.” It’s one of the shorter, simpler songs on my album and also one of my favorites. In this video, I expound and expand on the guitar parts and vocal melodies essential to the composition, and I demonstrate their organization and fit with one another. In all, I highlight the development (in terms of guitar parts and vocal melodies) of all but the last section of the song, which is primarily instrumental. I’ll get to that next week! Thank you for watching!
Tag: songwriting
Adventure (song lyrics in progress)
You make me wanna take a train to you
when the weather man says it’s too cold to fly
and I
know it’s not right
you make me wanna take a risk or two
and figure out a better way to live my life
oh you
make me want to
you spin me round on my kitchen floor
playing country songs I’ve never heard before
it’s those crazy ideas that you have in your head
you grab my waist throw me onto my bed
all the checked-off boxes on my bucket list
those once-in-a life-times you don’t wanna miss
it’s the blood rush to my brain when I see
you looking over your shoulder smirking back at me
I can’t remember what life was before
with you by my side it’s always an adventure
You’re covered in flags and I know that they’re red
but my heart is so convinced that they are green
you see
you’re no good for me
you make me wanna change the way I’ve lived
every day of my life until the day I met you
I know it’s wrong
but I’ll still go along
you wash my hair when I’m just too tired
and though I know that I am playing with fire
I love those crazy ideas that you have in your head
when you grab my waist and throw me onto my bed
all the checked-off boxes on my bucket list
those once-in-a-life-times you don’t wanna miss
It’s the blood rush to my brain when I see
you looking over your shoulder smirking back at me
I can’t remember what life was before
with you by my side it’s always an adventure
They say time flies when you’re having fun
it seems our time is over before it has begun
they say don’t risk it all or you are bound to lose
but all I think about it how I’m missing you
and those crazy ideas that you have in your head
when you grab my waist and throw me onto my bed
you’re checking boxes off my bucket list
so many once-in-a-life-times that we haven’t missed
I miss the blood rush to my brain when I see
you looking over your shoulder smirking back at me
I can’t remember what my life was like before
it was a shadow of the life entwined with yours
with you by my side it’s always an adventure
Laying Down the Sound: Colored Balloon – Episode 4
Welcome again to Laying Down the Sound! This is the fourth installment of the series and the fourth and last episode focused on my song “Colored Balloon.” Picking up where I left off last time, I continue to concentrate on the recording process and the various constituent parts of the song. This occurs mainly in Ableton Live, the DAW (digital audio workstation) I used to record, although some segments are demonstrated acoustically. This video wraps up my breakdown and decomposition of “Colored Balloon”; my next video will spotlight a different song of mine. If you wish to suggest a song, please leave a comment about that. If not, I’ll choose! Either way, thanks for watching!
A New Project
I thought I would share the lyrics to the song I wrote about a month ago which I am trying to polish enough to put on Spotify. I’m currently looking for someone to collab with who will sing the guy’s part I wrote over the bridge, so the progress has been stalled for the present moment, but here it is!
The title is under construction, but I’m currently calling it “i used 2 sleep with my phone”
(I thought I saw you last night)
I’m setting a reminder in my phone for early May (across the bar, yeah you caught my eye)
saying if I’m still talking to you it’s time to go our separate ways (I went home with another guy)
yeah it’s harsh, kinda cold (you were never mine)
but I best do what I’m told (you were never mine)
cause now you’ve got her to hold, hold you (you were never mine)
thinking back on everything that’s happened; I’m feeling kinda down
all those late nights that I stayed up hoping you would come around
I would sleep with my phone
ringer on, all alone
wondering if you took her home again
you’re not mine to lose
but if I could choose
the place that you’d have is by my side
I know that it’s wrong
to feel so in love
with someone who’ll never change his mind
but I can’t excuse my feelings for you tonight
we had a good long while of talking every day
and I’d hang up with a smile; you made colors out of gray
but pack it up, signing off
won’t wait around for your love
now you’ve got her and that’s enough for you
you’re not mine to lose
but if I could choose
the place that you’d have is by my side
I know that it’s wrong
to feel so in love
with someone who’ll never change his mind
but I can’t excuse my feelings for you tonight
wake up faster (I thought I saw you last night)
make it better (across the bar with some other guy)
move in closer (true you were never mine, but when he held you tight)
remember (I said “I’m fine;” I lied)
all those evenings (tell me girl, did I hurt you?)
I spent feeling (I know I did, but what did I do?)
things I thought you (and when you took him home, I called a girl I know)
were also feeling (couldn’t be alone, would’ve lost control)
but it’s okay (now I’m with her instead)
I know you better now (but you’re still in my head)
I won’t wait (I bite my tongue and try to say, anything except you’re name)
not gonna wait around (would you ever wait for me?)
you’re not mine to lose (all those evenings) (I thought I saw you last night)
but if I could choose (I spent feeling) (Cross the bar with some other guy)
the place that you’d have is by my side (things I thought you were also feeling) (true you were never mine, but when he held you tight, I said “I’m fine;” I lied, can’t you see I’m crying?)
I know that it’s wrong (but it’s okay) (tell me girl did I hurt you?)
to feel so in love (I know you better now) (I know I did but what did I do?)
with someone who’ll never change his mind (I won’t wait) (when you took him home, I called a girl I know, couldn’t be alone, would’ve lost control)
but I can’t excuse my feelings for you (I’m so confused; I know I used you)
no I can’t excuse these feelings for you (I never knew that I would lose you)
no I can’t excuse my feelings for you tonight (how can I prove I’ll always choose you?)
(can we go back to last night?)
Laying Down the Sound: Colored Balloon – Episode 3
Welcome back to Laying Down the Sound! This is the third installment of the series and likewise the third episode focused on my song “Colored Balloon.” (I aim to finish the song in 4 videos total). In this video, I shift away from the acoustic composition – this was covered in the previous two videos – and begin concentrating on the recording process, including the equipment used and walkthroughs of the arrangement within Ableton Live, the DAW (digital audio workstation) I used. Somehow, against my will, my videos keep getting longer every week! But, again, hopefully you enjoy and can get something worthwhile out of this. Thanks for watching and I’ll be back next week with the last video – this is at least my plan – focused on “Colored Balloon.” After that, I’ll move on to other songs from my album!
TikTok Songwriting Trends
Yes, I know. TikTok is in my blog post title. How very Gen Z of me. However, I think there is something to be said about a trend I’ve been following on the app for the last few months. It’s been super cool to watch, and has taken off quickly in the TikTok community.
The first time I saw a TikTok of someone playing original music, I didn’t think all that much of it. Sure, it was cool, but people post original music on SoundCloud, Youtube, Instagram, etc. I didn’t see how TikTok could do anything more for creators than these other platforms. I think it’s safe to say now that I was wrong.
Since I joined the app in September, I have witnessed songwriters years younger than I am blow up for posting just 15-60 seconds of a song.
I remember scrolling through my For You Page and coming across a video of a blonde girl singing an original song into a microphone. It was a simple video. The lyrics started “I’m mad at Disney, Disney / They tricked me, tricked me / Had me wishing on a shooting star”
Chances are, if you have ever spent time on TikTok, you are familiar with those words. The song blew up big time, and now serves as the audio for over three MILLION videos.
“How can you miss someone you’ve never met / Cuz I need you now but I don’t know you yet” (IDK You Yet Alexander 23)
“Low key f*** 2020” (F2020 Avenue Beat)
“Don’t stay away for too long / don’t go to bed / I make a cup of coffee for your head” (Death Bed Powfu)
“Now I could write 10 songs about 9 ways you ****ed me over” (Never the 1 ROSIE)
“I would rather be distant with you / than feel distant with someone who / is standing in front of me” (Long Distance JORDY)
“Cuz I never meant to fall out of love with you” (Out of Love With You Avery Lynch)
I’m betting you’ve heard at least one of these lyrics before. Each and every one of these songs was written, posted, and born from the TikTok platform. This just goes to show that the world of music is changing RIGHT NOW. The artist ROSIE, for example, posted “Never the 1” on TikTok after her boyfriend broke up with her less than a year ago, dropped out of school a few weeks later, signed with a major record label, and is now recording music for a living. Social media has such power in all aspects of life–and songwriting is no different!
Other notable examples of TikTok music include Ratatouille the Musical–a full musical written/created by TikTok users, Bridgerton the Musical–a musical in progress being written and scored by @abigailbarlowww and @mlebear, song-a-day challenges like the one being undertaken by Vaultboy, and many more super cool projects. If you’re already a TikToker, I recommend checking all of these people out! If you’re not, I still recommend giving at least some of their content a listen! TikTok can be a time-sucking addictive mess, but there is definitely good to come out of the platform.
