Just a friend
Tuesday April 19, 2005 – 3:49 pmI finished demo’ing that new tune today. Well… "finished" for now. I let a few people hear it, John being one of them, and he dug it a lot — he used the word "Hot!" — but kindly pointed out its melodic similarity to a certain other very famous old song which I’m not going to name here. I sure wasn’t intending to copy any other song — it’s not the same melody verbatim, but it’s a little too close for comfort especially since the similarity isn’t just in the verses but in the chorus too. Yikes. So I’m going to redo the demo, making slight alterations to that damn melody and hopefully once y’all hear it, you’ll never be able to name that tune. :-) It is a good song otherwise though. But like always when I finish a song, I’m all wrung out physically and emotionally. Just exhausted. It’s been a rough bunch of days for me and this song pretty much sums it all up: heaviness, confusion and the slight whiff of desperation, crossed with knowing that no matter what happens it’ll all work out okay ‘cuz it always does. I’m wanting everything to be alright and for love to save the day in the end. I don’t know for sure that it will but I might as well keep that attitude, better than being an ol’ grumpopotamus about it. Things will either get better or they won’t, but either way, at least I got a few good songs out of the deal. Heh.
April 19th, 2005 at 8:55 pm
i recall a gal on the outskirts of Southern Appalachia who copped a Fall tune for one of her hit singles that, unfortunately, no one’s ever heard of. thing of it is, she’d never heard the Fall song in question. things happen. i recall the golden age of recorded sound - roughly 1922 to 1935 - when variations on the same song would appear and no one had any clue what was "primary" and nobody cared (eg, "everything’s coming my way," a Bo Carter variation i’ve forgotten, and ultimately settling down as "sittin’ on top of the world”). in today’s environment, i guess Robert Anton Wilson’s words hold true: "reality is what you can get away with." your instincts are absolutely on the money, though: if there’s some kinda similarity, however accidental, tweak th’mother till it’s no longer an issue.
April 20th, 2005 at 5:34 am
i recall ian hunter mentioning once that mott the hoople would take the who’s chords, rearrange them backwards, then write the song. and to namecheck another carter, keep on the sunny side, edith!