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Here is a brief synopsis of my chosen story- The part of the story I wanted to base my song on, is the perspective of the main character, Rachel Watson. Rachel had recently got out of a relationship with the love of her life who cheated on her. She took to alcohol and as an escapism. She would take the same train journey every day to see her old neighborhood through the window. Rachel quickly becomes fixated on a couple she always sees through the window, embracing on their balcony. She idolizes them, they have the life she used to have before her tragic break up. One train ride, Rachel sees the women in the relationship cheat on her partner on the balcony. This angers Rachel, she doesn’t understand how someone who has everything she ever wanted, would just through it away for lust. This makes Rachel want to interfere in their relationship and prove the woman guilty. The message of the story is nothing is as “perfect” as it seems.

My final lyrics for “girl on the train” -

Verse 1:

on this train, I replay my life,

I was, an extraordinary wife.

Chorus:

With this drink in my hand,

she seduces her man,

on the other side of this glass, i ride.

verse 2:

Her hair, her lips, her legs, her smile,

make me stop, and ponder for a while.

Chorus:

With this drink in my hand,

she seduces her man,

on the other side of this glass, I ride.

bridge:

No, why do you do that, how can I prove that,

(oh no please go)

No, how can you do that, how can I prove that

Verse 3:

Your life used to be mine,

but your lust got intertwined.

Your life deserves to be mine,

but now, is not my time

Chorus:

With this drink in my hand,

shes seducing that man,

on the other side of this glass, i ride.  

With this drink in my hand,

shes seducing her man,

Our task -  ‘to individually Write a song, with music (chords and melody) and lyrics, in which you tell a story in the true sense of plotting with a beginning, a middle and an ending. You, the singer, are either truly or imaginatively recalling a personal event, or reflecting on an event experienced by someone you know, or retelling the story of another person that you know of. You, as the singer may even act as a camera’s eye or reporter, so to speak, in recalling an event without any personal knowledge.’

In the lecture, Chloe gave us some information to help us decide on the type of story song would finally choose. There are three basic lyrical strategies of songwriting in songs, Perspective, situation or story based.

Firstly, the Perspective strategy is by far the most used type of lyrical strategy. The singer expresses an emotion or attitude about something or someone. It’s their perspective, in terms of outlook or feelings on a given situation. 

An example of a Perspective strategy could be Madonna,’Like a virgin’

The lyrics: 

‘I made it through the wilderness Somehow I made it through Didn't know how lost I was until I found you I was beat incomplete I'd been had I was sad and blue But you made me feel Yeah you made me feel shiny and new... Hey Like a virgin Touched for the very first time Like a v-i-r-g-i-n When your heart beats next to mine Gonna give you all my love boy My fear is fading fast Been saving it all for you 'cause only love can last You're so fine and you're mine Make me strong yeah you make me bold Oh, your love thawed out Yeah your love thawed out what was getting cold Like a virgin Hey Touched for the very first time Like a v-i-r-g-i-n With your heart beat next to mine Whoa oh-oh-oh Whoa oh-oh-oh, ah Whoa oh-oh-oh You're so fine and you're mine I'll be yours 'til the end of time 'Cause you made me feel Yeah you made me feel I've nothing to hide Like a virgin Hey Touched for the very first time Like a v-i-r-g-i-n With your heartbeat next to mine Like a virgin Ooh-ooh-ooh Like a virgin Feels so good inside When you hug me and your heart beats and you love me Oh-oh whoa oh-oh-oh-oh ‘

The lyrics tell a story from her point of view ( perspective) for example,

“I didn't know how lost I was until I found you”

This lyric has a sense of reflecting on on the speakers past. She is also longing and dreaming of someone,“you”.

  Longing, dreaming, thinking and reflecting are all common themes in a perspective strategy of writing. 

Secondly, the siuation strategy is the second most used type of song plot. The singer reacts to or takes action in response to a given situation or circumstances he or she is involved in. 

An example of situation strategy is Michael Jackson, ‘Billie Jean’

The lyrics:

[Verse 1] ‘She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene I said don't mind, but what do you mean I am the one Who will dance on the floor in the round She said I am the one, who will dance on the floor in the round She told me her name was Billie Jean As she caused a scene Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one Who will dance on the floor in the round [Pre-Chorus 1] People always told me be careful of what you do And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts And mother always told me be careful of who you love And be careful of what you do cause the lie becomes the truth [Chorus] Billie Jean is not my lover She's just a girl who claims that I am the one But the kid is not my son She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son [Verse 2] For forty days and for forty nights, the law was on her side But who can stand when she's in demand? Her schemes and plans Cause we danced on the floor in the round So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice (Don't think twice) Do think twice! (hoo) She told my baby we'd danced till three, then she looked at me Then showed a photo of a baby crying, his eyes were like mine (oh no) Cause we danced on the floor in the round, baby [Pre-Chorus 2] People always told me be careful of what you do And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts She came and stood right by me Then the smell of sweet perfume This happened much too soon She called me to her room [Chorus] Billie Jean is not my lover She's just a girl who claims that I am the one But the kid is not my son Billie Jean is not my lover She's just a girl who claims that I am the one But the kid is not my son She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son Billie Jean is not my lover She's just a girl who claims that I am the one But the kid is not my son She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son She says I am the one She says she is the one She says I am the one [Outro] Billie Jean is not my lover Billie Jean is not my lover Billie Jean is not my lover Billie Jean is not my lover Billie Jean is not my lover Billie Jean is not my lover ‘

Common action examples in a situation song  are:  leaving, drinking, dancing, asking for forgiveness and returning home.

A lot of these actions feature in the lyrical ideas in ‘Billie Jean'. The speaker in the song is emotionally and physically leaving the subject, this is clear in the lyrics “Billie Jean is not my lover”.

 Dance is also another key theme in the lyrics of this song “ we danced on the floor in the round”.

Thirdly, Narrative strategy, story songs, These are the most challenging type of song plot to write. The singer tells the story and plots out a beginning, middle and ending. The singer either recalls a personal event, or reflects on an event experienced by someone they know or retells the story of another person they only know of. The singer could be seen as a reporter or even a “camera’s eye’, without any personal information or knowledge. 

An example of a narrative song strategy  is Johnny Cash, ‘ A boy named sue’

The lyrics:

[Verse 1] ‘My daddy left home when I was three And he didn't leave much to ma and me Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid But the meanest thing that he ever did Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue." [Verse 2] Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk It seems I had to fight my whole life through. Some gal would giggle and I'd get red And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue." [Verse 3] Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean My fist got hard and my wits got keen I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame But I made a vow to the moon and stars That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars And kill that man who gave me that awful name [Verse 4] Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July And I just hit town and my throat was dry I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew At an old saloon on a street of mud There at a table, dealing stud Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue." [Verse 5] Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye He was big and bent and gray and old And I looked at him and my blood ran cold And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do! Now you're going to die!!" [Verse 6] Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes And he went down, but to my surprise He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear But I busted a chair right across his teeth And we crashed through the wall and into the street Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer [Verse 7] I tell you, I've fought tougher men But I really can't remember when He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss He went for his gun and I pulled mine first He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile [Verse 8] And he said: "Son, this world is rough And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along So I give ya that name and I said goodbye I knew you'd have to get tough or die And it's the name that helped to make you strong [Verse 9] He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight And I know you hate me, and you got the right To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do But ya ought to thank me, before I die For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye Because I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you Sue [Verse 10] I got all choked up and I threw down my gun And I called him my pa, and he called me his son And I came away with a different point of view And I think about him, now and then Every time I try and every time I win And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!’

 This song covers the 5 elements of story plots- Exposition, Rising action, Climax, falling action and resolution 

I’ll use the lyrics of “A boy named sue” to illustrate these five elements,

Exposition, setting the scene - The listener learns that the speaker's father left him when he was young and that the only thing that his father contributed to him was his name. “ My daddy left home when I was three”...”he went and named me ‘Sue.’”

Rising action - The listener is informed more background information about the speaker, it isn't until verse four, some drama is added to the story. We are told the speaker sees his father for the first time since he walked out on him. “ There at a table, dealing stud, Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me ‘Sue.’”  This adds to the tension in the story.

Climax- This occurs in verse 6, at the peak of tension and drama. The speaker get into a fight! “Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes And he went down, but to my surprise He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear” 

Falling action- The tension and drama starts to lessen, The fight calms between the characters. The speaker, in a rather unorthodox way, compliments his father for the first time. “ I tell you, I've fought tougher men But I really can't remember when “. This is a change of emotional direction between the characters also.

Resolution- The story concludes with the speaker and his father on better terms. He realizes his father named him Sue to make him tough so he can learn to put up with things life throughs at him.  "Son, this world is rough And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough”. 

Next, in our lecture, we worked on narrowing the focus of our song, which would enable us to write more easily.

We were given some examples of which could narrow our focus,

1, a fun/humorous uptempo song?

2, a political song to raise awareness?

3, an uplifting song?

None of these categories appealed to me, I wanted to tell a moral story. This would create a serious impact in my song. I wanted to portray a life lesson in some way, so the song could possibly have some educational factor. I feel this subject matter would be familiar to everyone. We can all relate to human emotion getting in the way of things, and clouding our judgment.

  Chloe then went on to show us some techniques to inspire our lyric writing. This was interesting because I have never tried a formulaic way of writing my own lyrics before.

The first lyrical exercise we were asked to do was to create an “idea sketch”, which involved deciding on a topic that we could write our song about and what our chosen topic brings to mind.

The story/film that inspired my song is “girl on the train”, which is an emotive and tragic, psychological drama.

 Here is a brief synopsis of my chosen story- The part of the story I wanted to base my song on, is the perspective of the main character, Rachel Watson. Rachel had recently got out of a relationship with the love of her life who cheated on her. She took to alcohol and as an escapism. She would take the same train journey every day to see her old neighborhood through the window. Rachel quickly becomes fixated on a couple she always sees through the window, embracing on their balcony. She idolizes them, they have the life she used to have before her tragic break up. One train ride, Rachel sees the women in the relationship cheat on her husband on the balcony. This angers Rachel, she doesn't understand how someone who has everything she ever wanted, would just through it away for lust. This makes Rachel want to interfere in their relationship and prove the woman guilty. The message of the story is nothing is as “perfect” as it seems.

We were asked to note down answers to these questions during our lecture:

1, three things you like about it, three things you don't like about it, three things you notice about the people in the film- 

Three things i like about the film - (a) the extremes of emotion, (b),  no clear villain, (c), I find it interesting that no one in the film has a positive experience of love. I like all these things because extremes of emotion and bad experiences of love are good and almost stereotypical lyrical ideas.We can all relate to some if not all of them. Also, the lack of a villain adds somewhat ambiguity to the plot. 

Three things i don't like about the film- (a), too many plot lines to include in a simple story song, (b), too many characters to include in the song, it also takes a while for once to establish all of the characters in the early part of the film, (c), The film took a little too long to get going, but once it did I really enjoyed it! These things could be a problem musically. I want the song to be concise with a clear storyline.

Three things I like about the people in the film- (a) is the focus on all characters perspectives, every character has their own backstory. (b) Every character, however innocent, seems to have a dark side of their personality which cant help but manifest itself. I feel this is very relatable as no one is perfect. (c)The relationship and jealousy between all the main female characters. I liked the focus on the theme of deception I mentioned earlier.The characters in the film lend themselves to not being what they seem.

We next had to work on our “Big idea”. My big idea came to life when I decided I wanted to include morality and human psychology into the story, ‘things not being what they seem’, in other words, deception, being my big idea.

 To help us conjure up our big ideas lyrically, we were advised to write a list of 20 words relating to our chosen story. Some of these words I associate with deception and others I associate with the story.

After we had completed our list of 20 words related to our chosen story, we were asked to pick out the masculine words - one-syllable, or words ending on a stressed syllable, such as command, land understand. 

Feminine word examples- commanding, landing, understanding.

 The masculine words I picked are those circled in the picture below:

Next, Chloe challenged us to try and find a rhyme for each of the masculine words, (I also ended up rhyming the female words too, to see the difference).

These rhymes would, later on, be used as a possible stimulus for our first written lyrics. I feel the “masculine” sounding words add to the emotional value of the lyrics. They sound harsher and more abrupt, which ties in well with the tragic story of “The girl on the train”. 

Below is the picture of my rhymes:

Next, we had to pick some ideas from the list above, which could make an interesting lyrical combination in our song and then write a paragraph about the ideas. These ideas helped form my “big idea”,  which was to write about deception and to write the song from the main character, Rachels’ perspective. This would highlight her addition, sense of loss and jealousy in a more personal way for the listener.

I liked the words “mine” and “wine” as a rhyme, I feel “mine” is a strong and emotive statement, portraying Rachels loss of what is “mine”. I feel the rhyme “wine” is a clever twist on Rachels alcohol addition, however, it keeps the ambiance of romance without having to go into too much graphic detail. 

This similar idea could also be explored in my rhyme of “glass” and “past”. They both help illustrate Rachels addiction and longing of her past life. 

The next step was to write our first two lines of lyrics appropriate to our story, containing a”person”. -

I chose to use my rhyme combination of “mine” and “wine” in these lyrics.

After composing the lyrics we answered these set questions given to us in our lecture:

(A), what do these statements say beyond the obvious? 

I wrote these lyrics to prod at Rachels broken relationship merged with her alcohol addiction.“This place used to be mine” is past tense. The persona is clearly dwelling on past experiences. “Him in her heart and her hand on her wine”. The lyrics continue to be unclear, who is “him”? could he be a lover or a family member? The “hand on her wine”, as well as being a comparison of a body part, it is also a comparison of an emotional thing ( something in her heart) and a physical thing ( hand on her wine).

(B) what could these statements say, what might be the subtext?

I think “ this place used to be mine” implies it is somewhere the persona used to own, possibly a past home. There could be a sense of loss seen in the words “used to be “ rather than saying “was mine”. “Him in her heart”, implies a constant. whoever it never leaves her thoughts, again maybe a child or lover? Maybe whoever it is in her heart also used to be in the place that used to be hers. “Hand on her wine”, could imply the persona is upset and is drinking to numb the pain and her sense of loss? The person in her heart could even be the one triggering her drinking?

(C) How does each statement include the “person”, in relation to the singer?

The singer uses the first-person narrative. They are the “person”, experiencing her actions and emotions. I feel this helps tell the story better too.

I ended up not using the lyrics I wrote in class in my final song. When I write my music I tend to write everything at the same time, lyrics/melody/ piano part. I felt the lyrics I wrote in class were a bit too vague for telling a story. I wanted to give a more detailed account and have a clearer time frame in the story, which those lyrics didn't suggest. Despite not using them, they greatly helped me to come up with the perspective of the song and the themes I wanted to touch upon. So I am glad I was taught a new lyric writing method which certainly helped with inspiration. 

My final lyrics for “girl on the train” -

Verse 1: 

on this train, I replay my life,

I was, an extraordinary wife. 

Chorus:

With this drink in my hand,

she seduces her man,

on the other side of this glass, i ride.

verse 2:

Her hair, her lips, her legs, her smile,

make me stop, and ponder for a while.

Chorus:

With this drink in my hand,

she seduces her man,

on the other side of this glass, I ride.

bridge:

No, why do you do that, how can I prove that,

(oh no please go)

No, how can you do that, how can I prove that

Verse 3:

Your life used to be mine,

but your lust got intertwined.

Your life deserves to be mine,

but now, is not my time

Chorus:

With this drink in my hand, 

shes seducing that man,

on the other side of this glass, i ride.  

With this drink in my hand,

shes seducing her man,

on the other side of this glass I ride.  

When writing these final lyrics, I made sure to plot a beginning middle and an end.

I also made sure to include the five elements of story plots - (1)beginning (exposition), (2) rising action ( problem conflict), (3) climax/high point, (4), falling action, (5) resolution/ ending.

Ill now give the break down of the story in each section of the song:

Verse one/ exposition: 

Its purpose is to set the scene and tell the listener about where the speaker is, and a piece of additional background information. 

“on this train, I replay my life,

I was an extraordinary wife,”

Firstly, we learn the speaker is on a train, talking about life from her current perspective. We also learn that the person is female and “was” married.

Chorus/ exposition:

The chorus is to add more detail to what the speaker, Rachel, is seeing on the train and we also find out about her drinking addiction.

“With this drink in my hand,

shes seduces her man,

on the other side of this glass, i ride.”

The chorus is the first time we are introduced to another character, the woman Rachel sees on her balcony with her husband in the film. The woman is referred to as “she” in the chorus. I chose the lyric “she” to add distance, i didn't want the woman to sound warm and familiar. I wanted her to sound like the stranger she is to Rachel.

 Rachel can see the couple through the train window “On the other side, of this glass I ride”. 

I chose to avoid using the word window, I feel “glass I ride” makes there seem an even greater barrier between the life of Rachel and the life of the couple. Glass also has negative associations, for example how it can cut you. I felt this could enhance the feeling of hurt Rachel experiences even more so. 

Verse 2/ exposition:

Verse two gives the listener a physical description of the woman on the balcony “her”. The use of only physical description also highlights that Rachel really doesn't know this woman personally.

Her hair, her lips, her legs, her smile,

make me stop, and ponder for a while.

This use of all physical description could also highlight Rachels jealously. She was that beautiful woman once. This helps to highlight the contrast between Rachel all on her own on the moving train and the woman, still on her balcony with her partner. This shows their lives couldn't be more apart from one another.

The line “stop and ponder” is meant to show to the listener, Rachel dwelling on the past again. She is comparing how her life was once like theirs.Now it is just a memory. 

We have the chorus again. The repeat of the same lyrics musically personifies  Rachels addition to alcohol and her idolizing the couple who seem to have the ‘perfect’ life. She does the same thing over and over, similar to us hearing the chorus again.

We finally reach the build-up to the climax in the rising problem section. This occurs in the bridge. this reflects in the music. The listener doesn't know what has happened.

‘No, how an you do that, how can I prove that,

(oh no please go)’

The lack of detail in the lyrics to what Rachel is seeing adds to the build-up of tension. “How can you do that” sounds like an angry and horrified remark.

The line “how can I prove that”, could show Rachels jealously, and imply she wants to interfere and make sure everyone knows what she saw. 

The music intensifies too, we have a new chord progression with a different rhythmic feel. Singing the lyrics very high and the line “oh no please go” shows a vulnerability in Rachels character. She is in blind shock.

In verse 4 we have the climax of the story, we find out what Rachels emotional reaction in the bridge was all about.

“Your life used to be mine, but your lust, got intertwined

 your life deserves to be mine, but now, is not my time’

We again, hear Rachels frustration, wishing she had her old life back, which we realize was very similar to the couple on the balconies’, 

“your life used to be mine”

The listener finally finds out that Rachel sees the woman on the balcony with another man. “but your lust got intertwined”.

The use of this final verse being double its length lyrically adds, to the dramatic effect of the climax. The listener can feel Rachels rage now in the line “your life deserves to be mine” 

This lyric highlights Rachels most obvious jealously so far. which concludes with her lonely statement “but now is not my time”,

 its Rachel realizing she is helpless despite this anger of what she has seen. This is where the climax ends and the falling action begins. This is where Rachel has the realization that things are not what they seem.

The structure ends on a repeat of the chorus twice, with a subtle lyric change  “while she seduces THAT man”” followed by the original lyric the final time.“ her man”

This implies a thought shift in Rachel, she realizes things are not as perfect as they once seemed. The way in which the last time we hear the chorus reverts back to the original lyric implies an acceptance of things now from Rachel. She no longer sees the deception of perfection. Now when she sees the perfect couple she will know the truth behind the facade. This is the final resolution of the lyrics.

To conclude, if I was to compare this songwriting task to my normal process of writing it would be a bit different. I don't normally write about my idea beforehand, i have never used an ideas sketch before. I didn't find it useful for writing lyrics, but it was useful in broadening my lyrical ideas.

 hWe had to form groups of a minimum of 4 people and a maximum of five. I was working in a group of five, Tilly Stanton, Leigh Wyatt, Aaron Eagles, Flora Oakwood and myself, Bridget Holmes.

In our groups, we could either pick our own choice of song that we knew in two versions, or we could use examples given in our lecture. The song had to be interesting to re-arrange and reinvent.   Some of the lecture examples were, 

Otis Redding, “The dock of the bay”. 

This was a good example because it has a very simple structure of verse and chorus alternating with not much of a variation in melody between them. When the bridge section begins there is a lyrical change of focus and a new sense of movement in the song. This is seen in how the verse and chorus  lyrics are very stationary, he is still observing a scene, “Sitting on the dock of the bay”, 

This is a direct contrast to the lyrical focus and melody in the bridge section.

“ Look like nothing's gonna change Everything still remains the same I can't do what ten people tell me to do So I guess I'll remain the same, yes “

Suddenly you can hear frustration rather than passivity in the lyrics. The persona seems to be fed up of this stationary constant we hear about in the verse and chorus. The more decorated melody and stronger singing style in this section also enhances the frustration in the lyrics.

I feel this is a very good use of a contrasting section in a song, it offers a new perspective and melodic excitement. Despite the difference in the bridge section, the song is still very simple and there would be some good opportunities to add new sections and ideas into the song.

Some other good examples shown to us in our lecture were,

Rhianna, Featuring Calvin Harris “We Found love”

The bridge section in “We Found Love” has a similar new musical impact and emotional perspective as seen in “Sitting on the dock of the bay”, despite being an entirely different genre. 

The example in our lecture my group decided to work on was The Animals “House of the rising sun”, however, my group decided that we should adapt the Bob Dylan version instead. 

My group began this task by discussing the instrumentation we could use.  Tilly Stanton knew the song the most, so put forward being lead vocal. We had three guitar players in our group (Tilly Stanton, Leigh Wyatt and Flora Oakwood) so Tilly played bass because there would be a better differentiation of sound in our recording.  Leigh Wyatt played lead guitar on an electric, Flora Oakwood played acoustic rhythm guitar and I played keyboard and flute.

We decided to learn the song in its original entirety first. Not all of us had heard the song before, so this was a chance to get to know it better before we worked on our new section. 

The chords and structure of Bob Dylan's version are: 

Intro: Am C D F Am E Am Am        C              D        F       Am        C     E   There is a house down in New Orleans they call the rising sun         Am      C        D           F        Am   E        Am And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl and me, oh God, I'm one. My mother was a tailor, she sowed these new blue jeans My sweetheart was a gambler, Lord, down in New Orleans. Now the only thing a gambler needs is a suitcase and a trunk And the only time when he's satisfied is when he's on a drunk. He fills his glasses up to the brim and he'll pass the cards around And the only pleasure he gets out of life is rambling from town to town Oh tell my baby sister not to do what I have done But shun that house in New Orleans they call the rising sun. Well with one foot on the platform and the other foot on the train I'm going back to New Orleans to wear that ball and chain. I'm going back to New Orleans, my race is almost run I'm going back to end my life down in the rising sun. There is a house in New Orleans they call the rising sun And it's been the ruin of many a poor girl and me, oh God, I'm one.

There is no specific chorus, but the title lyric “ house of the rising sun” is repeated in most verses. However, every verse is sung a little differently to keep up interest. The rather repetitive structure in this version gave us a lot of scope to add a new section/sections to this piece.

Our final structure of the piece is a mix of Bob Dylan, The Animals and of course our own version-

Intro (Amin, C, D, F, Amin, E, Amin, E) 

Verse one ( Amin, C, D, F, Amin, C, E, C, D, F, Amin, E, Amin, E)

verse two ( same progression as verse one)

Link into new section ( Amin, E, A min, E,)

New section/flute solo (Amin, C, D, F, Dmin, Emin F, Dmin, Emin, F) 

New section/guitar solo (Amin, C, D, F, Amin, E, Amin, E)

New section/ new lyrics/ verse three (same as other verses)

Outro/ (Amin, E, Amin-, Amin, E, F- , Dmin, Emin, F-, Dmin, Emin F-

New sections

We added a flute solo at the end of verse two, which plays a folky rendition of the verse melody with some improvisation also. The chords underneath the flute solo change from the original ones. (Dmin, Emin, F x2) 

This section is followed by a guitar solo, which removes the listener from the folky sound and brings in a more modern perspective to the piece. We used the music and orchestration to give a change of focus, rather than the lyrics initially. 

Verse 3- Aaron Eagles’ wrote some new lyrics for our 3rd and final verse. This final verse has a pulled back feel after the guitar solo. The guitar solo pulls with the timing ever so slightly, which I feel is very effective in making this verse stand out as a new idea. I feel Aarons lyrics create a new perspective in this section, with his use of the first-person narrative “I'm addicted”, “i can't hide”. These are the first lyrics in our version of the song that are directly about the main persona, “i”. These lyrics show the most extreme sense of helplessness and frustration so far in the song i feel. This is similar to the example used in “ sitting on the dock of the bay”. Both songs save the new development sections to show the personas most raw emotions, both lyrically and vocally. Tilly sings in a far more raspy voice by the end, which is very successful in bringing the lyrics to life and making them sound believable. 

(A picture of our new chord progression and Aarons’ verse 3 lyrics) 

The 3rd verse is brought to an outro, which is made up of the repetition of the line “house of the rising sun” with slight different melodic ideas under new changing chords. This effectively gives a very big ending, which is in contrast with the rest of the piece which flows into itself throughout the verses.

Our orchestration -

Flora’s acoustic guitar was used to add more texture to the existing chordal instruments. She wasn't originally going to play, but we decided to add her acoustic guitar when the piano drops out when the flute section begins ( this is because i play both instruments and could do so at the same time). Flora’s guitar enhances the richness of the piece and disguises the keyboard part dropping out. On my keyboard, we decided to use a synth sound rather than the traditional piano. This was because it helped blend into the other instruments better than the sound of a piano. It also added to the bass part by creating a fuller sound. For the flute solo, I used different timbre and octaves on the flute to deliver more interest in the solo. Following the flute solo, there is the electric guitar solo, which consists of an arpeggiated ostinato riff being played using the chords of the intro. This is effective because it adds a modern timbre after the more traditional, folk flute solo. After the guitar solo, all the instruments are back in for one final verse. 

Our recording process -

 We didn't have enough time in our rehearsal to complete the final recording, so we decided to record what we had done so far t the end of our rehearsal to show evidence of our process. Leigh Wyatt said instead of us trying to record live, we should record ourselves individually and send the parts to him so he could create a final mix of the piece by using Cubase, Garageband and Pod farm. This helped to tighten up the structure and enhance the sounds of each instrumental part.

Cubase was used for the general mixing and construction of the song, allowing Leigh to add effects, eq, vst instruments, adjust levels and edit stem files. Leigh also used automation to change the time signature from 3/4 to 4/4 common time.

Leigh creatively added to the peice using Garageband. This was done with his use of vst instruments which changed the sounds and by adding effects.  

He used podfarm for recording guitar parts. He was able to change the tone of the guitar by adjusting settings on a digital amp or by add effects like reverb and delay. Then he concluded by recording this directly into Cubase for later mixing. 

Here are some photos for evidence of Leigh's mixing process using the three different music software.

The first 4 images show Leigh’s work and progress on Cubase. He is adding and building up the samples. Also the 4th picture shows Leigh editing the guitar sounds in the recording. 

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The next picture shows Leigh’s work on Garage band. He is applying the vst sounds, creating a richer sounding instrumentation. 

Finally evidence of Leigh using Pod farm. He is selecting the amp he wants to use in the final recording.

To conclude I feel we completed the task well considering the short time frame. The final comments we received from Chloe and the class implied maybe the flute wasn't the most fitting sound. Normally flutes are associated with happy or feminine things. However I liked the irony of using the flute, I feel high sounds can add a sense of heightened emotional and make you potentially feel uncomfortable. I felt it tied in well in that respect. 

I feel the flute was more appropriate in our first live recording. We were developing the Bob Dylan version, which is folk, so I thought the flute would be fitting. 

Since the final mix, I do see how the flute doesn't sit with the genre so well, The final mix is very modern and digital sounding. I personally like the mix of genres especially commencing the flute solo, in the very edited guitar solo. Chloe said the piece needs developing further, possibly another flute section at the end and more verses.

Dan and I wrote and performed in class the song called "She's gonna burn you out". Unfortunately, we have lost song lyrics. The song represents the beginning of a relationship, love and passion. We though that fire will be the best object to describe the emotions going behind the love affair. Dan and I have represented the beginning of new love as:

"sparkles flew to ignite a passionate glow." "tingly and warm lighting up my soul."

Writing this song, we have imagined very passionate love between, the love which might be so strong that makes our existence to be almost dependent on acceptance of a partner.

"She is a breath of fresh air." "Can't get oxygen elsewhere "

“I hate everyone that I meet” The opening line to Lower than Atlantis’ song, Had Enough is an opening line that serves to instantly hit home the meaning of the song. Building around the theme of reaching the limit of your tolerance has been done before but LTA do it very well. I could quote most of the song as an example of the how well it covers the subject but I’ll stick to a few bits. With its James Bond sounding guitar line, the pre-chorus is a great example as it keeps creates an intense wait before the crashing chorus. The words “I’ve had enough” six times in one chorus could be said to be sloppy song writing but when heard in the context of the song it delivers the whole message into three words. That is a chorus that, I think, depends a lot on its delivery. Going further into the delivery, the almost shouted style of the chorus lends more weight to song’s message. My last example comes from the bridge section where the lyrics “Well I guess it could be me. Quite possibly. I might be scared or insecure, I have been here before” appear. This, much like the chorus lyrics, say the song’s message in simple terms but also give the bridge a slightly different angle. In my interpretation the singer is saying it could be him being difficult but he has his reasons to be so.