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Showing posts with label paul simon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paul simon. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Song Number 24: Never Again

Tight Pants Time, chaps!

Now do your good deed for the day and donate a few quid to Parkinson's UK by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/songaweek or clicking the widget on the top right!

This came out a little more 90s than I expected, but that sort of thing's in fashion at the moment... isn't it?  Anyway, I'm quietly chuffed with this one.  I wrote the chords on guitar first, then the melody for the chorus came next.  If you checked out the Paul Simon interview I posted (if you didn't, click here now!) you might recall him talking about words being suggested by a certain note requiring a certain vowel - the top Bs in the chorus were never going to have an "EEE" sound, because it sounds ghastly, but an "EH" sound is much more pleasing to the ear (and easier to sing), so "nEHver again" appeared through the mists.

I'm coming up to the half way point of Song A Week 2011 (already!) and I'm planning on doing a quick video blog to say hello, say thank you, and sum up the first six months of the project.  I'll also gladly answer any questions you might have about SAW2011, the fundraising, my songwriting or anything like that, so if there's anything you've been absolutely burning to ask me for the last six months but couldn't bring yourself to ask it on here, then drop me a line through www.peterfalconer.co.uk/contact.  If not, I wouldn't blame you in the slightest!


Thanks again to all of you for your support, comments and donations so far - keep them all coming!

Monday, 6 June 2011

Paul Simon interview

Following the Graceland-esque style of the melody/lyric in song 20, I just wanted to post a link to a tremendous interview with Paul Simon (thanks to Steve Piggott for putting me on to this):


YouTube Link

It's the first of seven videos, so take the time to go through them.  In the interview, he briefly describes how he got started in the industry, but the bulk is taken up with him talking in great detail about his songwriting process.  I'm delighted to say that it's very similar to how I write songs - though as of yet I haven't written anything as good as Bridge Over Troubled Water.  It's very organic, often starting with a simple chord progression and lyrical phrase, and then seeing what images present themselves.  The song is allowed to grow in its own way, though occasionally it needs a little pruning (if, say, a rhyme/image/chord change comes up that's just too obvious).  I particularly like his comments about keeping the audience interested by avoiding clichés but also making sure they're comfortable and aren't struggling to find, say, a beat they can tap their foot to.

Paul Simon will also be playing the title role in
"The Mel Brooks Story" on Hallmark
There's a lot of Paul Simon's output that's not to everybody's taste - not even to mine - but he really has written some tremendous tracks - Cecilia, Still Crazy After All These Years, Bridge Over Troubled Water, 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (how many times has Sting ripped the verse of this song off?), You Can Call Me Al, Hazy Shade of Winter...  If you haven't heard the Graceland album yet, you really should check it out - some wonderful melodies, and fascinating lyrics.  Also responsible for some of the worst drum sounds on record, but let's not worry about that.

Before I move away from the Paul Simon thing, I'd just like to point out something on the Bridge Over Troubled Water album cover.





If you cover Paul Simon's face, it looks like Art Garfunkel is sporting an enormous handlebar moustache.  Call me childish, but it never ceases to amuse me.

WEBSITE UPDATE

On the Just The Songs page, for ease of browsing, the song titles are accompanied by an approximate description of their genres .

Thursday, 2 June 2011

Song Number 20: A Thousand Cones

Here's me trying to be Paul Simon!


I've been playing a bit more classical piano lately, and it's spilled over into Song A Week, it seems.  The words are culled from the Memory Lane section of a local newspaper.  Bit different, anyway - hope you like it!

More later, but in the meantime, please post your comments, send the blog around to your friends, and please donate some cash to Parkinson's UK!
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