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One More Round 0

Lou's News / Music

Every Song Tells a Story: One More Round

The Story

I got the idea for “One More Round” while thinking about drinking songs one day. I thought to myself, “I need a good drinking song.” Most of the gigs I play are in bars and clubs and everyone’s drinking, so why not? Let’s get them invested and give them something they can relate to, right?

A simple drinking song wasn’t good enough for me, though. Being a fan of artists like John Lennon and Paul Westerberg, I admired their use of double entendres and wordplay. One of Paul’s more famous twists (and he used it in multiple songs) is when he sings something about “whose Suicide you’re on.” I’ve always loved that one.

So it occurred to me at some point that the term “One More Round” could actually mean more than one thing. One more round of poker. One more round of golf. One more round of drinks. One more round of applause. That was all I needed to bang out the lyrics in about five minutes. While writing the lyrics, the chords took shape in my head and yes, it was that simple.

It’s by no means a complicated song. Not counting the bridge, it’s all of three chords but many a fun song has been created using three chords, right? It became quite popular at shows so we often close with it. It’s a good one to jam to, has lots of good energy, and gets people singing along. Can’t ask for more than that.

The Recording

Once the lyrics and chord progression were in place, the recording was pretty simple. From the get-go, I knew that near the end I wanted to have a drums-only chorus section which would be where I’d try to get people to sing along at shows. So while recording the drum track (which I usually do first) I made sure it happened. I didn’t have a bridge in mind so I just played some hits and fills and figured I’d play something over it later, which I did. I do this a lot with songs where I don’t have a specific part figured out in the pre-composition phase. Gotta keep moving forward, right?

I used my trusty Rickenbacker 4001 bass and my ’52 Reissue telecaster for the basic tracks. For the missing bridge parts, I played D-E-F#-A and backed that up on guitar. Easy! After that, I threw an organ backing track down which I hope to insert into the live shows once I get a good keyboard player. I would love to have a good organ part there. Mine is pretty basic.

It was all guitar and vocals after that. The lead guitar parts are always tough for me. I experimented a little with acoustic slide guitar. I can’t say I’m totally thrilled with how it came out. I split the solo into half acoustic slide and half electric slide. The electric part came out better. When we do this song live, I actually play harmonica instead and like that better. If I ever re-record this one, I’ll do that instead.

The lead vocal was easy to do and everything just fell into place exactly as I heard it in my head. The backing vocals are a little weird but somehow they work. I’m sure a real singer or vocal coach or producer might cringe a little listenting closely, but honestly, I don’t care. When we play it live, it’s more of a gang vocal thing, plus the crowd is always singing along, it seems.

On the whole, I think this one only took a few hours to complete. Not bad!

 

The Lyrics

I’m tired of holding
I’m tired of folding
I ain’t seen a face in forty hands
You run your mouth
And I’ll run my business
Baby I was born to take this chance, so…

Rock me baby – Gimme one more round
Rock me sugar – Gimme one more round
Rock me honey – Gimme one more round
Rock me baby – Gimme one more round

Tap the ball
Drop it in the cup
That’s a big eighteen, baby shake my hand
Now go get your bag
Meet me at the One
Let’s tear the green grass up again

Sun’s going down
I find a seat
Have a drink, maybe find a new friend
I check my watch
It’s just 3am
It’s a crazy night – we can’t let it end, so…

I take the stage
Play my guitar
Make you smile, make you sing along
Don’t sit there staring
Get up on your feet
Put your hands together, wanna hear you all night long

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My Own Private Babylon 2

Lou's News / Music

Every Song Tells A Story: My Own Private Babylon

The Story

This song is about an aging rock star, sung from his point of view. He’s an amalgam of sorts. I guess you could say he’s based on a few characters, both real and fictional.

One of those would definitely be WASP’s Chris Holmes. I am by no means a big fan of WASP but Holmes was famously interviewed for the documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, during which he floated on a raft in a pool (fully clothed) guzzling three different bottles of vodka (and also pouring it over his head). He referred to himself as a “full-blown alcoholic” and even a “piece of crap”. He said he’d probably be dead in a few years and didn’t seem to care. This was all in front of his mother, mind you, who sat poolside trying to maintain her composure.

I guess there’s also a little Joe Walsh in this song. His big hit “Life’s Been Good” also covers the same subject matter. I think I tried to capture a little of his humor in my song. He has a line that goes, “I’m making records, my fans they can’t wait. They write me letters, tell me I’m great.” I have a similar line about devoted fans that keep me so rich, I haven’t done a thing in years. Of course, the “me” is the character and not really me. Wouldn’t that be nice.

There’s definitely some (older) Elvis Presley in the song. The list goes on. You can take any pompous rock and roll star and adapt them as you see fit, I suppose.

Structurally, the song is a musical transcription of an interview, I suppose. The aging rocker has allowed a journalist into his home. The rocker is quite friendly but clearly not sober, even directing his assistants (Hey, Pierre – don’t put that there…) while showing the reporter around his mansion.

He’s had enough success that he doesn’t really need to work anymore, but he’s completely bored and depressed. He’s hardly ever in the news except for the rare gossip column where he makes a drunken fool of himself. In fact, he’s really happy to have this interview, which is probably the first one he’s had in years. People aren’t interested in him anymore, which is why he’s depressed and suicidal – yet still partying it up like a madman.

The unfortunate truth is he’s waiting around to die. He drinks way too much, does every drug put in his face, has totally let himself go and yet, he’s still here. He can’t seem to figure out why. I know it’s grim but hey, I just write them as they come to me.

There’s some commentary about the music scene itself in the lyrics. Popular music has a way of changing quickly and ferociously leaving many who cannot adapt behind. I always envisioned the song’s protagonist to be one of these people. He’s perhaps the aged rocker who is not quite as relevant as he once was, trying to deal with the new music scene. Underneath it all, though, he’s quite depressed and even suicidal. The line about trying to check out before the real hurting starts refers to this.

I had a lot of fun writing this one because I was writing it as a character, much like acting in a play. Once I became the character, the words just poured out and what you hear in the song is what was written that same day, pretty much unchanged. The melody made itself known as I was writing the lyrics so when it came time to record, there wasn’t much left to compose.

While the song is a bit dreary under the covers, it was actually written to be a bit humorous and tongue-in-cheek on the surface. It’s a satirical look at celebrity and what goes along with it, nothing more.

 

The Recording

This was a quick one to record. I already had the song in my head when I sat down to play the drum track so all I had to do was throw in the fun stuff like accents and stops, some of which were simply made up right there on the spot. I like to do that, actually. It’s fun trying to record around and on top of a drum track once it’s done.

The small riff that is repeated in this song was composed while recording the bass track. Sometimes, when I record bass directly after the drums, I do a lot of composing via bass. The rhythm section completes the foundation and sets the tone for everything else recorded afterward. The little riff just happened by accident here and decided to stick around for the duration.

The bridge was also composed at this time. While recording the drum track, I knew I wanted a bridge of some kind for the song but didn’t know what to play in that space. I wondered what would happen if I just played a slower part there instead. In the end, that’s what I did but I didn’t know what would be there musically, only that there would be a slower part in the bridge. There wouldn’t be any lead vocal either, I decided. So, while playing the bass track, I went from C to E twice and then from G to A twice. It sounded weird to me at first but it grew on me.

There are both acoustic and electric guitars on the track. The acoustic was added to fill out the sound a little but also to provide a different tone than the usual electric noise. You can hear it pretty well in the bridge. These were all quick takes and fun to play.

Rounding out the sound are some keyboards. You’ll hear  mostly organ sounds but there are a few cool things going on in the bridge. It’s mostly stock stuff but fairly effective.

I admit that I had a lot of fun with the backing vocals. I had a few people tell me I need to do more with backing tracks so I tried to hunker down and put some really good “Ahhhhs” in there. I was very happy with the way they came out after a couple of hours screaming in my living room.

The lead vocal was a breeze for me. It felt more like talking than singing and I think the result really worked. The cocky rock star thing comes off and I think people can recognize the character and the message, whether they just have a laugh at his expense or see some of the issues underneath.

I always get comments about the little ad-libs at the end. I’m not sure where they came from. They were spontaneously yelled out while recording. You can interpret them any way you like. Are they they ramblings of a drunken, aging rock star who forgot he was giving an interview and thought he was actually on a stage? Maybe he feels he always IS on a stage? Is he the last of his kind? You make the call. Good night, New Jersey.

 

Lyrics

Take it in – Have a swim
I’ll watch your face with a polite grin
I confess – It’s a mess
Take off your gloves I’ll never pass that test

Still alive – flying high
Trying to burn out but not fade away
Hey Pierre – Don’t put that there
I might fall down and bust my derriere

Don’t know how I get through the day
I’m tired, I’m hungover, and you’re in my way
Don’t try to save this ship I’m on
I’m just living in style in my own private Babylon

It’s a simple thing – I’m the king
I don’t throw parties, people bring them to me
What the hell? What’s that smell?
Something’s dead in the roach motel

I got five master bedrooms
I got three heated pools
I got my own bowling alley
I got a helicopter on the roof

I got fans so devoted
I can make them spray tears
They’re keeping me so rich
I haven’t done a thing in years

Talent is irrelevant
It’s all about how you look
There’s no need for me to read
Because I wrote the book

I bet you don’t think
I see this hole in my heart
I’m just trying to check out
Before the hurting starts

 

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There You Are 0

Lou's News / Music

Every Song Tells A Story: There You Are

The Story

This song was a very interesting one for me in that it wasn’t written in the usual way. I wrote it with my friend Doug Brehm one night. Doug and I usually hang out together on random Friday nights to either watch a flick or play some video games and drink a few beers. I’ve known Doug since high school and while he’s always a bit timid about his playing, he’s actually quite melodic and has developed his own little style of playing based on folks like Andy Summers of The Police and The Edge of U2.

One Friday night I was home noodling with a chord/riff when he called to see if I wanted to hang out. I asked him if perhaps he’d like to have a songwriting session instead of the usual movie watching session or a night of virtual zombie/alien killing. He seemed up for it, so I packed up my guitar, bass, and Macbook Pro and traveled up to his place.

Everything we did that night over a couple of beers was very productive. We sat there and wrote just about the whole song except for the lyrics which I wrote a couple of days later. It was a great night of bouncing ideas back and forth and seeing what stuck. I really enjoy collaborative songwriting and while I always have the offer out there, people rarely take me up on it. You would think that in the digital age this would be quite common but songwriters are fickle souls and sometimes don’t like to collaborate for whatever reason. What happened in Doug’s basement was a great example of two people just creating something from nothing in a positive and honest way.

Like I said, I wrote the lyrics a few days after we wrote the song. The intention was to keep the subject of the song ambiguous so the listener could make it about someone of their own choice. At first listen, you might suspect it’s a love song about a girl, as many songs are. If that works for you, that’s great and that’s what it’s about for you. I specifically left gender out so that if the listener was a female, she could sing along with the same emotion as a male singing to a female. I’ve always found it awkward singing songs by female artists and having to switch the gender around. Sometimes it works well, other times not.

For me, however, this song is about God. The lyrics leave it open, which is nice, but if you really look at the words, I’m singing about God: Every time I need somebody/When my friends leave me stranded/When I feel like I can’t make it/Every time I think I’m losing you.

People have very strong beliefs about religion and sometimes have trouble separating it from spirituality. I’m more spiritual than religious. I believe there is a God. Others don’t. Who’s right? We don’t know. It all comes down to faith. I didn’t really set out to write a song about God – it just happened. I don’t fight inspiration.

So in the end, this song wound up being quite poignant and serious for me. I write lots of fun songs but I enjoy serious songs as well and this one ended up being one of my favorites. It started as a joint writing session with no real direction and ended up being a good song (in my opinion) with a reflective message; something people could personalize and make mean whatever else,  should they wish. Not bad!

The Recording

The recording session started out in my friend Doug’s basement. I had this little riff I was noodling around with and that ended up being the intro and main hook of the song. I felt we needed some kind of beat behind it though, in order to kick start the writing process. So we hooked up the Mac to some monitors and I fished around for a drum loop that I thought might work. The one you hear in the finished track is the one I ended up using. I don’t even think I changed it in any way. It was like using a non-programmed drum machine. The beat played over and over until I stopped it. It just worked. I didn’t even add accents or other percussion. It’s a mellow song that didn’t warrant anything other than a laid back beat. I usually like to play my own drums but I got so used to hearing the loop that I just left it alone. It sounded right to me and I’ve learned to not mess with something if it feels and sounds right.

While we did some recording that night together, it was basically just for the purpose of getting the ideas down in the computer so that I had something to go on when I got back home. Doug and I went through some ideas, discarded others and eventually worked out a nice, simple progression that felt good. We packed it up and I went home. I believe I wrote the lyrics the following Monday while at work and then finished up the song that Wednesday. Everything about this song just literally fell into place.

I re-recorded everything except the drum loop. I believe I started with the main acoustic guitar track, just to get some melody in there. The main riff is a fun one for me and reminds me of something a little Sting-ish. It gracefully descends and sounds like it should resolve somewhere else but doesn’t, which adds a little tension. I enjoy that. There are lots of Major 7th chords in there. In fact, the entire bridge is comprised of them. They sound so nice and full.

I remember coming up with the bass line while at Doug’s place. We were both on guitar and at one point I remember thinking, “This is silly. Why are we both on guitar? Let me get the bass out.” So I did that and as Doug played the riff over and over, I starter working in this sort of alien bass line that didn’t really seem to match what was going on with the acoustic. Of course, that intrigued me even more. It’s got that bit of counterpoint that just seemed to work. There are also some fun bass fills in the bridge if you listen closely. They remind me of something Lenny Kravitz would do for some reason.

After adding more guitars and some of the vocals, I had Doug come back over and lay down the guitar solo. I really wanted him to do it because I knew he’d come up with something cool and something totally different than what I would do. I gave him a copy of the work-in-progress track so he could get some ideas. He came down totally prepared with a really nice solo in mind that I absolutely loved. After a few takes, we got it down and the song came that much more alive.

The vocals were pretty simple. The usual light reverb on the verses and choruses did the trick. I added some harmony to the last chorus for effect. I tried to make it a little more powerful so that when it broke down at the end there would be some nice contrast. As for the bridge, I knew I needed something else there so I tried some oohs and ahhs, drenched in reverb. It’s amazing what some ambient vocals can add to a song.

Like I said before, everything just seemed to fall into place. Divine Intervention? Could be. All I know is that I’m quite happy with the final product. I hope you like it.

The Lyrics

I woke up this morning with the sun shining in my eyes
I had a feeling everything was all right
The pain that I had yesterday faded in the night
I can’t bring back the memory now if I tried

For a while I traveled underground and lost the light of day
Never thought that I could make a mistake
Reflections can be so painful if you take them the wrong way
But the mirror is smiling back today

And I wouldn’t be here without you…

Every time I need somebody now – there you are
When my friends leave me stranded – there you are
When I feel like I can’t make it – there you are
Every time I think I’m losing you – there you are

So many people living, breathing in our space and time
No reason anybody should be alone
You can’t call it hanging out when you’re the last one in the room
Say goodbye to the past, you have to let go

And I wouldn’t know it without you…

Every time I need somebody now – there you are
When my friends leave me stranded – there you are
When I feel like I can’t make it – there you are
Every time I think I’m losing you – there you are

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