There's something to challenging myself to create really great content you'll enjoy listening to. Understand, however, as an artist I can't cater to you. When I start doing things people expect, I don't do my best work. So, I like doing something new and fresh every time.
In this case, I'm challenging myself to take on my guitar teacher, Doug Marks. When I got into my motorcycle accident in 1983, I didn't know where I'd end up. I ended up living with my grandparents and was getting bored. I couldn't walk very well and everything hurt. But I picked up a copy of Guitar Magazine and found this little advertisement that said if I paid the man $60 bucks, I'd have all the guitar lessons I'd ever need.
So, I clunked down my money and got the courses. Doug wasn't wrong. I learned so much from the lessons. But as time went on and my life began evolving, I had to put the guitar down and start making a living. As it is today, it's hard to support an original band when the pay is small and the risks are high.
Never the less, I kept my lessons and when times weren't so lean, I picked up the guitar again. As the years went on, Doug's lessons went to video. He also picked up a few new instructors.
In this piece, I lean on guitar riff #50 from "Riffology". See the video montage, below.
From there, I wanted to write a song about following your dreams. Or better yet, write a song about how people telling you following your dreams is a waste of time.
So, I wrote the following words. We'll see where we end up.
Tried to steal your fire
Called you a liar
Told you your dreams
Would never come true (look at you)
But come the morning
You remember their warning
Voices sing to you in the night
They were right they say
Don’t quit your daydream
The tide will turn
Take your shot
Give it all you got
Let your fire burn
Don’t quit your daydream
Keep it burning bright
Never count you out
Don't give into doubt
Go screaming in the night
Mister Daydream
Mister Daydream
Truth be told
Dreams never get old
You’re still that half past crazy child
You are wild
Give it all you got
Or die trying
Just look around
youll see the lost not found
you know those people could be you
you know what to do
Don’t quit your daydream
Let your fire burn
It’s your only shot
Give it all you got
Or die trying
Once they whispered in your ear
You started to doubt
You started to believe them
Now you can’t leave them
When your soul wants to shout
For my next blog, I'll go over the words a little more and talk you through some preproduction steps I use to help get the song to shape up.
Again, we want to suck just enough to get the words down, get the melody right and all that. We don't want to get stuck in tweak-mode, where we just keep editing. If you're a creative type, like me, all that production stuff takes the fun out of writing a good song.
So, we want to get the brass tacks of the song down, and keep working on the lyrics. They must tell a good story.
Love & Rockets,
Russ