Here’s another song that made it onto my full-length album from last Summer. I wrote it walking down Logan Boulevard after a few beers in the middle of the day on President’s Day. When I went to record the original (which you can listen to here) I think I had a tough time with the music. Nothing seemed to fit.
This new version, though, fits pretty well into the music. It came together really easy even though I had to write an extra verse and re-write a few of the lines. Definitely a complete re-vamp for this one.
So let me know what you think. I’ll probably start playing this version out at shows, cause I always liked the song, but never really the arrangement of the original.
Also, the Barehand Jugband has a show tomorrow at Quenchers. Come out and see us for the first time back in Chicago after our big win at the National Jug Band Battle up in Minneapolis. It’s only 5 bucks. We go on at 11pm sharp.
Here’s the make-up for missing the Talkin’ Tuesday writeup yesterday. All these headlines are from cnn.com on Tuesday.
I actually played Talkin’ Headline #13 out at the show I had at Cafe Mustache on February 4. I think it went over pretty well. The whole show was pretty good too. Al Scorch moanin and shoutin, I rambled through some tunes. I’ll probably put together another night there coming up in a couple months, so watch out for that.
Just got back form the National Battle of the Jug Bands up in Minneapolis yesterday night, so I didn’t’ get a chance to write or record the next version of Talkin’ Headline Blues. No fear, though. There’s plenty of great headlines today and I’ll have a new one up to listen to tomorrow.
Now, maybe you’re wondering how the battle went? Well, the Barehand Jugband took everyone to task and won the Sunday night Waffle League and brought home the big bacon.
This new one I wrote last week. I’ve really been listening to a lot of gospel tunes lately, and while this song ain’t necessarily a straight up Gospel tune it’s definitely headed in that direction. Or inspired in that way.
But it’s also a folk tune, no doubt. It’s hard to get away from that. Doing something that’s so easy and comes so free.
And this one came pretty free and easy. Probably took about 15 minutes or so to get the basic idea and structure down. Then another 20 or so to get all the verses written. When I went to set music to it I had to switch around a few of the words and drop some, and, of course, figure out some sort of melody. That went pretty smooth.
I first wrote and recorded “Only Trying to Say What Comes to Me,” this week last year and knew I had a pretty good song when I wrote it. Was one of those that took about 25 minutes to completely finish, music and all. One of those you don’t have to work at really at all.
The version I put on my full-length album is pretty much the exact same as the original recording, which you can listen to here.
So, it was kind of difficult to try and rewrite this thing. What direction do I go? I tried blues and I tried a waltz and I tried starting with the repeating line.
None of that worked. So I just rewrote the song completely.
Now, I’m not sure you can rewrite a song if you use all the same words. I bet, though, that every folk musician from Woody Guthrie on down would probably disagree, but also wouldn’t want to let out their secret.
Anyway.
The music is completely different. Sounds like a a pop tune from a Romantic Comedy movie or something. And the words, while sort of retaining some similarity to the original, really end up changing the entire direction of what the song can be about. Or is about. Or should be about.
One of the great things about the original recording is that it has a bunch of different meanings. Anyone could think anything about it.
I knew what I wrote it about (sort of) when I wrote it. But, of course, after I sang it a few times and recorded it I realized it was about 4 or 5 completely different things.
This new version I’m not sure has that kind of depth. I guess I don’t really know, though, since I just redid it last night and really only listened to it a couple times. It’s more or less a love song now. Or that’s how I see it. It’s someone for someone else and that’s it. I think.
The original version wasn’t that.
Anyway. Have fun listening. Let me know what you think and come back tomorrow to hear the original recording.
Music Vomit 