Friday Influences Thread - 05-24-13

[Lee Knight]

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It's much easier to pigeonhole and put down than to appreciate what is there of any value. But as songwriters, there is so much good work that falls under the umbrella of "why would I listen to that tripe?".  And then I struggle trying to do what that tripe does so effortlessly.

 

In this case, the crew... "(wiki)The song was written by Sean Douglas, Nikki Williams, Aaron Phillips and Lovato, with the song's producers Mitch Allan and Jason Evigan" do an exceptional job of keeping an unrelenting pace up while dropping bars and beats and whatever, all in the name of moving it forward with urgency.

 

And all while that melody hits the beat in such a powerful way. And visa versa. Talk about simple rhythm. Listen to the simple kick pattern and note how the simple melody of the verses places the lyric over that kick motive. then the elongated and simple chorus melody. Wonderful contrast, followed by cool little 8th note melody tag. Then the bridge using 1/4 note triplets in the melody, providing an additional contrast from section to section.

 

These guys must suck! It's just that lame chick from whatever lame show that is. I'll slam a tune like this, which is really slamming the writers and producers, and then be unable to make my melody and drums team up powerfully. Hmmmm. I do it all the time and more and more I'm realizing that I'll take it from wherever I can take it from.

 

Just cause it ain't Leonard Cohen doesn't mean I can't learn something from it.

 

God this suck, I wish I could do it...

 

 

 

I'll put it out there, if you can't separate one element from the others, you're missing so much great work that could be an inspiration and learning experience. It's all the more a shame when the element that can't be overlooked is the pop packaging. Or the genre. As if we're still 17 and buying into the mystique of the performer and album cover art. This isn't a Demi Lovato track, this is a track created by the writers and producers listed above.

[rsadasiv]

Club Kids, circa 1992

 

Future Mrs. S and I were living on one floor of a Wicker Park rowhouse down the street from the Opus Dei church:

 

A couple of blocks away, there was a bar called the Artful Dodger:

 

There was a bar in the front room and a dance floor in the back. The well drinks from the bar came with glow sticks in them.

and the back room had black lights and trippy graffitti on the walls. Usually something like this was playing:

 

The Artful Dodger stayed open until 2. If you weren't ready to go home yet (remember the glow sticks?) you could walk up to Blue Note on Armitage, which was a super smoky basement bar that stayed open until 4. The jukebox was good, filled with Blue Note jazz records as well as classic Chicago blues:

 

If you still weren't ready to go home (some of those *glow sticks* lasted longer than others) you could walk across the Cortland bridge

past the Finkl factory

and over to Old Town, where you could get a greasy breakfast at Nookie's Diner.

 

I had a friend who lived in a coach house/studio above a garage in Old Town. She tended bar and kept strange hours but she was usually good for some French press coffee, a couple of bowls and some chill music:

 

Then on Monday morning, load up the walkman with appropriate tapes for the ride in to work:

 

Good times, back in the day.

[Lee Knight]

What a great post, Ram. Excalibur/Limelight, Cabaret Metro, Cubby Bear, lots of smallish but way cool spots as well... I can't remember all the Chicago clubs I used to hit. Some glow sticks do last longer than others. Awesome post. 

[LCK]

 

This was an inspiration for two of my own recent products: "I've Lost My Touch," and "Someone New."

Normally, I'm not a fan of Rod McKuen songs, and this one has its flaws, but I really like it anyway.

"Don't tell me any more lies.

I can't waste any more years.

I've seen my image in your eyes

dissolve in disappointed tears..."

 

By the way, it's widely known that Sinatra's greatest albums were about his break-up with Ava Gardner. The album this song is from came after his divorce from Mia Farrow...

[blue2blue]

I've been falling in love with Rokia Traor

[Mudcat007]

Regarding that Demi Lovato tune, I agree about the craft related to the song itself and how the arrangement supports it.  Unfortunately I just can't get past the instrumentation.  Never been a fan of this style.  Wish I could write lyrics and melodies like that though.

[Lee Knight]

Great points Mudcat The reason I chose such an obviously incongruence turn to this board is to point out a couple of things.

 

Finding great rhythms for melody lines are all around us not just in the obvious cool sources. How they work with a drum rhythm is an awesome study.

[Lee Knight]

It's all too easy to dismiss great sources of inspiration because of style.

[rsadasiv]

Daft Punk is playing at my house...

 

[LCK]

You can almost taste the Lone Star beer in the first track, almost see the sun set over Rio Grande on the second, and almost taste that Lone Star beer again in the third.

 

 

 

[LCK]