It's So Easy (lyric in process)

[Lee Knight]

OK... this is going to be a modern pop thing. Just got it driving in this morning. Four on the floor kick, tuned vocals, synths, etc., my daughter singing. Think female Owl City.

I'm trying to get this sort of thing where every kid is tempted by falling in line and being a clone of the next just because... it's so easy. But hey, that sucks.

I've got the music firmly bouncing in my head. I'll try and post an acoustic guitar and voice later.

Ideas? Slams? Good vibes? 's?

Posted after initial post.


It's So Easy

You've been walkin' around
Through the streets of this town
Never understand a thing you see
It's like you're play acting dead
Eyes fixed straight ahead
Nothin' matters much, it seems (need new line)

Pre1
Faster faster we spin around
So why does it feel like it's slowing down?

C1
It's so easy
So easy to fall... for you
It's so easy
Every time you call... I do
Sometimes I wanna dive into your eyes
Fall asleep and fantasize
Cause what can any one girl do?
It's so easy... to melt into you
It's so easy... but that's not what I'm gonna do

V2
Oh, I can't explain today
But I'll remember tonight
I'm distracted by the static
(I'm gonna) Open my eyes and look around
Up in the sky and underground
Stop getting by on automatic

Pre2
Faster faster I'm holdin' on
I'm keepin' up, I'm going, going gone

C2
It's so easy
So easy to fall... for you
It's so easy
Every time you call... I do
Sometimes I wanna dive into your eyes
Fall asleep and fantasize
Cause what can any one girl do?
It's so easy... to melt into you
It's so easy... but that's not what I'm gonna do

[RickDieffenbach]

Cool, but help me out ... I'm quite a few years different from your daughters age... how does the:

The world keeps spinning 'round
But I swear it's slowing down

... relate?

Rick

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by RickDieffenbach

Cool, but help me out ... I'm quite a few years different from your daughters age... how does the:

The world keeps spinning 'round
But I swear it's slowing down

... relate?

Rick

People are getting dumber? Lazier. Is that too cryptic?

[rsadasiv]

V2 is the strongest.

Title shared with well known songs by Linda Ronstadt and Guns n Roses.

Pre-chorus reads like a slightly re-arranged version of a Police song ("When the world is running down/You take the best of what's still around").

[rangefinder]

I like the verses. The pre-chorus is a little puzzling. The chorus is a LOT puzzling. And I'm not getting any kind of hook from the lyrics alone. Unfortunately that's kinda the opposite order from what I would generally want to see first.

So... maybe flip it around. Give us the hook first, lyrics + melody, or a reworked chorus...

[rhino55]

hmmmmm


I tried to write this song, or one very similar, when I first started writing, but could never get it where I wanted it. I think it will resonate well with a teenage audience.

I'm not sure how I feel about the pre-chorus. I get what you're saying but I'd almost like to see a reference to the world/people going faster but really slowing down. I'm thinking of technology. Smart phones don't make us any smarter but it sure makes us think people care about what we had for dinner. That might be a whole bag of worms you don't want to get into. And to make something like that work, you might have to re-work a verse to explain further, but what you have is already good.

[rsadasiv]

Chorus would be better without the first two lines.

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by rangefinder

I like the verses. The pre-chorus is a little puzzling. The chorus is a LOT puzzling. And I'm not getting any kind of hook from the lyrics alone. Unfortunately that's kinda the opposite order from what I would generally want to see first.

So... maybe flip it around. Give us the hook first, lyrics + melody, or a reworked chorus...

All good points. It will be hook laden. The "puzzling" comment is making me take notice here. So clearly I'm not getting the message across.

Pre:
The world keeps spinning 'round
But I swear it's slowing down

Pre message^:
Everyone says the works keeps turning but it sure feels like it's just slowing down and eveyone falling asleep at the wheel.

C:
It's so easy... so easy to sleep
It's so easy... though all the pressure and heat
Sometimes I wanna dive into your eyes
Cuddle up and fantasize
Cause what can any one girl do?
It's so easy... to fall into you
It's so easy... but that's not what I'm gonna do

C message^:
It's so easy to be Kardasian and watch E!or just get all googoo eyed over your boy (and God knows I want to) and tune the world out but that's copping out. So I'm not going to do it like everyone else. I'm awake and alive.

That not getting through? I need to fix that.

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by rhino55

hmmmmm


I tried to write this song, or one very similar, when I first started writing, but could never get it where I wanted it. I think it will resonate well with a teenage audience.

I'm not sure how I feel about the pre-chorus. I get what you're saying but I'd almost like to see a reference to the world/people going faster but really slowing down. I'm thinking of technology. Smart phones don't make us any smarter but it sure makes us think people care about what we had for dinner. That might be a whole bag of worms you don't want to get into. And to make something like that work, you might have to re-work a verse to explain further, but what you have is already good.

Bingo! Yeah, the idea of the world speeding up while its inhabitants slow down. I like that. I did think of mentioning tech but... that's an old guy talking to kids. They don't think tech, they live it. So I believe a simple speeding up while everyone's getting stupider and slowing down... That's the key to dee pre.

[rhino55]

Originally Posted by Lee Knight

Bingo! Yeah, the idea of the world speeding up while its inhabitants slow down. I like that.

faster faster we spin around
why does it feel like we're slowing down

[Lee Knight]

 

Originally Posted by rsadasiv

Chorus would be better without the first two lines.

 

I think a rewrite of lyric rather than dropping the space. It all works musically. So, is the basic premise of "It's So Easy" flawed? I really wanted to write to a known title. So the listener is impelled to ask, "What's so easy". And then I want to answer that question, "It's so easy to be a zombie. But I won't do it".

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by rhino55

faster faster we spin around
why does it feel like we're slowing down

S'good. To the music:

Faster... faster... spinnin' 'round
So why does it feel... ... ...we're slowing down?

[rsadasiv]

 

Originally Posted by Lee Knight

I think a rewrite of lyric rather than dropping the space. It all works musically. So, is the basic premise of "It's So Easy" flawed? I really wanted to write to a known title. So the listener is impelled to ask, "What's so easy". And then I want to answer that question, "It's so easy to be a zombie. But I won't do it".

 

I just think that "Sometimes I wanna dive into your eyes" is much more immediate and direct than "It's so easy", which, as you point out, is begging a question instead of making a statement.

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by rsadasiv

V2 is the strongest.

It is. The 1st works for me though with the exception of the last line:

People walkin' around
Through the streets of this town
Never understand a thing they see
It's like they're play actin' dead
Eyes fixed straight ahead
Zombie apocalypse "as seen on TV"

Trust for now that the music works. The syllable count from V1 to V2 is different and that is intentional. V2 will be a blast out of C1 with a while different cadence but still relating to V1 musically. So V1 has a very hooky melody that'll sell it. It's the Zombie thing that feels fake. I like the pop culture of it but it feels a little songwritery. Author's intrusion.

What I like about V1 is the girl, right off the bat, is relating to a lot of teens. People suck. As I grow older, I really the people around me. Look at 'em. They're {censored}ing zombies! Walk up assholes!!!!

^ I like that sort of in your face teen empowerment of the smart and strong. How can I get that in a bottle?

[rsadasiv]

The Kardashians live in LA, and no one walks in LA.

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by rsadasiv

I just think that "Sometimes I wanna dive into your eyes" is much more immediate and direct than "It's so easy", which, as you point out, is begging a question instead of making a statement.

Let me sing it today and see if you still feel that way. You quite likely are right but it is really written to music in my head. I wanna see if it flies that way. I'll try and post this afternoon.

I totally hear what you're saying and you may be very right here. We'll be closer to knowing with the music though.

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by rsadasiv

The Kardashians live in LA, and no one walks in LA.

Like hell they don't. That's a cliche. They walk. Through the Galleria, down Melrose, from their car to Nordstroms, sometimes when there isn't a drive-thru they even walk into Starbucks. They walk, stupidly, but they walk. Like zombies. See?

And the Kardashians are not LA. They are sadly nationwide. This isn't about LA, it's about people. The Kardasians are in every trailer in Ohio via the box, baby.

[rhino55]

Originally Posted by Lee Knight

It is. The 1st works for me though with the exception of the last line:

People walkin' around
Through the streets of this town
Never understand a thing they see
It's like they're play actin' dead
Eyes fixed straight ahead
Zombie apocalypse "as seen on TV"

Trust for now that the music works. The syllable count from V1 to V2 is different and that is intentional. V2 will be a blast out of C1 with a while different cadence but still relating to V1 musically. So V1 has a very hooky melody that'll sell it. It's the Zombie thing that feels fake. I like the pop culture of it but it feels a little songwritery. Author's intrusion.

What I like about V1 is the girl, right off the bat, is relating to a lot of teens. People suck. As I grow older, I really the people around me. Look at 'em. They're {censored}ing zombies! Walk up assholes!!!!

^ I like that sort of in your face teen empowerment of the smart and strong. How can I get that in a bottle?

I agree, but I don't like 'town/around' especially given that you're using around in the pre-chorus.

Also 'as seen on TV' doesn't feel quite right. These aren't the zombies from the walking dead. These are the zombies foretold by Huxley in Brave New World. They are zombies because all they do is watch TV and post about it on twitter or whatever else.

[rsadasiv]

Originally Posted by Lee Knight

Like hell they don't. That's a cliche. They walk. Through the Galleria, down Melrose, from their car to Nordstroms, sometimes when there isn't a drive-thru they even walk into Starbucks. They walk, stupidly, but they walk. Like zombies. See?

And the Kardashians are not LA. They are sadly nationwide. This isn't about LA, it's about people. The Kardasians are in every trailer in Ohio via the box, baby.

[Oswlek]

Yeah, "as seen on TV" is extraneous. We all know what a zombie is, whether it is in a comic book, TV, movies, etc. The message of the chorus isn't quite clear to me, though I get what you say in the posts below.

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by rsadasiv

OK... they don't walk in LA. Dale has spoken. I'm not blind to what you are saying about that, I just don't think it is an issue. It's a cliche. People do walk. Not everybody eats tofu or is a star. Though we do all skatboard and wear zinc oxide on our noses, but that's another song.

[Lee Knight]

I agree about the last line of V1. It's filler. Town/around migth still work once we hear it sung. Or not.

[LCK]

Originally Posted by Oswlek

Yeah, "as seen on TV" is extraneous.

I don't know, I kind of like it. It's a clever throwaway line.

or

zombie apocalypse, just like on TV

In fact, I think the song is really about this girl not wanting to be a zombie. That's the hook.

[Oswlek]

"Just like on TV" is better than "as seen".

[Lee Knight]

Originally Posted by LCK

I don't know, I kind of like it. It's a clever throwaway line.

or

zombie apocalypse, just like on TV

In fact, I think the song is really about this girl not wanting to be a zombie. That's the hook.

Yeah, you got it. That's the idea at least. BTW, the phrasing would be straight 8ths for the most part. T V land on 2 + 3 1/4's. Starting on the upbeat of 1 like this:

zom-bie-a-poc-a-lypse-as-seen-on-T... V!

Rest +2+3+4+1+2!... 3!... rest.