Late night inspiration

[duluthdan]

Tossing and turning for hours, and had a new song flash into my head, had to get up and capture it before it went poof. Totally rough state, but a start. Now it needs polish, maybe a bridge and chorus? I'm not good at choruses. Good to always have the J45 at the ready.

[zombywoof]

Nice!

 

That is how Keef wrote the "Satisfaction" riff.

[MorrisrownSal]

Dan I like the words... Great Divide has so much imagery attached. I do think you need a chorus to break it up. A bridge might be icing too, but I think this song is great.

 

Thanks for sharing man.

 

By the way your shirt is skin colored, and I was thinking at first, "dude close the robe... no wardrobe malfunctions ya hear?"

[62burst]

Ha! Well, that was a first. I don't think I've ever seen anyone do a guitar video in a robe before (I dunno, maybe Elvis in his later Big Beltbuckle days). Your vid does capture that middle of the night gotta come downstairs & get this song out of my head feeling. Very nice.

 

Now; your roughed-out song could take Sal's idea of people contributing their version of a standard to a whole new place: that is, you've done the verse, maybe someone else can bring another verse, the chorus, or a bridge...

[duluthdan]

Recreational Marijuana is going to be legal on January 1st. Maybe I'll wait a week or so and see if a decent hook and chorus wander by, but by all means, I am open to suggestions from the rock pile.

[flatbaroque]

Ha that was a lot of fun...an insight into the writing process.Love the immediacy of something like that. Good song.Memorable melody.

I'm humming it now and I've already got a chorus in my head too.Please follow up and do a chorus.

Like the Elvis in the Big BeltBuckle imagery that 62 conjured up.Dressing gowns are the new leather pants for guitar pluckers .

[Hogeye]

Great man cave. Great tune. Don't stop now. Can't wait to hear the final version

 

It's interesting as that intro is a version that was used by Ray Whitley for "Back in the Saddle Again". He did his song in the late night as well. Gene Autry called him from California in the evening after a days movie shooting. He asked Ray to write him a tune for the next days shooting. Ray hung up and when Ray's wife asked him what was going on he said he had a job to do and might as well get up. He told his wife," it looks like I'm back in the saddle again," and he needed to write a tune for the morning shoot. His wife said it sounds like you just wrote the title.

 

Hope the marijuana thing works out for you folks. We have the medical version here in Montana but the feds. came in and busted a bunch of people. That put a big damper on the whole thing. Then the State changed the law and it's a mess now.

[drathbun]

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

 

I had an idea you might want to construct a bridge by going:

 

F G Em Am x2

 

then back to C to return to the C Am F G pattern.

 

I put a video together of it:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55nKJBXMvGI

[duluthdan]

Thanks Doug ! I've been thinking about the first revision, and I think you may have shown a good way to get to a chorus. Rewrote and simplified many of the lyrics today, I may use your thought in step 2.

Hog eye: you know, now that I think about it, I have been watching a fair amount of Ray's country blues stuff - maybe that's bit of where this insomnia came from. About the other, it's a thin line here too, but I have my fingers crossed that it doesn't invite too much involvement of the bad guys, or the Feds.

[drathbun]

You don't have to use any of it Dan... it is just a lot of fun to get involved! :) Keep goin'!

[duluthdan]

Haven't thought about this song for a quiet many days - skied hard today and am tired, so tired I grabbed the JB to tape this update - and its tuned down a whole step - bit low, but it'll have to do. Slight mods to the verses, adapted Drathbun's observation, and came up with a bridge. I'll let it sit for awhile, and pick it up again. i like this fingerpicked best, but have not nailed down that timing, so here's the late night inspired song, 1st revision: Comments welcome on structure and lyrics, I already know my actual playing is below average.

[flatbaroque]

Progressing well. I liked Doug's bridge idea and your incorporation of it works nicely.I think I prefer it in standard pitch...seems to be getting a bit low in parts.Good song though.

I think the addition of that bridge is enough to give sufficient variation in structure.

As I said before I really like that melody.I can see it working well as a short reflective piece when it's polished up....that's if you didn't want to expand it in some way...up to you.

[guitarstrummer]

Sounds great, Dan. Think you'll have it ready to go for the Homecoming?

[MissouriPicker]

Keep working on it, Dan. I think the two videos are a good start. I admire and understand your getting-up and out of bed to record something you just thought about. You've got to write it while it's there. I really do like the walking bass line in this song. I think it keeps the listener's attention. I also agree with keeping the song in standard pitch. The second recording is a bit too low and more difficult to clearly hear the words..... A chorus and bridge are pretty standard on songs, adding more varying melody and lyrics. If you're feeling you've said everything you want to say, but that the song is too short, you can always finish your song like countless Rock & Roll songs of the 50's and 60/s.....do the first verse again and finish with the chorus....Anyway, I like this and I enjoy reading how others approach their own songwriting.....Good stuff.

[drathbun]

I like the way it is coming together Dan! I liked the "boom - chick" pattern of your thumb and fingernails in the first version. The lower tuning and the soft strum loses some of the energy of the first version but I like what you've done with the tune!