SAC Challenge 2014, WEEK #2, compose 6 songs in 6 weeks
Overview of this week's blog:
1. Listen to the song (link)
2. Lyrics for song #2
2. Lyrics for song #2
3. Epiphanies about the songwriting process
4. The assignment for week #2
Listen to the song:
https://soundcloud.com/sherashakera/thewayyoudress-bysherashakera-mp3
Lyrics for song #2
The way
you dress
Artist: Shera Shakera
Lyrics & Music by: S. Katz
Intro:
I love the
way you dress
Verse:
Was it
intentional or just a coincidence
We both
dressed in red today
And I
haven’t seen you since (you’re red)
When our
paths do meet again
Will our
clothes be matched again
Our
friendship rules, coincidence or not
Chorus
I love the
way you dress
I love the
way you dress
Red, green
or blue
No one’s
like you
I love the
way you dress
Verse
Was it a
miracle or just a coincidence
We picked
up the phone today
At the very
same time
I had just
gone shopping now
You had
just gone shopping too
Couldn’t
wait to see you again
Chorus
I love the
way you dress
I love the
way you dress
Red, green
or blue
You look so
cool
I love the
way you dress
Bridge
Even when
you’re not dressed up
Static
hair, the morning blues
Doesn’t
matter, I love you
Doesn’t
matter, I love you
Verse:
But it’s
just a miracle, not just a coincidence
Your shoes
match my shirt today
My socks
match your hat
We have
surface clothing love
Even though
you’re so unique
Our
friendship rules, cause we love our planet
Chorus
I love the
way you dress
I love the
way you dress
Red, green
or blue
Cause
vintage rules
I love the
way you dress
Extro
Oooh Oooh
What will
you wear today
Will our
clothes be matched again
I love you
when we don’t match too
Our
friendship rules, coincidence or not.
And I love
the way you dress.
Epiphanies about the songwriting process:
The song
came about after 10-minutes of observations in the dungeons of Montreal, that
is, the metro trains, otherwise known as the “subway”.
I took
notes on everything in the metro with regards to my senses:
Everything
I saw, smelled, heard, and wrote about how I felt about it, for exactly ten
minutes.
Towards the
end of the 10 minutes, my last observation was about how two people who
appeared to be so different, were wearing the exact same colour, red.
Right away,
I thought of a chorus for a song, “I love the way you dress.”
I reflected
on how I liked the way the woman in red was dressed, and how it would be a
coincidence if I would run into a friend and be dressed in a similar color
(it’s happened to me before), and we both were happy with our clothing choices.
I also
thought about how clothes are superficial and wanted to reflect that they don’t
tell you enough about a person, they just reflect the surface, and a good
friend would look good to me even when not dressed up, like just getting out of
bed, so I added those ideas to the song.
I also
wanted to throw in a little environmental message, hence I added the idea of
hinting about vintage clothing and our planet, but did not want to get overly
political because I want more people to be able to relate to the general idea
of the song, e.g. loving the way a person dresses even if you are dressed
similarly and loving them for who they are no matter how they dress.
Here are my
initial observations that sparked this song (I wrote these notes when I was in
the metro):
“In the
distance, I see red, a woman with a pierced ear and bangs dyed in red, that
matches her red headphones and purse, her fingers tattooed, her tiger print
skirt matches her glasses and she stares into the distance, what is she
thinking…
An old man
with a furry hat and red coat get up and stands next to the young lady in red,
their clothes match but they look like they have nothing else in common, his
hands are shaking but it appears as if he intentionally dressed that way to
match the lady in red.”
Just as an aside, I decided not to type up all the notes for all the observations that I made over a five day period, but I am keeping them in a notebook for they can be used later to provide a rich amount of content for future songs. Or perhaps in the future I will add more of them here, but due to the time constraints of getting it all done in one week, this is what I have decided.
I will tell you that the five places I chose included:
1. My bedroom
2. The bus
3. The library
4. The café (coffee shop)
5. The metro (or subway)
I started writing a song about the bus, but I decided to focus on a song based on my fifth day of observations, based on a metro (subway) underground experience.
Another epiphany I had regarding these 10 minute-a-day observations is that in each location, it's not just about what I see. There are feelings attached to being in a location (how do I feel about what's going on around me). There is a lot to hear, sometimes smell, and even the idea of taste (if someone is eating), and finally touch (e.g. the way my body feels touching the seat).
By the fifth day, I started to crave my 10-minute time, because it felt like a positive, meditative experience that forced me to stop, breathe, and just totally be with myself in the present moment.
Just as an aside, I decided not to type up all the notes for all the observations that I made over a five day period, but I am keeping them in a notebook for they can be used later to provide a rich amount of content for future songs. Or perhaps in the future I will add more of them here, but due to the time constraints of getting it all done in one week, this is what I have decided.
I will tell you that the five places I chose included:
1. My bedroom
2. The bus
3. The library
4. The café (coffee shop)
5. The metro (or subway)
I started writing a song about the bus, but I decided to focus on a song based on my fifth day of observations, based on a metro (subway) underground experience.
Another epiphany I had regarding these 10 minute-a-day observations is that in each location, it's not just about what I see. There are feelings attached to being in a location (how do I feel about what's going on around me). There is a lot to hear, sometimes smell, and even the idea of taste (if someone is eating), and finally touch (e.g. the way my body feels touching the seat).
By the fifth day, I started to crave my 10-minute time, because it felt like a positive, meditative experience that forced me to stop, breathe, and just totally be with myself in the present moment.
The assignment for week #2
Having an antennae on you means that you are an observer & you are focused on observation.
According to songwriter Christopher Ward:
According to songwriter Christopher Ward:
"Spend 10 minutes a day for the next 5 days in 5 different places, i.e. subway, take-out counter, coffee shop, etc., and turn on your antennae. Jot down some song ideas based on each of those 10 minutes. Then, at the end of the week, choose your favourite and write a song."
-Christopher Ward
Cheers, Peace & Love from:
Shera Shakera
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