Brainstorm - No more songs about love

[~BNW Charlie]

We're sitting down to work on the first Brave New World CD in a few years and I got to thinking: "Why is every song about love?"

90% of our old songs fall into one of these headers:
- I want you.
- Lets hook up.
- I love you.
- You cheating ho.
- You left me.
- Hey, wanna hook up again?

Sure loves is a powerful emotion and all - but throw me an idea for something new. What topic would you like to see a song written about?

[~intervox]

How about hate? Revenge? Racism? Homelessness? Poverty?

Jeff

[~ericrypt]

How about the plight of the migrant farmworker?

[~bill]

i think its time for songs that play on the self improvement movement of the last 15\20 years.

self improvement
you can have it all
i was loser just like you
the ballad of tom vu.
tread on others to get what you want,
these are hit songs waiting to happen.

[~BNW Charlie]

How about a song about a racist migrant farmworker hellbent on seeking revenge against the author of a self improvement book entitled "overcoming your homelessness in seven easy steps."

I smell double platinum!

[~cliffwalk]

You cheating ethnicly different ho, you left me! i'm going to burn down your farm and leave you homeless so I can hunt you down and do you again to get back at you for pissing me off.

[~BNW Charlie]

"she kept picking at me while I was picking her fruit,
she tried to move into my house 'til I gave her the boot"

[~ericrypt]

NOW YOU'RE TALKIN'!!!!!!

then you need the "Agriculture Mix" of it....

[~interface2x]

My cat is always trying to jump on my lap while I'm at the computer. You can write a song about that, but make sure to thank me in the liner notes.

[~Efreak]

Originally posted by BNW Charlie
How about a song about a racist migrant farmworker hellbent on seeking revenge against the author of a self improvement book entitled "overcoming your homelessness in seven easy steps."

I smell double platinum!


Let me be the first to submit lyrics for this:

I heard him say the "N-word" the other day
While he was shucking corn, and bailing hay....

BNW.... I think this song is a bad idea. :laugh:
Jamie

[~jag]

how about being "too sexy for your shirt" .... oh wait, that's been done.

Actually this is why I've come to like The Mystic Underground so much. Vlad's writing is very thought provoking and yet isn't always about a woman breaking your heart. Take a read of the lyrics on their website sometime and you'll see the topics are actually quite interesting.

as for song topics: (eh I really haven't a clue, but how about)

(1) material obssession

(2) the discrimination all around us
(not just ethnic, but down to how much money you make, the clothes you wear, the car you drive, u-hum the size of your computer monitor- discrimination is all around us bigger and badder than ever)

(3) the judgements we thoughtlessly make everyday

[~intro]

There are tons of things to write about. Write about how mindless and stupid Americans are these days. That's something I can't seem to shut up about in my new project (which is all angsty electro stuff).

-Mark
www.djintrovert.com

[~BNW Charlie]

Jag - here's some monitor envy for you: http://www.apple.com/displays/acd23/

I want one.

I've never done the angst thing all that well.

A blue sky day, a perfect CD, chocolate peanut butter ice cream, my wife's smile, my cat typing on my keyboard when I'm not looking, rainy days with a good flick, bacon wrapped shrimp, Dido's new tune...

Life is too good to spend that much time pissed off.

[~melibita]

LOL, I love the idea of the immigrant farmworkers' song!
Write some song about using the internet too much. Or maybe about how the human race will die out from a huge plague.

[Electroswank]

What ever happened to the obscure poetry of the 80s? I would love to see people writing songs that just paints images rather then spell out how much some girl hurt some overly sensative guy.

I love the veiled references that Simon LeBon makes in Duran Duran songs: "Hold back the Rain" (you're taking life too fast, taking too many drugs, watch out or you'll die young) "Save a prayer" (the one night stand song) and "The Reflex" (masturbation)

My two most recent favorite topics for songs have been from Brand New Idol: the tounge in cheek sarcastic view of the predictibilty of the music industry and convincing someone to sleep with you just as the bomb drops and the world is destroyed in a nuclear war LOL

OK now THAT's creative.

[~cliffwalk]

Originally posted by ElectroSwank
What ever happened to the obscure poetry of the 80s? I would love to see people writing songs that just paints images rather then spell out how much some girl hurt some overly sensative guy.

I love the veiled references that Simon LeBon makes in Duran Duran songs: "Hold back the Rain" (you're taking life too fast, taking too many drugs, watch out or you'll die young) "Save a prayer" (the one night stand song) and "The Reflex" (masturbation)

My two most recent favorite topics for songs have been from Brand New Idol: the tounge in cheek sarcastic view of the predictibilty of the music industry and convincing someone to sleep with you just as the bomb drops and the world is destroyed in a nuclear war LOL

OK now THAT's creative.

Lyrics for more than 80% of all pop music ever made just simply don't make the bottom the barrel criteria for good songwriting to me. That leaves a solid 20% thank god :)

What I hate:

Misuse of imagery. "Sprinkling" similes in a song just so there's texture.

Over abstraction. Recent example: While I like the "mood" of Faith Assembly's music I think their lyrics are far too esoteric and have no meat on their bones. They build these beautiful soundscapes and sing imageless abstraction to them. That's lost on me. >>My experience, my opinion<<

Fear of humour/quirkiness. Reason why I actually LOVE bands like Barenaked Ladies, to cite a pop-pop-pop band from hell. They aren't afraid to be totally obscure and unsexy and just flat-out goofy. There's nothing wrong with writing a song about Postcards from Chimpanze's and not have it be one huge metaphor. Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense": Genius.

So take the opposite of what I hate and that's what I like :)

Bottom line what I like the most is an honest voice. So much of the crap I discard as lousy songwriting is because the songwriter is trying to be something they aren't.

Dave

[7red7]

Charlie I could care less what you guys writie about...I've worn hole sin my Primal, Understand, and Groove Thing cd's!!! I'm just so freaking happy theres new material coming our way you have no idea how good iut is for me to see you guys posting this stuff!!! :)

Heres To The New BNW!!!

DAN

[~jag]

Originally posted by BNW Charlie
Jag - here's some monitor envy for you: http://www.apple.com/displays/acd23/

I want one.



yeh the kids were pickin on me because of my 800x600 monitor in another thread... sicne i got a nice little bonus last week, i went out friday night and bought me a new computer monitor.

http://www.geocities.com/jagmusic/60pw9363_l_us.jpg


that and a DVI card will have me rockin and rollin with the big dogs - lmfao. I really got the TV but to surf on something that gigantic is ridiculous (tho it can be done) Don't pick on me or I'll hook it up!



*thanks for the correction*

[~melibita]

LOL Jag you didn't have to get a new monitor! I use a 800x600 setting and it is fine for me. Your new one looks great though. :D

[~jetjaguar15]

De/Vision and Joy Electric are getting a fair bit of mileage writing songs about synths and machines... maybe you could try something like that?

[~jag]

Originally posted by melibita
LOL Jag you didn't have to get a new monitor! I use a 800x600 setting and it is fine for me. Your new one looks great though. :D

we're a dieing breed, melibita! :laugh:

[~melibita]

But jag you let me down, Must I be the last of my kind?!

[~jag]

hey girl i'm still surfing on the 800x600 ... i love this trusty thing. I just can't get used to the little icons and fonts that you get from a larger monitor. i'm hanging with you :)

[~melibita]

Ok I will wipe away my tears now. ;)

[~pop]

songs about the dark polka - clone mode

[~cliffwalk]

Originally posted by jetjaguar15
De/Vision and Joy Electric are getting a fair bit of mileage writing songs about synths and machines... maybe you could try something like that?
And there's a road I'd like to see dead-end. I think we write too much about machines and not enough about the obscure. We're so afraid of the obscure because we can't make it fit into the frying pan like your standard pop-culture theme.

As I said:

Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense---- READ THE LYRICS!! Learn the Tao of David Byrne. He's been on to something for years.

Dave

[~BNW Charlie]

I think we should remake Missing Persons' "Windows" for Jag -

"All I need is a monitor to look through"
"All I need is a monitor to look through"
"There's nothing beyond 800x600 anyway"

[~intervox]

cool, the new single would be called "pixels". ;)

[~jag]

lmfao

[~melibita]

hahaha
also have to call her a traitor! :p (;))

[~labrat]

Hey Jag and Melibita, I *also* use a 15 inch monitor that's three years old and is on the 800x600 setting. And that's not all...my phone has a coiled cord coming out of the handset, my microwave oven dates back to 1989 and does something like 450 watts, my analog TV is a 19 inch diagonal. And I still enjoy listening to '80s synthpop! So take comfort and start laughing, I'm proud to be an anti-tech dinosaur. *ROTFL*
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[~melibita]

:laugh: I am almost as bad as you are, Kathy. My parents' microwave had to be the oldest microwave still in existance. One of my phones has a coiled card in it too.

[~jag]

did melibita just call me a traitor?

i know i didn't just hear/read that?

melibita did you just call me a traitor?

and labrat ... i still have a turntable ... only works with 2 quarters set as weights on the arm! (but i also have a mini disc player)

point here:

buy new things,
but keep the old,
these are silver
those are gold ;)

[~labrat]

I don't have a turntable, but my old room at my parents' home has one of those really old stereos with a radio and turntable inside a big wooden cabinet with a door on top. (I think the turntable's broken on it though. :() :) My Walkman only plays cassette tapes, so a couple years ago I finally caved in and bought a portable boombox with a single disc CD player so I could keep synthpopping :laugh:

Sorry about hijacking the thread, folks...Efreak is a bad influence on me? ;)

[~jag]

Originally posted by pop
songs about the dark polka - clone mode

*wonders if Pop has discovered some new fangled polka*

[~SFARAH]

I really liked this lyrics ...it has a different twist...NAMNAMBULU Deception

I am trying to see why all of this would matter
I am trying to see why you would be a friend
That all things that you touch would break apart and shatter
That’s the reason why our friendship had to end

I was giving all the things I had to offer
In return you took whatever you could get
I still hope that one day in your live you will discover
There is more to live than things you could regret

Why would you be acting so bizarre and selfish
Why are you so scared to show me what you feel
Why you measure all things by what you could accomplish
Where you could be holding on to something real

I had covered you for all your missbehaviour
Looking back you never cared for what I feel
Through the years I had never asked you for a favour
Now the only thing I ask is you to leave
This must end
All of the lies you’re telling me
All the deceptions you’re giving me
All of the times you made me wait
All of the friends that you betrayed
All of the things you’re asking for
Nobody else is asking more
I really believed that you could change

[~intervox]

have a song about bad drivers, some guy cuts you off and you start chasing him. ;)

[Electroswank]

honestly, there aren't enough songs about robots or monkies. I think set to a dark polka beat, songs with these topics could be fantasticly huge.

[~intervox]

or even robotic monkeys!

Charlie likes bacon, maybe he could write "Ode to my Bacon". I smell a hit! ;)

[Electroswank]

How did you know about my plan and how I am working on building an army of MonkeyBots (C) (R) (TM)??

Cos, you're not supposed to.
I mean it.

[~arronc]

Well, if you check out Electronic Apeman from the new Karl Bartos album, I think you will get a nice surprise. It is about monkeys and robots.

He does not however use the word Monnkybots. ;(

[7red7]

Songs about Monkeybots eating bacon??? Could be a winner too :)

DAN

[Electroswank]

I love MonkeyBots(TM). you'll all love them too, just wait til my army, uh.. i mean, my fleet of them is ready.

[~intervox]

LOL, too funny, Anna. :) I can see it now... "What's the new hot, everybody has to have Christmas toy? "MonkeyBots, new from Swank Industries...they'll peel you like a banana." :laugh:

[Electroswank]

hmm, yes, well... i don't think it would be a good idea to let the children near them... especially when they throw FunFeces(TM) it may get messy and its quite toxic.

[~jetjaguar15]

OK, I was listening to Elektrodelica Disc two this morning and something Claude said in that interview occured to me that it might be relevant in this discussion:

He said something along the lines that he draws a lot of his inspiration for writing songs from seeing the suffering of others - be that either empathizing with them or try to work out their problem for them in song. Just something to think on...

[Electroswank]

Jet - You should read this book i'm reading now called "Black Vinyl, White Powder" . While its about the music business, there's a lot of great anecdotes and stories about musicians lives (ups and downs) including some about how and what inspires them to write songs. Its a british book written by Simon Napier Bell, one time manager of Marc Bolan, Wham! and Japan.

you want inspiration by seeing someone who has suffered? watch this mpeg of Adam Ant from just last month:

From www.adam-ant.net :
"To aid the Dian Fossey Highland Gorilla Fund, Adam and Boz Boorer are presently recording a remake of the single, Stand and Deliver but this time with changed lyrics to Save the Gorillas."

http://homepage.mac.com/dianfossey/iMovieTheater40.html

[~arronc]

Ive just finished reading that book : its a really good one. He is nicer about japan than he was in the sections where he was interviewed for David Sylvians biography ! LOL

[Electroswank]

The Last Romantic?? Yes I have read that one as well... and totally agree, for somone who managed them he did come across rather bitter... I can't get his other book here in the States... "you don't have to say you love me" - from the 60's? have you read that one as well?

sorry for hijacking the thread...

[7red7]

Well to get back to the Monkeybots(TM), I was wondering, are they going to be given weapons, maybe a kung-fu grip??? My nephew would probably love one of these things this year for Christmas :D

DAN

[~Efreak]

Originally posted by ElectroSwank


sorry for hijacking the thread...

Wait a second -- I've been relaced???
;)
Jamie

[~labrat]

Originally posted by Efreak


Wait a second -- I've been relaced???
;)
Jamie

Yeah, me and Anna tied you up and we are now the new thread hijackers. But take heart in the fact that we learned from the best! HA HA HA!!! :p

[~Joe Ramey]

I agree to an extent that artist in general need to step out of the box when it comes to writing songs and not have every song be a love song..

But to be honest with you, to connect with most listeners, they want to hear something they can connect with, something that they may be going thru, and there is a lot of hurt and suffering out in the world, whether its love lost/found, emotional pain, depression or anything else that people can relate to, i'll write it..

Now I have written about other topics, but the stronger ones are the most serious topics, and yes that is about relationships, emotions, people in general..

Thats only my opinion..
:)

Joe