they don't write 'em like that anymore

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so how do they write 'em?
i'm interested in new/novel/bizarre/whatever methods of composing pop songs.
which ones are successful? which ones fail?

― gaz (gaz), Thursday, 3 July 2003 21:25 (twenty-two years ago)

the first thing that springs to mind is where Lee Perry takes Honey Love and simply reverses the tape of the vocal melody,lays it over the same rhythm,retitles it Yenoh Evol and claims composer credits.
The result is a hundred times better than the, ahem, original. it sounds like a pop tune from imaginary africa.

― gaz (gaz), Thursday, 3 July 2003 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

in an attempt to salvage a not-so-great recording, we slowed down the tapes to half speed, stereo-bounced that, and wrote new melodies and lyrics over the top. worked a treat!

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 3 July 2003 22:36 (twenty-two years ago)

would you use that method again jim?

― gaz (gaz), Thursday, 3 July 2003 22:41 (twenty-two years ago)

hmm. possibly. probably just percussion next time though

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 3 July 2003 22:42 (twenty-two years ago)

bowie's heroes?
didn't they make it by eno holding up cards for the musicians to interpret or something? and bowie did the cut-up thing for the lyrics. works quite well.

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 4 July 2003 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

another fave method of mine is to attempt a really poorly played cover version, and adapt its totally different chords and melodies into a new song of mine. i must have done this four or five times now.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 4 July 2003 02:02 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe i should do that...no one ever seems to recognise what i'm playing anyway.

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 4 July 2003 02:07 (twenty-two years ago)

my favourite "crap-offs" (as i like to call them) were from "unguarded moment" and the clean's "getting older". no-one would pick 'em in a million years

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 4 July 2003 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Take the verse from one song, the bridge from another, and the chorus from another. Stick 'em together, paste the words in, and there you go.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Friday, 4 July 2003 07:14 (twenty-two years ago)

- take the chorus of a 70s or 80s pop song and pitch it up to helium level
- nick the melody of a recent (but fairly unknown) dance tune
- throw in an MC shouting various rediculous phrases like "Rumble In The Jungle", "It's Nice To Be Important But It's More Important To Be Nice", "Respect The Man In The Ice Cream Van", "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch", "I'll Put You On The Guestlist", "Take Off Your Shirt And Wait For Further Instructions", "We're Not The Monkeys, But We Have The Key", etc.

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 4 July 2003 08:59 (twenty-two years ago)

have any of these methods created songs you love though?

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 4 July 2003 23:28 (twenty-two years ago)

The crap-off method works great!!

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 4 July 2003 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

three months pass...

**beyond crazy dreams is a world so unimaginable and indescribable**
~to find it u juss have 2 look inside urself then look at the ppl whom u care about and have stayed true to you~
::+::pain will dissolve into a glimpse of emotion that fizzles into the original crazy dream u made so long ago::+::

― siLent angeL, Saturday, 18 October 2003 00:59 (twenty-one years ago)

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