Open Mic Week 42 Entry: January (original song)
@jasonrussell recorded this song for me out in our garage because our kids get very upset with me when I play music after bedtime. Lol, which is about the only time this busy mama gets to play music at home!
I wrote this song around 2010, about a year after we had lost 2 very dear friends of ours, 2 days in a row in January of 2009. One of my best friends, Tim, was the drummer in our band and he was killed in a tragic car accident. We woke up the very next morning to hear that our guitarist's brother, Kenny (another best friend of ours and a very talented bassist) had died in the middle of the night due to a heart attack at the age of 29.
If you listen to the song and hear my reference to "Mr. McLean", I'm speaking of the classic oldies song "American Pie" by Don McLean where he sings about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens. Also known as the day the music died.
Here are my lyrics:
It was the coldest night of the year
My body froze in fear
Wasn't sure whether to scream or cry
So I drug myself to bed, laid down my weary head
How could it, how could, how could it
How can it be?
Sorry Mr. McLean
I'd have to disagree
To me
The music died
In January
Well I know you weren't hell-bound
If there was any hell to be found
You found it in your very last breath
And if it were up to me
Well I can damn well guarantee
You'd be sitting here by my side
Sorry Mr. McLean
I'd have to disagree
To me
The music died
In January
Thanks for listening, Steemit! And thank you to @luzcypher and @pfunk! Good luck to everyone in this week's Open Mic!!!
This song sends chills down my spine every time I hear it. I love you and I love our fallen friends. Good job @melodyrussell. So beautiful.
Thank you so much! It's been a long time since I've played it , and it was a little difficult not to choke through the lyrics. I love you and I'm so excited to play some music with you!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
That was nicely done. I would imagine that's still an emotionally difficult song to play. The loss of good friends is always difficult.
Thanks for listening @amberyooper :) It's definitely difficult to play, but music was my coping mechanism during this rough time in my life and it definitely helped.
This is so incredible Mel. It's very eerie The Creepshow meets old acoustic Against Me! and, goddamn, you know they'd both love it.
Aww thanks so much @wednesdaymiller! You know I love both of those bands, so I will take that as a huge compliment. I would like to think that Tim and Kenny would have liked it too :)
Beautiful song and lyrics and such a sad moments that influenced it.
Thank you for taking the time to listen @alcibiades! I promise, most of my songs aren't this depressing. But this was a very dark time in my life and music definitely helped me get through it.
Also, I visited your page and followed you! I noticed that you are a metal head ;) Not sure what genres you're interested in, but some of my friends in our little town play a couple different types of metal. Here are some links if you feel like checking them out!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@johnbutler/open-mic-week-39-original-song-enter-the-darkness-by-metal
https://steemit.com/openmic/@hangrydwarf/open-mic-entry-week-41
Hey thanks!
I listen to all kinds of metal, though, lately, I'm into some less popular genres like melodic folk or atmospheric black. :D
Your friends are awesome! I just followed them.
I have a bit of metal in my music collection, but it's never been at the top of my list. However, melodic folk metal... that sounds like something I would dig ;) If you can suggest some examples, I'd love to check it out! Thanks for checking out my friends! I'm sure they appreciate it!
It's quite an interesting genre, though I'm not sure if it really exists under that name - it's a combination of melodic death and folk/viking metal. :) Here are few suggestions more or less related to that genre. Let me know if you find something interesting. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su-FEbdNTuk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wspAlDjSjAA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSiaJjqaFZE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdgLR9RttZQ
Sounds interesting for sure and definitely worth checking out! I don't have my headphones at the moment so will have to wait until tomorrow. But I will say this: THIS is one of the main reasons I love Steemit so much. It sparks genuine, interesting conversations. Sure, the payouts are nice but a good conversation is priceless. Looking forward to checking these out. Thanks @alcibiades! :)
Couldn't agree more, it's the same reason why I love it so much!
Anyway, hope you enjoy at least something from the list. :)
I love this one. So beautiful! Great job! 💖
Thanks lady!!! ❤️
IMHO, few musical experiences equal an original song, containing heartfelt lyrics and played live. The garage ambience doesn't actually detract any from your openmic performance. Sad song, well done. 👏👏👏
Thank you so much @steelygeoff! You are a very talented musician, so that means a lot coming from you!
Very good song and I love the deep and meaningful lyrics. I can also relate 100% to only being able to play music after my son goes to bed. Which is impossible in an apartment lol
Thanks for listening and for your thoughtful comment! I'm pretty rusty on my acoustic since it bugs the kids so bad when I play at night. Can't imagine trying to do that in an apartment with a little one!
It's definitely a challenge to find time lol. He's either asleep and it wakes him or he's already awake and he gets mad because I won't share it with him haha
Haha, exactly! Same here!
Well done! I like that you keep the theme from the intro as your outdo. Good luck this week!
Thanks @brimax! I always thought about ditching the outro because when we played this in one of my bands, the crowd always thought it was over after the last line :) Thanks so much for listening!
The listening pleasure was all mine
Very cool song. Thanks
Thank YOU @luzcypher for giving Steemit musicians this wonderful community!
https://steemit.com/openmic/@marcelo182/7lla7g-rehearsing-with-loper-and-delays-video
I checked it out and you are very talented! Well done! Helpful hint: next time try leaving a comment on the original content instead of just linking your entry. It's a better way for all of us to interact!