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Fever

In that time-honoured fashion of coming “full circle”, the final offering in the Curating Everything series is in fact the oldest song on the collection, Fever. When did I write this song…? Gotta be about 2002-3. This started out as a really hippy-ish heavy drone played with footstomps and banging pots and pans,

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Boy Seeking Girl

Some songs are written out of necessity, the need to get something off my chest, if you will. Others to kill time, to try out a favourite line, chord sequence or a new something. Boy Seeking Girl was inspired by a need to express, as well as giving birth to one of my favourite chord sequences (extra special prize if you can guess, a) what the progression is and, b) which two other songs I’ve used it in.

This demo version was written and recorded in February 2007 for my first FAWM challenge, and a re-worked version was attempted during The Price Of Love recording sessions, but to no avail.

Listen to Boy Seeking Girl

He’s The Man

A really cool song which, to be honest, I couldn’t make as great as I wanted it to be. Initially slated to feature on The Price Of Love EP, It just never stood out to me as “finished”. Fantastic chorus, though.

Listen to He’s The Man

Rufus Goes Pop!

It’s not often I dip my toes into the pool of Americana. I tried to use the Fifty Ninety songwriting challenge as a vehicle to push myself into other genres and other ways of writing - much more so than when I’m writing for FAWM, and lyrically I think this one ploughs familiar territory (for the genre) without resorting to cliches.

Listen to Rufus Goes Pop!

The Fury

Wiser birds than me will say that the best songs write themselves and are generally written pretty quickly. I can’t disagree with that at all. Of the songs I’ve written, my favourites are overwhelmingly the ones that came together in 30-60 minutes.

The Fury is one of those. I spent about four years on and off working in mental health institutions and facilities in various parts of London, and a lot of what I’d seen just came pouring out in this lyric. It was written for the FAWM songwriting challenge, 2009.

Listen to The Fury

Learning To Fly

My attempt to write a companion to the bittersweet melody of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. I wrote this for the 50/90 songwriting challenge, 2009. I didn’t do the challenge last year, and won’t be committing to it this year, but may be using it and the community to try out a few things. Watch this space.

Listen to Learning To Fly

Disappointment

A song about nothing (and there’s nothing wrong with that). Love the sound of this; that early/mid-80s doomy goth-with-pop, which was influenced directly I have to say, by getting myself all tangled up in the virtuous simplicity of ‘Til Tuesday’s Voices Carry.

Listen to Disappointment

Christmas In June

One of those happy accidents that just turned out amazingly well. Christmas In June is one of my favourite songs I’ve written, and it all came together during the sessions for The Price Of Love. I was taking a “de-stress” break from recording and just started playing around with the main verse riff - which I’d had beneath my fingers on and off for years and years. One day - on this day - all my dreams came true. In about an hour!

Listen to Christmas In June

Am I Wrong?

A cool little groove that tips a little nod to early Michael Jackson.

Listen to Am I Wrong?

Black & Blue Pt 1

This song has a pretty convoluted history. Black & Blue was my first ever FAWM song. (You can listen to it here, should you wish.)

Then I re-worked it in three parts, as a kind of epic 21st Century pop ballad, which may or may not have anything to do with the original version - it’s been that long ago that I’ve kind of forgotten.

This is the first stanza of that re-working. WARNING: It’s instrumental and it’s 36 secs long.

Listen to Black & Blue Pt 1

Dig

I included this because, once upon a time, I used to build up tracks like this using acoustic guitar and vocals and stuff… But it’s a long time since I did. From 2007, I included this as a reminder of how to keep things simple using just two chords.

Listen to Dig

If Fingers Were Drums

Another from my ill-fated 50/90 excursion, this is actually one of my favourites - I just love the madcap chaotic feel of it.

This was a complete improv. I hit record, picked up my guitar, twiddled that riff a few times before realising that, shit, my guitar tuned to open E. Err, what next. Who knows? I still don’t.

Listen to If Fingers Were Drums

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Hey Nanci (new version)

A re-recorded version of one of the first completed songs that I remember writing; a song which appeared on my first EP, In The Back Room.

No secret that this song is about Nanci Griffith, but why the re-record? Well, I’d always disliked the original vocals (recorded in the bathroom), and felt a good song such as this would lend itself well to a number of different versions.

Listen to Hey Nanci (new version)

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15 Minutes of Fame

Written for 50/90, ludicrous songwriting challenge that sees folks aim to write 50 songs in 90 days (I failed. Miserably). It’s a silly song with a lot of charm. But note to self: that fake cockney accent has GOT TO GO!

Listen to 15 Minutes of Fame