North State Songapalooza

Over on Facebook, the North State Songwriters Group has begun the North State Songapalooza (thanks to local country star Nate Rogers for coming up with the name).

I was inspired to organize our Songapalooza after reading about a songwriting game going on in Texas. This challenge requires members to write a song around a given phrase in a short period of time. Journalist Jon Lewis gave our group their first songwriting assignment: "love's simmering" and we had two weeks to come up with a completed song using the phrase.

For me,  undertaking a songwriting challenge is like offering my muse a triple-shot espresso with a Redbull chaser. I get very caught up in the creative energy and forget to do things like sleep, feed my family and finish zipping my dress  other crucial daily activities.

I worked on one song for ten days and wasn't at all happy with it, but last Monday I unwrapped a bowl my sister gave me and was immediately inspired. I wrote, recorded and rewrote over the next two days and finished "Good Days" this morning.

Good Days

Words and music by Erin Friedman

She bought a bowl because she thought

It would be pretty filled with apricots

Seems like summer’s nothing but a winter dream

She tries to be her own best friend

But she knows where it hurts and then

Sometimes that girl can be so mean

Chorus:

On Good Days she sees

Both forest and the trees

On Good Days she believes

The best is yet to be

A poor excuse

But Lord, it’s true

Good Days are few

And far between   

Her morning prayer’s a plea for grace

Wipes the slate of her mistakes

Heals in the spirit of love’s simmering song

Then the music fades away

As she stumbles through her day

Shouldering the blame for what went wrong