Wednesday, July 24, 2013

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


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