Song Writing Experiment #1

I am a composer.  I write music in many genres and styles from progressive jazz fusion to children's songs.  I love the act of creating music and exploring ideas.  I have been writing since I picked up the bass guitar at the age of 14, probably even before that.  In my initial overview of this project, I stated my hopes to gain insight into my own songwriting:  

What else?

I write a lot of music in many different genres.  Through my song analysis, I hope to get some insights into my own song writing and push myself past my normal writing limits, conventions and tastes.

 Writing "pop songs" is not always in my bag, but given all of these analyses, I am eager to infuse my own voice into the genre.  So, I sat down at a keyboard and attempted to come up with something interesting.  I will now analyze my own song and attempt to find out if I used elements of no.1 hit songs, consciously or not!

"Devil's Luck" by Steve Johnson Jr.

 The form is straight forward, cycling through verse, prechorus and chorus twice.  In lieu of a bridge, the drum groove, from the intro, sets up the outro.  There is a slight wrinkle in verse two, cut to four measures, from eight.  In the middle, there's an extra measure crammed in to create a psychedelic effect and paint the words "life in the bubble moving on the slow."

I used an old version of Garage Band and found the electric piano sound to set up the groove.  I performed the programmed drums, using the "Tight Studio Kit."  I also performed the guitar and bass parts. I included a few synth elements to get those swells and string pads as well.

Chord Progressions 

The verse and chorus are driven by a 4 measure progression, set up by the keyboard:

Verse/Chorus Progression

The key to the song is up for debate.  Having been enamored by songs like "Close To You," "Incomplete," "Magic" and others, I decided to have the key sound like one thing, but technically be something else.  To me, the tonal center sits in G minor:

i  iv / bvii iv  

The Fmin7 doesn't quite fit into that equation (usually major).  C minor may be more applicable and results in this:

v i / iv i

This is a little closer to "correct," but the minor v chord isn't quite "right" now (usually major).  In truth, I tapped into Eb major to draw out these chords, the true home for the Gmin7, Fmin7 and Cmin7:

iii  vi / ii vi  

The prechorus offers a little more insight with this progression:

Prechorus Progression

In the key of Eb, this part plays out to:

V  / I / V /IV / V / bIII / V / IV

in C minor, it works out to be:

bVII / III / bVII / bVI / bVII / bV / bVII / bVI

Calling it Cminor has a strong appeal:  Gb, the bV chord, or the "tritone," AKA "The Devil's Interval."  (Yes, I am reaching)

The outro contains a slight variation on the primary progression:

Outro Progression

v  III / III i in C minor - iii I / I vi  in Eb

So even though  I wrote it, I'm not technically sure how to label it.  G minor is certainly the tonal center, but the chords come from Eb major, the relative major of C minor.  

Melody

The chorus kicks things off, establishing melodic themes that will carry through in the verse and outro.

Chorus

The melody primarily uses G, F and Bb, occasionally making it up to C and D.  Most passages outline Gmin7, leaving out the 5th.  The syncopation on "devil's luck" and ""wind it up" will occur in various sections, as will the 16th note figures introduced here.

The verse occupies the same melodic space as the chorus, leaning a bit heavier on the Bb, as opposed to the G.

Verse 1

After analyzing Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, I may have written this part differently.  The verse and chorus are too close in their melodic choices.  Rhythmically, the verse has less space and introduces some new 16th note syncopation.  I purposely included the "devil's play" line to be a callback to the chorus.  Retrospectively though, it seems too much of the same.  

The prechorus breaks away from the sameness with only major chords, juxtaposing the minor chords in the verse and chorus:

Prechorus

  

Starting on F, the melody descends to C, utilizing syncopation from previous sections, with more space.  The Gb6, the only non-diatonic chord, is highlighted with a slight shift to the Gb in the melody.  In the repeat of the prechorus, the entire melody includes lower harmony. 

The final section in the song is a big jam, repeating this line:

Outro

  

Again, call backs to previous melodies dominate the section, with a few new additions every 8 bars.  This entire part is accompanied by a noodling guitar solo and synth elements.  

Lyrics

I wrote the lyrics in response to the general state of the world - the pandemic, social unrest and the biblical nature of present day society as it may or may not relate to the end of days.  

Generally, my lyrics saunter to the impenetrable side and I tend to write with very vague and obscure hints as to what I really mean to say.  Partly, I like the possibility of multiple interpretations, even ones I did not necessarily intend....who likes being told what to think?  I prefer lyrics that let you interpret them based on your own perceptions. 

My lyrical spark was the phrase "luck of the Devil," which seemed appropriate when looking at our general situation.  After some consideration and tweaking, here's what I came up with:

"yo yo yo, dropping in from below, this piece is about to get lit up!"

Chorus:

Devil's luck, 

We be burning down an evil pablum

A bigger problem

Wind it up

A wall of wins and words, it won't stop em

No, won't stop em

Verse 1:

Sit back reach for the sky,

High is where the good ones always lie

Dig in deep with no regrets

Such a long time coming outta hedge the bets

It's all your call, so push away

A center stage seat at the end of the day

For the devil's play, no escape

It's bound to come soon, keep your mind awake

PreChorus 1:

Love, in a time and place

Goes to the empty space just below you

Love in yourself displaced

Long for a sweet embrace to take control

Chorus

Verse 2:

1,2; 9 months to go

Living in a bubble moving on the slow

All messed up, don't relate

The speed of life just pumped the brakes on

Prechorus 2:

Love, in a time and place

Goes to the empty space just below you

Love in yourself displaced

Long for the normal pace to take control

Chorus

Outro:

If we're gonna make it, we're gonna need the Devil's luck

There is a little variation from chorus to chorus, but those are the basic lyrics.  There are a few hidden Easter eggs I will crack open:

The opening spoken line, contributed by Lucifer himself, contains a very random reference...."light this piece up"...with "piece" referencing a wig....which would equate to a "flaming toupee," or perhaps more appropriately, "hell toupee"???

There are a few moments where you could interpret the lyrics to be a call to action or a call to be not sober...

"1,2; 9 months to go," - 1,2 starting a count and "9 month to go" referring to potentially how much more time we can expect in social distance society, is my birthday!  1-29. 

Themes and Lessons Learned

As mentioned, the chord progression is intentionally misleading.  I set out to string together chords that make you think and feel one thing that are technically something different.  I would say I accomplished that, for the most part, even if I'm not completely sure about it.  I did try to work in a more deliberate tritone sequence, but they all sounded too forced.  I'm glad the one I didn't force (Gb6) theoretically lines up!

A common thread of many songs analyzed was repeated melodic motifs.  As noted, I used small chunks from the chorus in just about every section.  I may have overdone this one.....  As a note to self, I did not write out this melody before I performed it.  In the future, I will probably write it out first and perform after.  I am adept at recognizing patterns visually.  When dealing with my own music, it's easier to see it instead of only hearing it.  My ears have a bias to my own creations...

A few easy elements I aimed for included having new material present at the end of the song, a hook that uses the song's title and the element of background singers.  I can check the box on all three of those!  Keeping step with common threads, the entire outro could be considered a lyrical refrain, as "devil's luck" happens quite frequently throughout the song.

In the future, I think I will compose when an actual idea inspires me.  I sat down to write this one with NOTHING, expect for a few compositional bullet points.  Because I have the luxury of no deadlines or quotas, waiting for a genuine idea, instead of forcing one out, would make the song feel more natural.  When I hear this song, it sounds forced.  I know I am trying to write music in a way I don't naturally migrate to.  

I did have some fun incorporating synth elements.  There are a few keyboard parts and drum patterns I added after the song was "finished."  I certainly have lots to learn and analyzing songs that rely so heavily on production is a great way to get there.  

I am, primarily, a performing musician that excels in a space where improvisation is encouraged and necessary.  If I ever perform this song live, I would be curious to see where it goes with other musicians playing.  The ending section is perfect for extended improvisation and I think the right group could have some fun with this one.  

I fully intend to go through this exercise again, firmly believing that at the very least, it's a great songwriting exercise.  If you feel inclined to leave me a comment, please do, I would love to hear from you.   Thanks for listening!