Category: music

Demo: Is This What They Call Romance?

This song was previously demo’d about a year ago, and even shoddier than this demo I’m posting today, but nonetheless, the song has come together more in my head, and I’ve a clearer idea of it now than I did 12 months ago. It’s a cute little pop song that kept popping into my head in different bits and pieces, that all came together on the piano at one point. It has a jauntiness that makes me smile, and although I think I really intended on making it quite a musically simple song, it hops back and forth between two keys instead. Oh well, that’s what I get for intentionally trying to write something simple and straight forward. It seems that when I try to write something more complex, I end up using two or three chords!

Nevertheless, I like this little tune. I fuck up the piano, as I’m wont to do, and I probably go off key too, which is my other little issue when I’m recording myself. I really hate recording myself. Just thought I’d put that out there.

But yeah, this song is about liking someone you should really like in that way at all, but you know, you can’t really help who you fall for sometimes can you? I kinda like the gender-fuck in the lyrics, and it was intentional.

Is This What They Call Romance? [demo] by misterebby

(lyrics after the jump)

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Demo: Rebel

I re-demo’d this song before Xmas, while taking a break from working on a different demo. It’s just a simple little song. The lyrics were written way back when I was a teenager, and are about a friend I had back then. I didn’t write the music until about two years ago or so, when I came across some of my old school stuff again, and discovered those lyrics amongst a batch of other, wonderfully embarrassing, songs and lyrics.

But I have a fondness for the song, though it’s fleshed out a lot more in my mind than what I ever record of it, and it’s one of the few songs I’ve written that are about or for a specific person. I’ve written about this song before, when I posted an older demo

Rebel [demo] by misterebby

(lyrics re-posted after the jump)
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Nollaig shona daoibh

I really love Thea Gilmore’s “Strange Communion” – it’s not only one of my favourite “holiday” albums, but it’s a really wonderful collection of songs, regardless of the winter/christmas themes.

I wanted to do some kind of little “seasons greetings” message of sorts, and the best way I know how is through music. This song has been in my head a lot this week, what with the solstice, full moon and lunar eclipse, and the snow and wintry weather here in Ireland for once. So, I decided to do a rough little cover of it on piano. This is Thea Gilmore’s “Midwinter Toast”:

Nollaig shona, agus athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir freisín.

(you can hear it on soundcloud too, and download it from there if you like too.)

Christmas means the Muppets.

It may be a bit odd, but Xmas for me has always meant the Muppets. One of the earliest presents I remember the whole family getting one Xmas was a VHS player. We didn’t get one until sometime in the early/mid 90’s. Xmas 1993, I think, as the movie that my folks bought with it for us all to watch was the Muppets Christmas Carol, which came out in 1992.

We watched that movie so many times since then and it’s kinda become one of the longest christmas traditions. Back then, we’d rent out one video every so often, as a treat, and watch it all together as a family, but the Muppets Christmas Carol was one of the ones we actually owned and was rewatched so often. I know the songs in that movie as well as any of the Christmas carols I grew up listening to and singing in choirs.

I still love the music in that movie, and indeed the music in many of the Muppet movies is absolutely wonderful, and I’d rank it up there with the best Disney musicals. Nothing makes me happier and feeling more Xmas-y than sitting down to watch this brilliant retelling of the Dicken’s classic.

The melody in “One More Sleep ‘Till Christmas” is absolutely gorgeous:

The variety of character singing in “Scrooge” is brilliant, and sets up the movie wonderfully:

The Muppet movies manage to mushy, happy, heart-warming songs so well, without becoming overly sickly sweet, in my opinion. I can’t help but smile at “Bless Us All”. Simple song, beautiful little harmonies, and a lovely sentiment.

And “It Feels Like Christmas” captures the essence of Christmas better than most any other song. A lot of the best Christmas songs have a sadness or nostalgia in them (“Last Christmas” by Wham, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, “White Christmas”), but this song just celebrates the different parts that go together to make a classic christmas, from choirs singing, to fireplaces, to present giving, to meeting up with old friends and family… It’s a wonderfully happy joyous celebration of the best things about Christmas, and is probably my favourite Christmas song ever. The key changes are beautifully subtle (Westlife, take note) and lifts your spirits. True, it’s hardly subtle with the message of “wherever you find love, it feels like christmas”, but it is a movie aimed at all ages and I don’t think subtlety is really the point of the thing. ;) But still. This song makes me feel like it is Christmas.

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