Searching for Gold

Work in progress for the next songfight.org topic, which is "has been for years." I recently learned about songfight and thought it would be fun to try it out.

I'd love to hear what y'all think about this. It doesn't feel complete to me...I've tried adding other instruments but that didn't feel right. Maybe I need more lyrics, maybe an actual chorus instead of that little bridge thingy I've got right now.

I recorded it live into Garageband, singing and playing at the same time, so the timing probably stinks.

• play
• pause
• min volume
• max volume

posted by Doleful Creature (8 comments total)

Sounds fine to me. For me there's a fine line between sounding earnestly wistful, sounding too "listen to me!" and wading into tortured territory (which only few can do for me, because they have to take you with them), and you sound great in that regard. I believe you. It sounds like you're singing for yourself, trying to figure things out in your own head. So if this sound doesn't feel right, maybe it's not supposed to, you know? Also, nice sadface tag.
posted by cashman at 7:21 AM on October 13, 2011

This is great. Critically: it could stand another go-round I think. And I felt that some of the pounding on the old Joanna was a bit heavy-handed in places. A band version would be cool - I'm hearing a kind of Bruce Hornsby vibe. Let me know if you want some guitar adding to it at some point.
posted by MajorDundee at 3:19 PM on October 14, 2011

Thanks MajorDundee...yeah getting a band feel would be pretty. The pounding is me getting used to using a semi-weighted keyboard as opposed to my old full-weighted beast. I maybe could go for some guitar, that sounds like fun.
posted by Doleful Creature at 3:30 PM on October 14, 2011

What you're referring to as the "little bridgy thing" is a perfectly good chorus. The sound of this keeps reminding me of something I can't quite put my finger on. Not in a rip-offy way, but just as a kind of general feel. JD Souther? Ry Cooder?? Ahhh, no, I got it I think: Jackson Browne... It's in that ballpark somehow.....
posted by MajorDundee at 5:12 PM on October 14, 2011

You know, I've never really listened to any of those artists...maybe I should start.
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:07 PM on October 14, 2011

I'm getting Bruce Hornsby too. It's a strong song, well structured and interesting changes. I'd bring in the band halfway through and maybe tone down the piano a bit in the middle -- not just the velocity but the busy-ness... when your as adept on the keys as you obviously are you have to really watch out that you don't overdo it... gets a bit layer-cakey if you know what I mean.

Vocal has a nice Elliott Smith vibe... bit pitchy here and there but I know this is only a sketch and who am I to talk?
posted by unSane at 6:16 PM on October 16, 2011

Yeah I totally get the layer cake problem. Bruce Hornsby, yet another artist I've never listened to! But I'd never scoff at an Elliot Smith comparison.
posted by Doleful Creature at 3:17 PM on October 20, 2011

I suppose this is the locus classicus for Bruce. I much prefer this performance to the 80s version which is full of fretless bass and all sorts of other things that make baby jesus cry.

I'd love to see a proper resurgence of the piano man -- Hornsby, Joel, Elton John and others. They were all really great songwriters in their day (along with Roger Hodgson and many others). Elton John songs are an absolute blast to play when the family are out. I can sit down and play YOUR SONG for an hour quite happily.

Jimmy Webb is also a big piano guy although you never realize it because people always play his songs on guitar. I think he only ever wrote one song on guitar, and that was in an open tuning.
posted by unSane at 5:18 PM on October 20, 2011