Visions Of Sleep – Song and a Chat

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Episode #65: Visions Of Sleep (Song starts at 5.48)

Hi and welcome to another episode of fun, exploration and …intrigue. Where did this song (song # 406) come from?

It came from a dream. There you go. It was early (ish) in the morning, after all, I’m a musician. It would’ve been sometime before 11am. Probably. Anyhow, I woke from this dream as if someone lightly shook me. So I wrote those words in my diary and then they became lyrics. The rest of the lyrics came from my casting my mind back into a dream like state, sifting for feelings and trying to recall as much as I could.

A figure, away in the distance, slowly came into view, he came closer and closer and…..

This demo of the song was actually the first time it was ever played. Actually, on the day, three of us recorded 14 songs (first take), and this became an album of which I released 100 CDs. I’ve since recorded the vocals, added some strings and I think I’ll re-release it on bandcamp later this year.

This is very much ‘information’ outlining the process. But an episode of Song and A Chat is more than that….

So how does an episode roll? What’s the format? Well, I start out with some sort of ‘off the cuff’ sort of opening gambit about what’s been happening – in fact , whatever pops into my mind. So it’s a relaxed chat.

Eventually, I bring the conversation around to the song. I muse and chat, quite often I come up with something unexpected that ends up being related to the song. The apparently initially unrelated subject material quite often seems to shine a light on some aspect of the week’s song in a way that might never have happened had I not just chatted and had some fun.

I play the demo, then I read the lyrics, analysing them in an relaxed manner. I don’t take myself overly seriously – when it comes down to it, art and music has to be fun ( yes, there’s a recurring theme here). I do enjoy looking at the words.

Then I look at the music and demonstrate bits and pieces on my piano as I speak.

I hope you enjoy the song – and the chat. Sit back and enjoy having a listen.

By the way, while there’s lots of songwriting tips here, they are delivered in terms that the layman can understand. It all inclusive, as if I’m addressing an intimate crowd at a ‘songwriter speaks’ sort of gig – no prior music theory knowledge is required.

Join me in the dreamy realm of the state I get into, as a songwriter, like this :

“Hi there! Welcome to another episode of Song and Chat ! – with your host, Pete Pascoe – that would be me. Man, the howling winds really blew last night here in Melbourne …..” and on we go. The howling winds brought to mind an old episode of the TV show ‘The Young Ones’ , so I talk about that for a while…etc.

You can check out the lyrics of the featured song ( and some art and more music ) on my blog each week: www.petepascoe.wordpress.com .

Maybe Visions Of Sleep might work with my current band, Pete Pascoe and The Patient Hum. Hmm…I’ll put it to the guys. Maybe one day we’ll release a new version and you’ll be able to say “I heard the demo – and got the back story ” here.

By the way, you’ll hear about my little dog that I used to have and what happened when my brother and I let the budgie out for a fly around the kitchen one day….. How’s that for unexpected. That’s just what you can expect. C’mon & join me now as I get right inside the one of my real passions in life . Songwriting. ….