Molly Brown – Song and a Chat

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:38 — 23.1MB)

Episode #76: Molly Brown (Song starts at 5:28)

This week’s song is a brand new one, so it’s very fresh in my mind, as to how it came together.

I wrote the lyrics and recorded the demo recording 2 nights ago.

Tonight I’ve been a bit busy. I’ve just done online live concert for 90minutes, where I premiered this song.

Then I videoed myself recording piano and vocals in my studio, playing along to some instrumentation which I’d already created. This song, ‘Lead The Way’ will be on an upcoming yet to be titled solo album.

After all that, I recorded this podcast episode.

I mention these things here because that’s how it is to be a creative person (like a songwriter). When inspiration strikes, you go with it – and I do….

So, as I had my iPad set up in the studio, I decided to make video of tonight’s show, for the first time. Here it is ( I got video of 1st 20mins. The last 10 mins is audios and photos)

Ok.

Back to our song… I had the melody and and chords all finished, a while ago. It’ll work as a piano solo piece. In fact I’ll put it on my next piano album I think, and produce sheet music.

Back when the first melody snippet came, a woman’s name came through: ‘Someone Brown’- definitely two syllables. So I called it ‘Lucy Brown’ (thinking of the Charlie Brown cartoons) as a working title.

Also, I had a strong feeling I’d be writing lyrics, telling this ‘Ms Brown’s’ story and also felt that it would be a historical story of note. It was that clear, like receiving instructions. So I put the piece aside and waited…

Earlier this week, it came to me: ‘The Titanic’. I thought ‘Really? But it’s been done (so well, too)’. I didn’t dismiss the idea, just considered the possibility..

The next morning I flicked on the computer and there was a post with the heading along the lines of: ‘Molly Brown and the Titanic’. Wow. Really? Really…

So that was the clincher. It’s been a great creative week. I love composing and writing lyrics and I love performing – the online concert was a blast.

I think that’s why I love recording a podcast episode each week – it’s like a performing, to a degree, but I feel like I’m in some sort of ‘inclusive’ (rather one-sided) conversation as well, as I speak.

On this episode, as usual, I play my piano – for fun – and to demonstrate ideas. There’s humour here, too. This podcast definitely has a relaxed vibe.

I talk through the lyrics, where they came from. It wasn’t hard to find some information online, to gain an overview of Molly Brown’s life. I just needed some quick facts to create something from, tell a story, so that got me started (I see there’s a biography to read as well, so I will, one day).

So this was a different sort of song for me. I really enjoyed the creative process of turning ‘dry’ facts into a descriptive story.

If you’d like to find out more about how the song came to be – and hear a demo recording – sit back, perhaps grab a cuppa, and here we go…

Thanks so much for stopping by and having a read. I hope you enjoy having a listen (or a view and a listen if you’d like to view the Youtube version.

Pete

www.petepascoe.com Blog (with the paintings I mention on this episode + lyrics, more music and art): www.petepascoe.wordpress.com