Fairy Tale – Song and a Chat

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Episode #120 Fairy Tale

(song starts at 3:46)

We are going back in time again – with some help from this week’s song. Fairytale, song #252, was written in 1993. The demo was recorded then, too.

On this episode, I touch on how much our surroundings affect us. Nature is my thing, particularly being next to a river or the ocean .

I was living in Kuratau, NZ when this song came to me – and the song for the next episode popped up at the same time. They seem to belong together, somehow. Kuratau is a serene, ‘deep’ place in the winter. It’s a time & place for some quiet reflection. – a great place to find some solitude (in the winter months). That’s what I found.

Fairytale is a song about Paul Dredge and myself. I’ve cast us as jesters, back in time- sort of medieval times (Paul is my long time co-songwriter from NZ. We have a single out currently: https://petepascoe.hearnow.com/youre-going-to-be-ok-do-do-do . Album coming up soon (folk rock).

Back to the song. The person the jesters are entertaining is someone whom they thought would sing well with them and be part of proceedings.

So it’s a fictional tale, with seeds of truth, complete with an imagined outcome. That’s art. On reflection, perhaps a better title would be Fairy Tale (The Jesters and The Queen).

It was fun to write in this ‘fairy tale’ manner, presenting ourselves ‘in character’. It’s something I hadn’t done before- and haven’t done since.

The serene lake Taupo is in the middle of New Zealand’s North Island. To visit the area is to lift your senses . To reside there is potentially transformative. It’s a place of awesome peace and beauty. I recommend a visit if you’ve never been.

It was against this backdrop that I wrote lots in my diaries (I share some of that on this episode) and I came up with some songs, like this one.

Fairytale is an allegorical tale. It all comes together at the end with a statement along the lines of: perhaps it might be an idea to follow our dreams and put them before all else.

The title came to me later. It seemed apt, considering the fact that the happy ending was illusionary.

Which is fine. In life you’re going to have your hopes and plans and no matter what you’re doing, you’re going to have ups and downs. Some things will ‘work out’ and somethings won’t (apparently). So you might as well pick something you love to spend your time on.

I’m lucky. I chose an artistic path. Yes, in some respects, it’s a challenging path. But I’ve learned and consequently, I’ve grown and I think that’s what we’re here to do.

The characters, in this medieval sort of guise, in this tale, existed in my mind for the duration of the lyric writing time. I let the pen the lead the way.

It was surprising to see where it took me. I like the line: ’ A message from the queen that was sent y’s ( which I rhymed with ‘adventures’ ).

The lyrics are in this week’s blog post. Www.petepascoe.wordpress.com

It pays to sit back and go with the flow and generally I’ve found it doesn’t often pay to try and twist people’s arms (If it’s meant to be…).

The upshot is: ultimately I took what was really a personal song to a place where I’ve ended on a more global sort of theme, to bring the listener in.

So, I think the question this song is asking is: are you free to go with the flow? Let outcomes be what they will. ..

Perhaps that’s easier said than done at times…

The bongos and guitar on this old demo were played by Paul Dredge (again, stand by for the new album- and we’re already along way down the path towards producing another).

It’s an ongoing unfolding sort of process, being a songwriter. Having an long term musical relationship with another person is great. It takes you places.

Along the way, I’ve created songs at nearly every twist and turn in my life, which I’m very grateful to have done. It’s so nice to be sharing the songs and more importantly here, sharing how they came to be.

By the way, just a reminder: this podcast doesn’t get overly technical. It’s for everyone – those who may not be versed in musical theory at all will hopefully enjoy this as much as someone who is.

For instance I use the analogy of riding a wave at the beach to describe the feeling of being inspired and acting on it. ..

Here we go…enjoy!