Song of the Month - December 2022- "This Right Here"
From Branches Breaking from the Weight
In a famous story about “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Kurt Cobain said that during its creation, he was trying to write a Pixies song.
Listen to the song again from that vantage. It seems obvious that the Pixies were an inspiration (loud-quiet-loud; nonsensical verses; screaming, anthemic chorus), and I believe that’s precisely what he tried to do.
Of course, it doesn’t sound just like the Pixies. It’s Nirvana. In theory, such an approach frees you up to try and copy a favorite songwriter. In the end, it’s probably just going to sound like you, so you don’t have to worry too much about the influence dominating the song. It’ll be yours. Just do it.
For decades, I’d never tried to write a song like someone else, but that all changed with “This Right Here,” the Single of the Month for December from Branches Breaking from the Weight.
One day at the beach, I wrote,
It might rain at the beach today.
The forecast has been set.
But I don’t want to change our plans.
We’ll get lucky, or we’ll get wet.
It’s kinda like binoculars.
What looks far is right up close.
But with that much reality,
I might grow comatose.
I knew I had a first verse for a new song, and I knew that it was styled just like a certain band from the 1990s. They aren’t one of my favorite bands, but I do like them and have a many of their songs on my iPod. I wrote the rest of the song with this band in mind. I can’t say I deliberately tried to write the song to sound like them, but then again, maybe I did. I definitely didn’t shy away from a vocal and lyrical approach that sounded to me like one of the singers of this certain band.
Bret and Kevin’s hunk helps disguise the influence of this band, as well as Bret’s production, but to me, the influence in the vocal and melody is undeniably there.
Can you guess the band? Give the song a listen. If you guess it, I’ll digital transfer you a copy of Branches Breaking from the Weight, or if you already have that album, I’ll transfer you a copy of one of my other solo albums. The first person to write the band’s name in the comments of this post gets an album for free.
If you can’t figure it out, sing the first verse out loud to yourself without the music playing. It might just be me, but I think it’s obvious. I’d be curious if anyone else can hear it.
Also, please consider purchasing Branches Breaking from the Weight. It’s only $10, you get it right now, and your support helps keep us creating new music. Happy holidays.