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LyricSlinger Website Latest News

New song published – Stranger In Another Time (16Jul23)

I’m delighted that David G. Harrington picked up my Stranger In Another Time lyrics and turned them into a great song. The song is about feeling out of place, almost like you’re a time traveller who’s been shot forward to the present but you should be in a previous era. 

5090 Challenge start approaching! (03Jul23)

I’m very excited that the 5090 songwriting challenge will soon be upon us. It starts on the 4th of July and runs until the 1st of October. The challenge is very simple – write 50 songs or lyrics in 90 days! And have fun. My other goal is to have as many of my lyrics turned into songs as possible, by collaborating with the wonderful musicians on the site. It’s a great friendly community, so why not join in? 

FAWM 2023 summary (01Mar23)

 

I took part in the February Album Writing Month website again this year. The aim of FAWM is to write 14 lyrics or songs in 24 days. I managed to smash that (and then some) this year, ending up with 51 lyrics! What I was more delighted about was that I ended up with 15 songs, through collaborations with musicians. And I had a couple of lyrics that were worked on by more than one musician. Working On An Arctic Night was turned into 2 songs, while Me And My Ghost became my most successful lyric, with 3 different treatments!

I’d thoroughly recommend taking part in FAWM. And also in Fifty Ninety which is its big brother and starts on the 4th of July.

Listening to music to create lyrical inspiration (04Jan23)

Looking for lyric writing inspiration as we start 2023? Then check out my article in this month’s edition of Write Away magazine about Listening to music to create lyrical inspiration. There are lots of other great articles included this month, including one by Trevor Dimoff on Setting and surpassing your 2023 goals. That’s certainly something a lot of us will be seeking to do this year, whether specifically about lyric writing or more generally!

Happy 2023!

Wishing everyone a very happy 2023. I hope your year will be full of joy, music and, of course, lyrics. 

The start of the year is a great time to reflect back on what we’ve achieved in the previous year. For me, 2022 was a very productive year in terms of songwriting. I wrote 140 lyrics, successfully completed the FAWM and 50 90 Challenge targets, and had 19 of my lyrics that were turned into completed songs. I’m hoping that I can keep up that success in 2023, and maybe find some new things to branch out into. For example, I’d love to find a band (either virtual or local) that I could regularly collaborate with. Whatever the year brings, I’ll share details here so make sure you check in regularly.

After the writing is done (04Dec22)

My article for the festive edition of Write Away magazine is called ‘After the writing is done‘. A lot of lyric writing articles focus on tips to create better lyrics, which is great. However, to become successful, a lyricist also needs to put time and effort into various activities after the lyric is completed. For example, finding a musician to work with and promoting any finished songs. So check out my article to see if there are additional things you could do to make yourself a more successful songwriter?

The A-Z alphabet songwriting challenge (04Nov22)

My latest Write Away magazine article is called ‘The A-Z alphabet songwriting challenge‘ and talks about a way in which lyricists and songwriters could boost their writing creativity. Read the article to find out more and maybe it’s something that you’d like to try?  

My ‘Rock Block’ played on Planet Rock radio (01Nov22)

Okay, it’s not related to my lyric writing, or song collaborations, but I was pleased that Planet Rock radio station played 9 songs that I had selected as part of their Rock Block today. The idea is that they invite listeners to send in 20 songs and then, if they like your suggestions, they’ll play an hour’s worth of them. Sometimes the Rock Blocks are themed and that’s the approach I went with. I chose songs that, either intentionally or unintentionally, mention other bands or musical artists within their lyrics. The Rock Block is currently available to listen to here if you’d like to see what songs were featured and try to work out which bands they mention!

 

New song published – The Back Of Beyond (13Aug22)

‘This used to be a one horse town / But now that horse is dead / Time put a bullet into / His fine proud horsey head’. These opening lines came to me when I was out shopping, and led to a song that is about someone who grew up in a very small and remote spot. It’s seen better times but the countryside is still beautiful and holds lots of nostalgia. Thanks to musician T.C. Elliott for turning my lyrical vision into such a nice song. 

New song published – Under Desert Skies (10Aug22)

‘These days it don’t rain so much / These days we don’t live so good / It’s hard under desert skies’. Under Desert Skies is a song set in the future with the song’s protagonist reflecting on the pernicious impact of climate change. It’s been beautifully brought to life by Mike Birch. The chorus is both a sad lament and catchy! 

 

New song published – Got A Drouth (09Aug22)

This is a fun song that was done as part of a Random Collaboration challenge on the 50 90 Challenge website. Musician Cameron Seebach mentioned that he’s a fan of songs with ‘a heavy dose of silly’. That was all the excuse I needed to write a song that is about a guy who is very thirsty (Drouth a Scottish word for thirsty) and it features a reference to a cat.

New song published – Kicking Cans (07Aug22)

It was great to work with Finnish musician Harri Kujala on this song called Kicking Cans. I revisited a familiar topic with the lyrics I created for this song – that of how walls separate peoples and reinforce divisions in society. I liked the image of boys and girls on either side of the wall who are very similar – wearing Messi football tops, singing Rihanna songs, etc – but their worlds can never come together … until the wall is smashed down. Harri’s given it a really nice bluesy vibe with some stellar slide guitar!

 

Alluring alliteration in lyric writing (04Aug22)

My article in the August edition of Write Away magazine looks at Alluring alliteration in lyric writing. It references a Joni Mitchell song that makes good use of the letter ‘P’, as well as a fun lyric that I wrote called Suzuki Suzie. Please check out my article and the whole magazine. It’s free to read and contains lots of interesting content, whether you’re a beginner or established lyric or songwriter.

New song published – Lonely And Blue (25Jul22)

Lonely And Blue is song collab number 3 from this year’s 50 90 Challenge website, and it’s one that really made me smile. I’d been listening to a show on Planet Rock, where Mick Jagger had picked an hour’s worth of blues’ songs, and felt inspired to write a loosely blues-related lyric. I twisted the usual lost-it-all blues theme to write lyrics about a rich guy who seems to have everything that any of us could ever want, but he’s still lonely and blue. Mike Birch picked it up and has done an incredible job at turning it into a really enjoyable blues track. I dare you to listen to it and not tap your feet! 

New song published – Love And Rage (24Jul22)

Love and Rage is my 2nd song collaboration from 2022’s 50 90 Challenge is another reflective one. The lyrics are a reflection on mortality and the finality that the burial ceremony brings. It’s been expertly crafted into a really poignant song. It elicited a comment from Bill on the 50 90 site that I think is really cool – ‘deep pop, something rare these days. full of wisdom and emotion, heartstopping guitar and vocals soaring to the birdnests of the gods.’

New song published – Many Cuts Of The Clay (10Jul22)

Delighted to have my 1st song collaboration of 2022’s 50 90 Challenge. The lyrics to Many Cuts Of The Clay came after I had a trip down memory lane with a first proper visit to Southampton since I graduated from Southampton University in 1993! The song idea is that it takes many cuts of the clay for the person that we end up being to emerge but all of that creative process, good and bad, is important. Enjoy listening to the fantastic song that Gwyn Jones has created from my lyrics.  

 

Lyric writing – be inspired by your influences (04Jul22)

This month’s article talks about how you can lean on your musical influences to create some new great lyrics and songs.

Keep busy to keep the lyrics flowing (04Jun22)

An article about how the more you write the more you will be able to write.

Should songwriters write about the Ukraine War (04May22)

The Ukraine war has stirred strong emotions for many people, so it’s no surprise that songwriters have been creating songs and lyrics influenced by it. However, given the sensitivity that surrounds any war, is it something that songwriters should be doing? I explore that topic in May’s edition of Write Away magazine, and reference the legendary rock band, Pink Floyd, who have recently brought out a single that is directly about the war.

Up against the stopwatch – How deadlines can inspire great lyrics (04Apr22)

My ‘Up against the stopwatch – How deadlines can inspire great lyrics‘ article has been featured in the April edition of Write Away magazine. The article was inspired by a challenge (called a skirmish) that I took part in on the FAWM website in February.  Everyone who took part had a short period of time to write either a song or lyrics linked to a particular theme. Having that time constraint wasn’t easy but the need to create fast can inspire creativity and be very advantageous. Check out my article and it would be great to hear if you have any similar experiences of writing to a challenging deadline?

Write your first ever lyrics – absolute beginner’s guide (04Mar22)

I went back to basics this month with an article that offers guidance to those who are just starting out on their lyric writing adventure. ‘Write your first ever lyrics – absolute beginner’s guide‘ provides some thoughts on how to get started, and I canvassed the thoughts of the FAWM (February Album Writing Community) to include some tips that were suggested by other lyricists and musicians. If you have just decided to give lyric writing a go, then I hope you will find my article useful. Don’t forget to also check out the rest of the content in March’s edition of Write Away magazine. 

New song published – Look On The Bright Side (28Feb22)

Look On The Bright Side was my 6th and last song from FAWM 2022, and was a delightful surprise. It was a surprise because it looked like musician Thomas Meidell wasn’t going to be able to create a song from the lyrics I’d supplied for our random collaboration challenge, until right at the final minute he unearthed this beauty. And it’s a delight because it’s just a fantastic song. It reminds me a bit of Leonard Cohen. The idea with the song was write something positive. But with all that was going on in the world, it also touches upon how life isn’t always easy. The result, I think, is a song that has real emotional depth – it doesn’t shy away from the harshness of life but does call out things to be joyful about. 

New Song published – Spring In My Step Today (26Feb22)

My 3rd Random Collaboration of FAWM 2022 was with Linda, aka mandolinda. I’d asked if there was any theme that she’d like me to write about and she mentioned that Spring was just around the corner and that maybe we could create a song about that. From that acorn emerged a song called Spring In My Step Today. It’s a lovely positive song, but what I love about it as well is that it’s not really the kind of lyric that I would normally write. That’s the beauty of random collaborations; that opportunity to try different things. 

New song published – Destroyer Of Lives (23Feb22)

The first lyric that I wrote in FAWM 2022 was Destroyer Of Lives, and it got a great reaction from lots of people. I had originally thought that it could be a loud metal song, maybe in Metallica territory. However, Andy Balham picked it up and has given it a really cool hard-edged punk sound. One of the people who commented on the song on FAWM described it as ‘punk metal, The Clash or the Ramones’. The song is about small time dictators, people who try to drain all joy from others’ lives.

New song published – Get Home To You (22Feb22)

Very pleased to work with David Harrington again, this time as part of FAWM 2022. David has brought to life my story of a guy on the run from the law for a crime that he didn’t commit. The song is called ‘Get Home To You‘ and sounds great. It features harmonica and a really incessant drum sound that helps build the tension of the story being told. And it contains train sounds which is always a good thing!

FAWM 2022 target achieved (17Feb22)

Yay, I’ve reached the FAWM (February Album Writing Month) target of 14 songs in 28 days. Or in my case, 14 lyrics with 2 of them turned into songs by musicians. It’s been great fun and I hope to add a few more before the month finishes.

New song published – I Need To Go Somewhere (12Feb22)

2nd song from FAWM 2022. I was paired with English musician, Brisk, and ended up writing lyrics about someone who is restless. They want to get away to see other places, do other things, but can’t work out what it is that they want to do. Brisk’s done a great job of turning I Need To Go Somewhere into a fun song. Love the guitar sound on this track.

 

New song published – Abracadabra Land (08Feb22)

My first collab from FAWM 2022 is a fabulous one. Really happy with how US musician Rod Johnson took my lyrics and created such a compelling great-sounding song. Abracadabra Land is a song is about heroism, with the protagonist saying at the start of the song that he feels he’s not the super hero that the world expects him to be. Have a listen to it – you won’t be disappointed. You can also check out Rod’s Bandcamp page for more cool songs.

Do lyrics need to make perfect sense? (04Feb22)

My article in this month’s edition of lyrics magazine Write Away looks at the question of whether lyrics need to make perfect sense? It’s an interesting topic because a lot of critiques on amateur songwriting websites focus on whether every aspect of a lyric makes coherent sense. In the commercial realm however, there’s plenty of evidence that suggests that listeners aren’t as bothered. And a good example is the huge Meat Loaf hit ‘I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)’. I talk about that song and others within the article. Check it out! 

What would Nostradamus predict for music in 2022? (04Jan22)

In my regular Write Away magazine post I look at What would Nostradamus predict for music in 2022? Will there be any changes in the genres that are popular? How has the global Covid pandemic influenced the way that musicians and fans interact? Check out my article and see if you agree with any of my predictions! The whole January edition is packed with great articles. My personal recommendations among the other content are Trevor Dimoff’s ‘Eight more songwriting myths‘, and Jane Shields’ ‘Worthwhile considerations when re-writing a lyric‘. There’s a huge amount of tips and useful information that I’m sure will be of great use and entertainment whether you are a beginner or experienced songwriter!

Sons of Alerik album released (24Dec21)

It’s a great thrill that a lyric I wrote, called ‘Apologies‘, has been turned into a song and included on the Sons of Alerik debut album. The album has been created by a bunch of musicians from the Kompoz music collaboration website that I am part of, and it sounds AMAZING! Well done to Jeff Bragg, Timothy Reid, Jon C. Garcia, and Chris Bouchard on creating such a fantastic album. Apologies is a song about how humans always seem to be the cause of destruction and devastation in our world, and just offering apologies isn’t enough. 

The album, or the individual songs, is available to purchase via Spotify, Apple Music, and other musical outlets.

How songwriting and music helps with wellbeing (04Dec21)

I’m pleased that I’ve managed to have an article in Write Away magazine every month this year. My article in the December edition is called How songwriting and music helps with wellbeing. The importance of positive wellbeing is increasingly being recognised by organisations as well as by medical professionals, and the Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly impacted many people’s mental health.  I hope that my article will be of interest and use to at least some people. 

Should songwriters write about controversial topics? (04Nov21)

Rock n’roll and controversy have always gone hand in hand but it seems like there is greater scrutiny these days on song topics that may offend. So my article in the November edition of Write Away magazine looked at whether songwriters should write about controversial topics.  

Six Degrees (And Gone) (04Nov21)

Six Degrees (And Gone) is a song from 3 years ago but it feels relevant and topical this week, given that the COP26 climate conference is taking place just down the road in Glasgow. I wrote the lyrics after reading a scary article that talked about what is in store for our planet if humans don’t act quickly and decisively to combat global warming. We are running out of opportunities to put things right, and I hope that pledges made at COP26 are honoured.

Happy Halloween! (31Oct21)

Gallows’ Hill got another play on Radio Lancashire this weekend, this time as part of a Halloween show! It’s a rock song about the Pendle witch trials that took place in 1612. That must make it the most successful song that I have contributed to so far. 

The Late Worm And The Early Bird (11Oct21)

The Late Worm And The Early Bird was one of the last lyrics that I created as part of this year’s 50 90 Challenge – a website where the aim is to create 50 songs or lyrics in 90 days. It was picked up by DZD who has turned it into a cool grungy rock song. The idea behind the lyric is that we often hear about how the early bird gets the worm, but never about how the late worm avoids the early bird!

Gallows’ Hill played on Radio Lancashire! (11Oct21)

I’m a few days behind in my update for this but it was EXTREMELY exciting that Radio Lancashire played Gallows’ Hill on the 8th of October. They did a great interview with fellow Gallows’ Hill lyricist Elizabeth Auzan and played the song towards the end of the interview. I love that the DJ Garry Scott compared our singer Kris Pride’s voice to Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame! More Riders Of The Apostrophe material is being discussed as we speak, so I hope I’ll be able to share more exciting songs in due course, which just might include a Christmas single ….

Riding high in the Soundblend charts (11Oct21)

Breaking news – I Don’t Have A Tractor is sitting 3rd in the Soundlend charts. Okay, it’s not quite the Billboard Top 40 but it’s nice to see some interest in the song. Maybe you can push it higher by listening to it and paying just the $0.99 needed to own a digital copy?! 

New Song Published – I Don’t Have A Tractor (10Oct21)

I Don’t Have A Tractor is a rare foray into Country music for me, and I’ve worked with a great bunch of musicians on the Kompoz music collaboration website who have turned it into a really fun, high quality, contemporary country song. The idea behind it is of a young guy who fancies a girl called Melanie but there’s just one problem – she’s dating Mister Young Farmer of the Year and he owns his own tractor. The song’s protagonist reckons he might stand a chance if he could get hold of a tractor. Listen to the song to see how he gets on in his quest to win over Melanie’s heart! Thanks to Barry, WillaWay, Javier, Timothy, and Jim for doing such a great job with it.  

New Song Published – Riding The Same Subway (01Oct21)

Demo version of a random collaboration challenge song that was created on the 50 90 Challenge website. I was paired with US musician DZD and I love the grunge-enthused grittiness of the song that he created from my lyrics. Check out Riding The Subway. 

New Song Published – Celebpretty (30Sep21)

Celebpretty began as a humorous bit of wordplay. The term popped into my head and I then created lyrics about a woman who is in the media spotlight due to her fame and beauty. It references people are diverse as the Queen and Motley Crue! I loved Rich Joseph and David Taro’s musical interpretation of it. I think it’s a really interesting and fun song but, behind the humour, there’s also a darker side about the goldfish bowl lives that such people are forced to lead. 

New Song Published – Until You Say So (26Sep21)

Until You Say So is another song collaboration with US singer Colleen Goodsell. I had posted the lyrics on the 50 90n Challenge website and I was delighted when Colleen spotted them and said she’d like to turn them into a song! The lyrics are set in war time and tell the story of a little girl and her mum living through a time when bombs were being dropped by warplanes overhead.  I think Colleen’s created a song that is suitably beautiful and moving. 

Boosting creativity through the 50 90 Challenge (04Sep21)

As you may have seen through other updates, I’ve been very busy writing lyrics on the 50 90 Challenge website over the last 3 months. It’s led to an enormous surge in creativity, and I’ve written about how 50 90 can boost creativity in the October 2021 edition of Write Away Magazine. There’s loads of other great content in this month’s edition, including articles about whether Songwriters Block is a myth, Daryn Wright’s Lyric Evaluation Series, and Ask The Judge with Rachel Walker Mason. 

New Song Published – Thoughts Of Love (04Sep21)

My 8th song collaboration as part of my 50 90 Challenge participation is another partnership with Colleen G. Thoughts Of Love is a lyric about a woman who is reflecting on the thoughts she has for someone new that she’s met. I wrote it from a female perspective specifically with Colleen in mind, and was delighted when she agreed to turn it into a song. Colleen is blessed with a beautiful voice and the acoustic guitar that she set this song too is also lovely. It’s a great song, so please check it out. 

Entering lyric contests article (04Sep21)

The most visited article on my website is one I wrote back in April 2018 about entering free lyric contests. It’s obviously something that lots of lyric writers are interested in, so I decided to write an updated article called Entering lyric contests on that topic which has been published in the September edition of the free online Write Away magazine. This time I wrote both about free lyric contests and lyric contests that have an entry fee. So if you’re interest in having a go at entering lyric contests, then please check my article out. 

 

New Song Published – We Follow The Old Ways (01Sep21)

We Follow The Old Ways is another song, featuring my lyrics, that has come from a collaboration on the 50 90 Challenge website. It’s a duet about a fisherman who is caught up in a storm while at sea, and he’s desperately trying to get home to his wife. She, meanwhile, is waiting on the shore, praying for his safe return. Georgie Cooper and Gwyn Jones have done an amazing job to turn the lyrics into an epic song. Please check it out.

New Song Published – Gallows’ Hill (30Aug21)

Gallows’ Hill is a song that was inspired by the story of the Pendle Witchcraft trials of 1612. It references Alice Grey who was the only of the accused not to die. I co-wrote the lyrics with Elizabeth Auzan, and Raymond Van Melzen, Mark Adams, and singer Kris Pride then skilfully turned it into a fantastic song. It’s the second song that Elizabeth, Raymond, Mark, and myself have collaborated on (the other being a song called Gallifrey) and it’s been great to see the song evolve from inception to final polished song.

If you’re a fan of history-based songs and/or prog rock, then I think you’ll love listening to Gallows’ Hill. I would thoroughly recommend reading up on the Pendle Witchcraft trials as well as it’s a very interesting moment in English history. 

 

50 90 Challenge target achieved! (24Aug21)

I reached my goal of writing 50 lyrics in 90 days on the 24th of August, with a full 38 days to spare! Pretty pleased with that. I’ve definitely found that it’s become progressively easy to find inspiration for lyrics the more that I’ve written. You might think that you’d run out of ideas but the opposite is true. With the focus on speed, there will undoubtedly be some of them that will require editing further down the line but the 50 90 Challenge site is a great and fun way to boost creative output. 

New Song Published – Nobody Knew His Name (But Do You?) (22Aug21)

Listen to Nobody Knew His Name (But Do You?) and see if you can guess who this song is about? Feel free to contact me with your guess!

Music and vocals by Andy Getch and this song came about through a Random Collaboration Challenge on the 50 90 Challenge website. I think what we came up with is great fun!

New Song Published – Any Other Way (21Aug21)

Any Other Way is the 5th song that has been created from my lyrics this month on the 50 90 Challenge website. I’m so pleased with this one. I wrote the first draft of the lyrics back in May 2018, but went back and improved them, as part of a collaboration with Colleen G. It’s the first time I’ve worked with Colleen but I hope it won’t be the last as she has an incredible voice and a whole lot of musical ability. Please give the song a listen. It’s a song about a woman who’s had her tough times but is a survivor and isn’t going to let anything get in her way.

New Song Published – If You See Kay (16Aug21)

My second song collaboration with talented fellow Irish man, David G. Harrington. If You See Kay started as a lyric that I wrote about someone writing a letter to the brother of an old flame. David picked it up and has turned it into an extremely catchy song, similar in style to ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ by The Script. 

New Song Published – The Sorrow Echo (09Aug21)

It was a delight when this song, created by Alex Klages, popped into my inbox earlier this week. I was partnered with Alex through a random collaboration challenge on the 50 90 Challenge website, and sent him lyrics called The Sorrow Echo that I’d written back in May 2017. I actually discovered today that I wrote the lyrics on the 23rd of May 2017, one day after the horrific Manchester Arena bombing that claimed the lives of so may young people at the Ariana Grande concert. Alex has created a beautifully poignant song from those lyrics. If you have 3 minutes to spare then check it out – you may end up playing it more than once though …

New Song Published – The Beatles Under The Stones (07Aug21)

I wrote a nostalgic lyric about growing up in the Seventies, and Irish musician David G. Harrington has turned it into a great piano-led song. I posted the lyrics on the 50 90 Challenge website and it sparked lots of really positive comments, particularly from people who had also been a child in the 70s. I think some of the outside activities that we enjoyed were very similar – collecting frogspawn from ponds, cycling and climbing trees, and collecting insects to temporarily put into jam jars! Check out The Beatles Under The Stones, especially if you grew up in that kind of era!

Underrated components from the lyrical toolkit (04Aug21)

My contribution to the August 2021 edition of Write Away Magazine is an article called Underrated components from the lyrical toolkit. Read it to find out what 4 things I highlighted, and the hit songs that I called out as examples of them. Maybe there are other underrated lyrical techniques that you would draw attention to? If so, I’d love to hear about them. Look out too for great articles from loads of other talented lyricists, including Paul Sykes, Trevor Dimoff, Daryn Wright, and Rachel Walker Mason. 

New song published – I’ve Got To Be With You (03Aug21)

I’m thrilled that a lyric I wrote called I’ve Got To Be With You has been turned into a song on the 50 90 Challenge website by Australian musician, Corey Stewart. The inspiration for my lyrics was the hundred year anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, and I wrote a first draft in 2016. I revisited and created a revised version as part of my 50 90 participation, and it’s brilliant that Corey picked it up. He’s given it a modern spin on it and it’s a beautiful song that tells a bittersweet story of love separated by war. Check it out please!

Taking part in the 50/90 Challenge (01Aug21)

I’m taking part in the 50 90 Challenge for the first time this year. This is a songwriting challenge, where the aim is to write 50 songs (or lyrics) in 90 days. It’s a sister site to FAWM (February Album Writing Month) that I’ve done for the last two years. It’s a great way to boost creativity, and I’m on 16 lyrics so far. Hope to share more details about it over the coming weeks, and that it may lead to a few musical collaborations.

Writing Sports Anthems (04Jul21)

The delayed Euro 2020 football tournament was in full swing when I wrote and submitted my article for the July edition of Write Away magazine. So I decided to write about Writing Sports Anthems. Reading it won’t guarantee that you can write the next Three Lions type hit, but it can’t hurt!

New song published – In Each Other’s Worlds (24May21)

I worked with American musician John Kluesner and my wife Montaffera to create a pop punk duet song. In Each Other’s Worlds tells the story of a skater boy and a bookish girl who fancy each other but don’t think their desires can ever come to anything because they inhabit very different worlds. The song is great fun, so please check it out! It’s also the first pop punk lyrics that I’ve written and it’s always nice to branch out and try new genres! The song was created as part of a collaboration challenge on the MuseSongWriters website, which paired lyricists and musicians up to create songs that included a duet. All the songs from that challenge can be found here. 

Sometimes you need to throw the lyrical rule book away (04Jun21) 

Beginner lyric writers often get told of the importance of sticking to certain key songwriting rules. In my latest Write Away Magazine article, however, I talk about how sometimes you need to throw the lyrical rule book away!

New Song Published – Grace Darling (20May21)

I’ve been increasingly been using interesting historical events as the inspiration for lyrics, and Grace Darling is a song that was inspired by an inspiring story of heroism from 1838. Grace Darling was the daughter of William Darling, who managed a lighthouse off the Northumberland coast, in England. In the early hours of 7th September 1838, Grace spotted some survivors desperately clinging onto an exposed rock having been shipwrecked. She convinced her father to launch a coble rowing boat (despite treacherous conditions) and the two of them rowed out and effected the rescue of 9 people. Grace became something of a national heroine, and her story is both inspiring and tragic.

Having written the lyrics, I was delighted when musician James Fraser said that he would like to work them into a folk song. James doesn’t live too far away from where the drama played out, so it seems very apt to have his voice and musical talents on the song. Our long-time fellow collaborator Nigel Robinson then joined the fun, and James and Nigel did a great job on the song. I’d love it if you could have a listen and maybe then read up on the history of Grace Darling and the sinking of the SS Forfarshire. 

Is AI the future of lyric writing? (04May21)

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is starting to get used in the creation of promotional copy, and I’ve seen conversations about its use to create lyrics. My article, in the May edition of Write Away magazine, explores whether AI is the future of lyric writing? I’ve included lyrics that I got from an AI lyric creation website. The lyrics are called ‘The Tale Of My Unique Painter Cousin’ and you can decide for yourself whether Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, and Paul McCartney have serious competition?!

The magazine also includes an ad promoting this LyricSlinger website. The ad mentions that my Promoted Artists page provides free promotion for any lyric writer, musician, or band who is interested. 

New Song Published – Cupid Don’t Care (28Apr21)

I was very pleased with the lyrics that I wrote for Cupid Don’t Care, and am delighted that James Fraser, Nigel Robinson, and Tony Wisniewski have taken it and turned it into an epic song. The song is about going through personal tragedy but then love shines through when you’re in a pit of despair. 

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Apr21)

I’ve had an article called ‘Finding Your Songwriting Approach‘ published in the April edition of Write Away Magazine. The article I wrote was inspired by watching a video that the Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody posted on Facebook during one of the covid lockdowns. It was part of a series of interactive songwriting sessions that Lightbody delivered called The Saturday Song Write. In the video I watched, Lightbody talked about the way he creates songs, which starts with the music, then adding the melody, and only then working out the lyrics. It was a really interesting video that I would thoroughly recommend to any keen lyricist or musician. It prompted me to write an article about how each of us needs to find our own songwriting approach. I hope that my article will be useful and interesting. Please get in touch if you have any questions or your own thoughts about the songwriting approach.

New Song and Video Published – Hurricane Heart (18Mar21)

American singer-songwriter Joe Violetto has produced a YouTube video for a song he and I collaborated on called Hurricane Heart. I originally wrote the lyrics and posted them on the MuseSongWriters website. Joe liked them and we worked together to refine them, before the final song emerged.  The first draft of the lyrics was about someone who had a very stormy romantic past, hence the Hurricane Heart title. Joe introduced a nice alternative angle by saying that the person has a hypertrophic heart. As well as Joe’s Hurricane Heart YouTube video, you can also listen to the song on its own. 

New Sea Shanty Song Published (10Mar21)

Ok, I jumped onto the bandwagon (or should that be bandgalleon?) and wrote lyrics for a sea shanty. Or at the very least a salty seadog type song. May The Wind Blow For Us features pirates as well which is always good, right?! Having posted the lyrics on the FAWM (February Album Writing Month) website, musician Tim Fatchen very kindly turned it into a song. It’s great fun so give it a listen and hear how things work out for the 27 sailors who are being chased by a dastardly pirate boat!

Article published in Write Away Magazine (03Mar21)

I had an article, entitled ‘Writing about war and conflict’, published in the March 2021 edition of Write Away Magazine. It includes the lyrics that I wrote for a song called ‘Bodies Go Splash’. Check it out please. There’s LOTS of great content throughout the magazine. 

Article and ad published in Write Away Magazine (03Feb21)

I’ve had an article entitled ‘Tapping Into Powerful Emotions‘ published in Write Away lyric magazine. It’s an online magazine and is free to read, so please check out my article and all the other wonderful content! And I also had an advert published in it that promotes this site. You’re on the site so perhaps you arrived here via that ad. 🙂

 

It’s FAWM time again! (01Feb21)

It’s my 2nd year taking part in the FAWM (February Album Writing Month) challenge. The idea is to write at least 14 lyrics or songs in the month of February which are posted on the FAWM site for feedback and potential collaboration with other FAWMers. It’s good fun and a great way to stimulate your creativity and boost your output of lyrics and songs! I’d love to hear from fellow FAWM participants. Is it your first year or are you a seasoned veteran? How are you finding it this year? And if anyone is interested in taking part but has questions, then please let me know and I’ll try to help with them. 

Fun ad jingle created (13Jan21)

It was brilliant to work with Dutch musician Raymond Van Melzen to create a fun ad jingle for a team build session that my work have arranged. My team had to describe the work we do in under 20 words so I wrote 5 lines of lyrics and Raymond then did his magic to make it sound good! Can you now tell what I do for my day job? 🙂

UK Songwriters Contest 5 Star Commended Entry (07Jan21)

It was very nice to receive a certificate from the UK Songwriting Contest, confirming that Elizabeth Auzan and I were awarded a Five Stars Commended Entry award for our co-written lyrics for a song called ‘Glory Days’. Elizabeth did most of the work, by coming up with the idea and the first draft, but I’m glad that I was then able to help a bit as we evolved it to its final version. The contest’s challenge was to write new lyrics to the tune of The Beatles’ song, Yesterday. Here’s a snippet from our lyrics – feel free to sing along to that famous melody!

Glory days,
When life shimmered in a golden haze.
We would teach the world to change its ways
No boundaries
Oh, glory days.

Nowadays,
Hard to admit we didn’t change the game
Greed and violence remain the same.
The world’s in flames
Yes, nowadays.

(Written by Elizabeth Auzan and Simon Wright, July 2020)

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Jan21)

I’ve had an article published in the January 2021 edition of Write Away magazine. The article is called ‘Continuing to write when you are feeling down‘. 2020 was a very tough year for many and 2021 looks like it will also involve significant challenges. Many of us, whether writers or not, will have felt down in the dumps at some point, but doing things we are passionate about can help lift us again. My article talks about how to rekindle your energy levels and your writing mojo. 

Happy New Year – Enjoy the snow!

2020 has been a strange year but I hope that all of us can find some positives to take from it. It’s been quite a good year for my songwriting progression and I’m thankful to all the great musicians who have helped turn my lyrics into songs.

 

It’s snowing here in Scotland at the moment, which is as good an excuse as any to include a link to this great song that Josh Castagno created back in 2018 from one of my lyrics. It’s called Footprints In The Snow and is a beautiful song. 

Podium place in Lyric Contest (29Dec20)

It was a nice surprise to see that my Nightmares lyric finished 3rd in a Lyric Contest on the MuseSongWriters website. I mainly use these contests as an extra spur to keep writing new lyrics every month, but it’s still always nice when one of my lyrics does well. I’ll probably post Nightmares on the Kompoz music collaboration website in the next few days to see if I can get some musicians to turn it into a song. In the meantime, here are some of the lyrics:

(Verse 1)

Don’t go into the past, my friend

It’s a labyrinth riddled with traps

There are mirrors there that magnify

All your bad thoughts born of wrath

(Verse 2)

There’s an old house that’s half crumbled down

With its bones poking out to the sky

There are portraits left clinging to cracked walls

The dead leer with malevolent bile

 

New song published on Andy LeFevre album (17Dec20)

I worked on a Key Change collaboration content with English musician Andy LeFevre earlier this year, and am delighted that the song we produced has been included on his ‘Our World’ album. The song is called ‘The End Of The World’, and is about someone who has a lot of bad things going on his his life but, no matter how hard it gets, he has a place that he can escape to, either physically or in his head.

You can listen to and buy Andy’s great album on his website, so check it out please!

Article published in Write Away Magazine (03Dec20)

I didn’t manage to write an article for Write Away magazine last month but got back into the swing of things this month with an article entitled ‘Using Film and TV as an inspiration for Lyric Writing‘. The article references famous songs by Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, and Deep Blue Something that were influenced in different ways by films. You’ll have to read the article to see what those songs were and how they came about! I also talk about my experience of writing songs influenced by TV shows or films. The films that specifically triggered lyric ideas for me were Sing Street and Creed. It would be great to hear if other lyric and songwriters have similarly been inspired by something they have watched?

Song for Remembrance Day – Portraits of War (11Nov20)

It was nice to see that even in the midst of a pandemic, people still take time to remember the dead from so many previous wars. I think war songs can be incredibly poignant, and have written a few on that theme. Portraits of War is my favourite, and was turned into a beautiful song by Justin Serrano, James Fraser, and Susan FidlerSongs. I hope that you enjoy listening to it.

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Oct20)

I’ve had another article published in Write Away, the free to read online lyric writing magazine. The article is entitled ‘Experimenting with other genres‘ and explains the benefits of stepping outside of your usual favoured lyrical genres. I also talk about my experiences, including my recent country music collaboration on a song called ‘Didn’t Have A Tractor’. There’s a link further down this page to that song if you’d like to check it out. If you do decide to experiment with a different genre, then I hope that you really enjoy that experience and it would be great to hear how it goes!

New song published – The Day Before Yesterday (21Sep20)

September has been a very busy and successful month, and the latest song to be created using my lyrics is called The Day Before Yesterday. The lyrics tell a story about a guy who has made some bad choices in life, including gambling addiction. And that lands him in trouble with some local gangsters. David Mize and Steve Miller have done a brilliant job of turning the vision in my head into reality, with a really sassy and classy song. Please check it out if you don’t want to be swimming with the fishes …

New song published on EP – We Got Rain (10Sep20)

I’m delighted that lyrics that I wrote have been included on an online EP that’s been realised by Parma Way. The EP is called ‘The Forty Elephants Gang‘ and ‘We Got Rain‘ is the song that I contributed to.

‘We Got Rain’ is a song about someone who was in love and perfectly happy and then in a moment that all vanishes. As the lyrics say ‘The Weatherman predicted sun, but we got rain’. Jen Carie has lent her beautiful vocals to this soulful song, with the music being expertly provided by Mike Cordray, Pablo Montenegro, Frederic Osuch, Fredric Schulz, and Alex Wilke.

Please have a listen to the album. If you like it, then please share it so that it can be heard by as many people as possible. Thanks. 

New song published – Didn’t Have A Tractor (10Sep10)

Lyrics by Marc-Alan Barnette and Simon Wright. Vocals and all Music by Marc-Alan Barnette

I had a great time working with Nashville songwriter Marc-Alan Barnette to create a fun country music song, called ‘Didn’t Have A Tractor’! 

The song came about after I decided to have a go at writing a first ever set of country lyrics. I posted on the MuseSongWriters website asking for some thoughts and advice on key things to consider when writing for the country genre as opposed to rock or pop music. Marc-Alan kindly offered loads of really useful insights from his illustrious career working with numerous musicians. 

I then posted some lyrics for a song entitled ‘The Final Stretch’. Marc-Alan offered some suggestions around it but during the back and forth exchange we hit upon an idea for a completely different song. Both of us come from families with a farming background, and we ended up writing a song called ‘Didn’t Have A Tractor’ which is about a guy who can’t get the girl because he doesn’t have a tractor. I can’t think of any other songs that cover that topic!

Mister Barnette then kindly did a demo recording of the song idea on his phone. It brought a BIG smile to my face and I hope that you will enjoy it just as much! It was also a great education for me in how to write lyrics and create a song for country music. Who knows, maybe it will be the start of me writing a few more country-influenced songs. 

Here are the lyrics:

DIDN’T HAVE A TRACTOR

                                     (Verse 1)

Grandaddy owned a little farm, in the back of nowhere
I spent every day I could out there, All through every summer
Was a blonde girl at the farm next door, Melanie was her name,
Watched her fill out for 18 years, drove me near insane

           But she had her sights on Billy Paul, head of the 4 H club

            He had a shiny International Harvester, that left me in the dust

                                  (Chorus)
I DIDN’T HAVE A TRACTOR, TO DRIVE OFF WITH HER HEART

THAT WAS ALL A FACTOR, GUESS I’M JUST SPARE PARTS
JOHN DEERE OR MASSEY FERGUSON, COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN HER PASSION
COULD HAVE IMPRESSED HER, BUT DIDN’T HAVE A TRACTOR

                                (Verse 2)

Mister Junior farmer of the year, has her wrapped around his combine

Guess there’s no turning her away, from being a Farmer’s bride
She’s riding behind him in his cab, sexy shorts, and baseball cap

He’s got smug looks and making faces, singing bout his “FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES”
But I’m hearing rumors, all about him

             There’s more than bumper crops he’s bring in

                              (Chorus)

                              (Bridge)

Well my sweet grandpaw passed away, left me featured in his will
Melanie caught Mister Perfect Farmer plowing other fields

(Last Chorus)

NOW I’VE GOT A TRACTOR, DRIVING WITH HER HEART

AND IT’S ALL A FACTOR, NOW I’M MORE THAN SPARE PARTS

GOT A NEW JOHN DEERE, 300 ACRES , WON’T BE LONG TILL WE HAVE BABIES

SEEMS THAT I’VE IMPRESSED HER, NOW I’M MORE THAN A TRACTOR

SEEMS THAT I’VE IMPRESSED HER, NOW I’VE GOT MORE THAN A TRACTOR

(Written by Marc-Alan Barnette and Simon Wright, September 2020)

New song published – Around These Parts (07Sep20)

I love the way my lyrics for Around These Parts have been turned into a striking and powerful song. The lyrics have these origin in thinking about how uneducated young men in inner city Belfast are sometimes preyed upon by paramilitary groups, who lure them into a life of crime and terrorism.

The lyrics were picked up though by Spanish musician Pablo Andres Garcia Perez who said that they resonated with him. Pablo has done a brilliant job of pulling together the song, working with Raymond Van Melzen (Mixing), Allen Conti (Drums) and Paul Harrison (Organ) to create a song that I think is really distinctive, compelling, and poetic. Please check it out!

Article published in Write Away Magazine (06Sep20)

I’ve had an article published in Write Away magazine’s September edition. The article is called ‘Pull The Lever‘ (which is the name of a song that I helped create) but the main thrust of the article is that lyrics are written to be judged as songs, not just as words. So don’t be discouraged if your lyrics are not winning Lyric writing contests. The proof of the pudding is how good they sound once they’ve been turned into that final song! I hope there are some tips within the article that you will find useful. 

New song published – Felony Rodriquez (30Aug20)

From the team that produced Pull The Lever, here’s our new offering, called Felony Rodrguez. Rebecca Gay and Peter Dieck worked with me again on this one, and have created a truly great fun rock song. It’s a duet between Rebecca and Peter, and the idea is that this guy has met an exciting but dangerous woman on Tinder and is going on a date with her. He knows she’s trouble and that he may get burned but he’s not going to turn down her offer to jump into her sports car for a 100 miles per hour ride.

There’s lots of great guitar and the vocal exchanges between Peter and Rebecca work really well. One of the other highlights is some truly demonic laughter by Rebecca! 🙂

Please check the song out and remember you can buy it for just $0.99 on our Soundblend page. That’s a bargain!

New song published – The End Of The World as part of a key change collab challenge (27Aug20)

I’ve had great fun taking part in collaboration challenges on the MuseSongWriters website this year. This is where a lyric writer teams up with a musician to create a song within a set time period. For this particular challenge, I was paired up with English musician Andy LeFevre and the challenge was to create a song that contained a distinct key change. And that key change should be linked to a change in mood within the lyrics.

Andy was great to work with and has done a fantastic job to take my lyrics and turn them into a really moving and beautiful song, Have a listen to The End Of The World and see if you can hear where the key change is? Also, I sometimes find that songs I’ve worked on that include animal sounds are particularly popular, so look out for the sound of seabirds on this one! 🙂

I’d also be interested to know how you interpret the meaning of the song? We had a few people who took different meanings to it than what myself and Andy had in mind. That’s fine. I think it’s actually pretty cool if a song can be interpreted in different ways, and hopefully the main thing is that you will enjoy the song!

Glory Days lyric given 5 Star Commended rating in UK Songwriters Lyric Contest (11Aug20)

I mentioned back in June that Elizabeth Auzan and I had co-written a lyric called Gallifrey which got a 4 Star Commended rating in a UK Songwriters Lyric Contest. Well, we decided to have another go in July and created a lyric called Glory Days. I’m glad to say that it got a 5 Star Commended rating, which I’m delighted with. Well done particularly to Elizabeth who had the idea for the lyrics and who created the first version. I provided some suggestions that contributed towards the final version, and it was a really rewarding experience again to work with a fellow songwriter on some lyrics! 🙂

As with our Gallifrey entry, we were taking part in a contest that was specifically about creating alternative lyrics to match the music and melody from the great Beatles song, Yesterday. Here’s a taster for some of the resultant lyrics that we came up with.

Glory Days

Glory days,
When life shimmered in a golden haze.
We would teach the world to change its ways
No boundaries
Oh, glory days.

Nowadays,
Hard to admit we didn’t change the game
Greed and violence remain the same.
The world?s in flames
Yes, nowadays.

How could we have known?
Peace and love have been overthrown
We gasp and groan
Oh, where are you
Our glory days?

(Written by Elizabeth Auzan and Simon Wright, July 2020)

Why not have a go singing along while listening to The Beatles’ version of Yesterday? 

Article published in Write Away Magazine (03Aug20)

I’ve had another article published in Write Away Magazine. My article is about making and utilising Connections when working in the music industry, whether you’re coming at it from the perspective of a lyric writer or a musician. I hope that the advice contained within it will be useful for some people. Please also check out the rest of the great content within this month’s edition.

New song published – Pull The Lever (28Jul20)

I love this fun new rock song that I’ve collaborated on with Rebecca Gay, Peter Dieck, and Daniel Christos. Pull The Lever is about a religious guy who goes to a gambling establishment to protest against the immorality of gambling. But he ends up not being able to take his eyes off one of the women who works there. So it’s a song about desire, temptation, and sin. The music is really vibrant and fun – there’s big guitar riffs, beautiful vocals, one arm bandit sound effects. Have a listen please! 

YouTube video available – Without a Trace (17Jul20)

Rebecca Gay has added a YouTube video for the Without a Trace song that we worked on with Pascal Vanier and Paul Ramsey. Please check it out, give it a Like, and subscribe to Rebecca’s YouTube channel if so you don’t miss out on any new releases from this talented singer.

New song published – Without a Trace (11Jul20)

Without a Trace is, I think, my 9th completed song of the year, so I’m well on course to have an album’s worth of songs by the end of the year. 🙂

It came about after Canadian musician Pascal Vanier messaged me on the Kompoz music collaboration website. we had worked on some songs previously and he asked if i might be able to supply lyrics for a piece of music that he had created. I was happy to oblige, and Without a Trace is what emerged. Rebecca Gay came onboard to add sumptuous vocals, and Paul Ramsey provided a lovely lead guitar flourish. The song is about how sometimes people get lost and disappear, whether metaphorically or literally. Please give the song a listen!

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Jul20)

I’ve had another article published in the online Write Away magazine. The article is called ‘Gallifrey – A Doctor Who inspired lyric’. It talks about a lyric that was co-written by myself and Elizabeth Auzan, which we then entered into the UK Songwriting Contest. We’re also working with a couple of musicians to turn it into a song which I’m really looking forward to sharing at a future point. 

Article published in Write Away Magazine (22Jun20)

June’s edition of Write Away magazine is mostly about Country Music – yee-haw! Not really my genre but the magazine includes an article I wrote called ‘How to hone your lyric writing skills‘. The crux of the article is that no matter how good you become, it’s vital to keep practising, and keep improving. And that advice is relevant whatever genre you’re focused on. 

4 Star Rating in UK Songwriters Lyric Contest (14Jun20)

I have received a 4 Star rating for the Gallifrey lyrics that I submitted to the UK Songwriting contest. The lyric was co-written by Elizabeth Auzan, and was part of a songwriting challenge to write new words to The Beatles’ song ‘Yesterday’. We ended up going with a Doctor Who theme with the new lyrics being the Doctor singing about his lost home planet of Gallifrey.

The ratings are out of 5 stars, so I’m pretty pleased with 4 stars for a first attempt. Even more excitingly, Elizabeth and I are working with musician Mark Adams to turn Gallifrey into a fully-fledged song. 

Fancy seeing if you can sing the Gallifrey lyrics to the Yesterday tune? You can find the Gallifrey lyrics on My Lyrics page, and can listen to Yesterday by The Beatles on this YouTube page. 

New song published – War Zone in Peace Time (03Jun20)

I collaborated with Canadian musician Paul Canuck to create a song called War Zone in Peace Time. I provided the lyrics (which are about the current Covid-19 situation) and Paul expertly crafted it into a really cool song. I think it has a Bob Dylan protest song feel to it. Others have suggested that it has a bit of an Irish shanty flavour? The song was created as part of a Keep It Super Simple (K.I.S.S.) collaboration contest on the MuseSongWriters website, and there were a number of rules/restrictions that participants had to adhere to. You can read more about that on my ‘Latest Songs‘ page. 

Elizabeth Auzan’s #Songsforcummings contribution (03Jun20)

Elizabeth Auzan, from Switzerland, has sent me her contribution to the #Songsforcummings meme, and has kindly said I can share it here. If anyone else fancies joining in, then please have a go and send me your suggestions!

Born to break rules

(Verse)
Lockdown’s up n runnin’
I’m out on the highway
Driving to my parents
Two hundred miles away

(Chorus)
Yeah, darlin’, it really happened
Don’t matter that I made the rules
Don’t care if my wife is sick
I’m taking you for fools

(Bridge)
Like true politicians
Boris’s gang of patricians
Lies disguised as truth
Out of the polling booth
Born to break rules
Born to break rules

(Born to be wild – Steppenwolf, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egMWlD3fLJ8 

#Songsforcummings (20May20)

There’s been a challenge posted on Twitter, on the hashtag of #Songsforcummings, to re-work the lyrics to well known songs. This, of course, relates to the political scandal that surrounds the 260 mile journey that Boris Johnson’s chief advisor Dominic Cummings took from London to Durham during the Covid-19 lockdown. For those who don’t know, Cummings was part of the team who came up with the lockdown rules but then drove his wife (who had suspected Coronavirus) and young son to his parents home in the north of England. And then to top it all, he took a drive to Barnard Castle (on his wife’s birthday) and his excuse was that he had had the virus and it has affected his eyes, so he wanted to do a test drive to the castle to see if he was fit to drive all the way back home. And as you would, if you were unsure about whether you could see well enough to drive, he put his wife and son in the car for this test drive!

So anyway, I had a go at writing alternative lyrics for some songs. You can see my lyrics below, plus a link to YouTube videos of the original songs. Hope you enjoy and maybe are inspired to have a go too!

(I can’t get no) Satisfaction

Eyesight to the blind

I was driving with my ill woman

I wished to God that I could see fine

I was driving to Barnard Castle

I could hardly see the road’s white line

Every time I go to the Castle

It brings eyesight to the blind

(Eyesight to the Blind – Aerosmith’s version https://youtube.com/watch?v=SwrOFrO_dgE)

 

Breaking the law

There I was completely breaking

All the rules we said

All those miles, it’s so elating

When we should be sick in bed.

Rules, smules, I don’t care

If you live or die

Yeah, I might as well drive

With my son and sick wife.

Breaking the Law, Breaking the Law …

(Breaking the Law – Judas Priest https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=GEy6ThJwE3s&feature=emb_logo )

Featured Albums page updated (27May20)

I’ve updated my Featured Albums page to include details of another album that one of my lyrics featured on. This one is from a few months ago. The album is called Wave Exchange and the band is The Rock Station. 

Got a mention on Planet Rock radio station (24May20)

Thanks to Planet Rock DJ Toby Jepson for reading out a story that I’d sent him on his show this evening. I mentioned how I think of Chilli Pot Noodle when I hear Little Angels songs – the band that he was lead singer of. I think it’s because I was eating a pot noodle when I first heard a Little Angels song (Kicking up Dust) in my 1st year at uni in 1990! Wonder if anyone else associates a band with a particular type of food?  

Stuck in Scotland with no ray gun comedy sketch (23May20)

I’ve updated the ‘My Comedy Sketches‘ page to include the script for a sci fi comedy sketch that I wrote away back in May 2001. It’s called ‘Stuck in Scotland with no ray gun’ and is about an alien called Zorg who crash-lands in Bonnybridge, and is picked up for questioning by the local Police Inspector and by two mysterious Special Agents.   

New song available with YouTube video (12May20)

A lyric I wrote called ‘Why don’t we see what we’re doing?’ has been turned into a fantastic song, and made available via a YouTube video. Jorge Paulo supplied magical guitar that I think is a bit reminiscent of Carlos Santana. Alex Zulaika added drums, and Mike Patterson supplied the vocals. It’s a really high quality production, and I love the video that Jorge put together for it! 

New song available on an online album (07May20)

I’m very excited to have been included as one of the lyric writers in metal band No Clear Sky’s second album, which is called ‘Black Mold – Volume 2‘! The song that I provided lyrics for is track 4 on the album and is called One by One. It’s an anti war song, which is quite apt as we prepare to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day. A whole host of talented people contributed to what is a really dynamic high quality album, with many of the participants being members of the Kompoz music collaboration website. 

‘One by One”s credits are as follows: Vocals – Frank Ruiz, Bass guitar – Sergey Engel, Drums – Brian Henry, Guitar and Production – Tsevtomir Ivanov. You can also listen to ‘One by One’ on YouTube. Please check it and the album out. And, if you like it, then why not buy it as an online download on No Clear Sky’s Bandcamp page- you can name your own price which is a cool setup. 

Article published in Write Away magazine (04May20)

I’ve had an article published in the May edition of Write Away magazine. My article is called ‘Are you writing enough lyrics?’ and appears on pages 8-9 of the online magazine. It’s free to read so please check it out. The article itself was inspired by watching a Facebook Live that Nashville professional songwriter Marc-Alan Barnette, in which he commented that in order to be successful it’s necessary to write a large number  of songs each year. My article talks about how all songwriters and lyric writers can benefit from making similar commitments to increase their output.

My first instrument contribution?! – Percussive Adventures Experiment (28Apr20)

I recently saw a really cool collaboration on the Kompoz website, where German musician Minime had suggested that musicians pull together an instrumental song using unusual percussion instruments. The end result is really cool and includes instruments as diverse as a comb, a frying pan, scissors, paper being ripped, and matches. I had an idea and thought I’d join in. My contribution was to twist a Rubix Cube and my older son helped me to record the sound that made. 

Check out the track and see how many strange instruments you can make out within the Percussive Adventures Experiment mix?! 

New Song Published – Paper Airplanes (26Apr20)

How are you spending this Coronavirus lockdown? Maybe you’ve developed a crush on someone and are thinking how to let the other person know? The protagonist of my latest song is trying to do so by sending messages written on paper airplanes! Paper Airplanes is a really fun quirky song, with great vocals by Kim Noble and great music by Richard Williams and JeanLui. 

It’s also a really good example of how lyrics sometimes evolve. Initially, I wrote a lyric entitled Self Isolate With You but after feedback received on the MuseSongWriters website I changed it to be called Paper Aeroplanes. I then posted it on the Kompoz website to see if I could get some musicians to work on it. Kim liked it and asked if she could sing it from a female perspective which I had no problems with. The title got changed to the American spelling of Paper Airplanes and the lyrics got tweaked some more. 

I love the end result and I hope that you will enjoy it too. Who knows, maybe you’ll even starting creating some paper airplanes/aeroplanes to test out whether this unusual approach might lead to love?! 🙂

New Song Published – Out on the Streets (09Apr20)

Check out my new song, Out on the Streets. I’m really proud of this great song that I got to collaborate on with American musician Justin Osowiecki on the MuseSongWriters website. And its evolution was really cool. Lyrically, it emerged as a sequel to a lyric that I wrote for a song called ‘Stand for you’ that I worked on with Stephen Kalpin for a Christmas charity album. I took the main protagonist from that song, an American army veteran called Riley who had become homeless. I wanted to explore his story in more depth.

Justin then hit upon the idea of doing the song in a Beastie Boys / Rage Against The machine style. Our collaboration was part of a contest where participants were asked to challenge themselves to go outside their usual comfort zones. Justin doesn’t normally create hard riff-laden songs with vocals that are part rapped, but he rose to the challenge fantastically. We were both really proud of the song that emerged and I hope that you will like it too. 

‘Bamboozled’ sketch added to my Comedy Sketches page (20Mar20)

This Bamboozled sketch is from 2009 and is another one about the threat of a flu pandemic! I really like this one. It’s quite crazy and absurd but I think the characters are really funny, and the subject matter suddenly has added relevance. I guess I really should write one about the Coronavirus pandemic in order to have a trilogy. Feel free to share links to this page so that these sketches can go ‘viral’ …. 

Comedy Sketches page updated with ‘Suicide Sneezers’ sketch (14Mar20)

The current Coronavirus global health crisis is extremely alarming, and I hope that people can keep well. Humour is often a good way to deal with such stressful events, and I remembered that I had written a comedy sketch in 2012, called Suicide Sneezers, that was about a previous pandemic scare! I hope that you enjoy reading it, and that it’s not too close to what our future holds!

New Song Published (18Mar20)

I was delighted when regular musical collaborator James Fraser picked up my Broken Flowers lyric to work into a folksy song. James provided guitar, composition, and vocals. He was joined by Nigel Robinson (piano and percussion), and Kris Pride (backing vocals). The opening lyrics are ‘All the scars that you carry / Are like babies in a morgue / Hard to look at / But beautiful in their own way / Hauntingly sad’, which gives a good indication of the tone of the song. It’s a story about someone who has become broken by life, and is being visited by a guy who once loved her and still does. 

Article Published in Write Away Magazine (04Mar20)

I wrote about my experience of participating in February Album Writing Month in the March edition of Write Away magazine. My article can be found on pages 8 and 9 of the magazine which is free to read online. Check it out and also all the other great articles that are featured within the magazine. It’s a great resource for lyric writers and has some very interesting content even if you’re not already a songwriter!

Site views hits 5,000! (13Feb20)

While I know that it’s tiny compared to many websites/blogs, I’m pleased to have got to over 5,000 site views. Hopefully, I can continue to grow the site by adding content that people will find interesting. 

I’m participating in FAWM 2020 (12Feb20)

I recently heard about the FAWM website, which stands for February Album Writing Month. The idea is that lyric writers and musicians make a concerted effort to write as many lyrics and/or songs as possible during February. I’ve set myself the target of writing 14 lyrics. I’ve posted 3 so far, so have some work to do, but it’s helped inspire me to hopefully create more lyrics than I otherwise would have done. Check out the site and join the fun!

New Blog Post Published (09Feb20)

It’s been long overdue but I’ve added another blog post to this site. It’s called ‘Lyric writing for kids. What happens when you get kids to write lyrics?!‘ and was inspired by being stuck inside at the weekend due to storm Ciara. I needed some indoor activity to do with my sons (who are aged 9 and 6) and hit upon the idea of getting them to pretend they were in a rock band. With my help, they had to come up with a band name, band logo, the cover art for their debut album, and write the lyrics to their first hit single! It was great fun, and I also had fun documenting it (with pictures) in my subsequent blog post! I hope you enjoy reading it.

Article Published in Write Away Magazine (04Feb20)

I’ve had an article called ‘The Promise of Love’ included in the February edition of the free online lyrics magazine, Write Away. You can find my article on pages 8 and 9. The Promise of Love is a lyric that I wrote, and the article uses it to illustrate some useful tips that lyric writers should consider when progressing a project. In particular, being open to new ideas and interpretations that may emerge once musicians start to collaborate with you on your lyric. Check the magazine out. Jane Shields does a great job in pulling all the content together and this month’s edition is full of great articles! 

New Song Published (30Jan20)

It’s very apt that this song has gone live on the eve of Brexit Day in the UK. Apt because when I wrote the lyrics to this song, I saw the Bone Shaker as a metaphor for when politicians stir up nationalistic passions (for their own selfish ends) but it gets out of hand, and then suddenly you get wars, or countries that tear themselves apart. Hopefully, the Bone Shaker will not prove to be prophetic about the UK’s descent into madness. I had a great and large team of musicians who helped pull this fun metal song together. And it was certainly a great example of the benefits of international collaboration. I was initially supported by Jon Garcia (bass), Victor Parro (guitar) and Alex Zulaika (drums), who are all from Spain. Then Mike Patterson (vocals), Josh Miller (lead guitar) and WillwWay (mixing) came in to complete the song. They are all from the United States, while I am Irish and live in Scotland. I hope you enjoy listening to the final result of all our efforts! 

Wave Exchange CD arrived! (12Jan20)

Delighted that my copy of the ‘Wave Exchange’ CD by rock band The Rock Station has arrived! The Rock Station is a band comprised of musicians and lyric writers from around the world, who started collaborating on the Kompoz website. The album includes 11 great songs. I provided the lyrics for a track called ‘Growler’. I hope I’ll have the opportunity to do more work with this talented bunch of people. And you too can get your hands on the album via either the Amazon US or Amazon UK websites.

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Jan20)

January’s edition of Write Away magazine is now available to read online, for free. I have an article included on pages 14 and 15. It’s called ‘Lyric Writing – The Art of Simplicity’. Check it out to see you can make your lyrics more compelling but cutting out superfluous words. The article uses examples of lyrics from Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave to demonstrate that simplicity, rather than literary floweriness, is often at the heart of fantastic songs.  

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Dec19)

I had a special article published in the December issue of Write Away magazine. Special because it was promoting a very worthwhile cause that I have been involved with for the last two years. My article is called ‘Hope for Homeless Heroes’ Hearts II – a Christmas Charity album’. The album was the brainchild of American musician Stephen Kalpin, and my contribution was to write an original lyric for a song called ‘Stand for you’. My article includes the lyrics for that song, and also information about the album and how you can purchase either the album or the Stand for you song. All money generated is going to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Check out my article and it would be great if you can spare a few pence or dimes to support the charity! You can also go directly to the Hope for Homeless Heroes’ Hearts website we created to support the charity

 

New Song Published (15Nov19)

Very pleased with the way my lyric Mercury’s Rising has turned out, having been entrusted to the extremely capable hands of American musicians Bobby Watson and George Schiessl. The lyric was written whilst I was listening to a lot of Chris Cornell’s music. I know that I had his voice in my head when I was imagining how it would sound, and the dark subject matter is perhaps also influenced by Cornell’s tragic demise. It’s also a lyric that I wrote about in the August edition of Write Away magazine, so it was great to see if move from concept to a finished song!

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Nov19)

An article that I wrote about my ‘All That Matters’ lyric has been included in the November edition of Jane Shields’ excellent Write Away online lyric writing magazine. The magazine is free to read and contains lots of interesting articles and useful. My article can be found on pages 14 and 15. Check it and the whole magazine out! And, if you like it, you can subscribe to receive future editions via the Write Away website. My All That Matters lyric is about the importance of friendship, especially during tough times, and you can listen to it via my LyricSlinger Latest Songs page. 

Lyric Writing Bio written (26Oct19)

I was asked to write my Musical Bio recently, which would be used by a PR company who are going to promote a charity album that I have contributed a lyric to. More about that album in due course but I thought it would be useful to share the bio that I came up with. I used advice from an article entitled ‘How to write a great musician bio by yourself‘ from the Music Industry How To website, which said that the essence of a good bio is to tell a story rather than just list achievements. Here’s what I came up with:

Simon Wright’s Lyric Writing Bio

Coming out of the sock drawer to become the Lyric Slinger

While at university, Simon Wright told a friend that his dream was to write a lyric that would appear on a Skid Row album. However, there didn’t appear to be an obvious path to achieve such a goal so, for many years, Simon’s lyrics ended up filed away or stuffed into sock drawers and cupboards.

Simon’s writing career took a different path as he wrote comedy sketches and staged comedy shows in Scotland. Then one day, he discovered a music collaboration website, Kompoz.com, that allows lyric writers and musicians to come together to create songs. Suddenly his lyrics could come out of the sock drawer and magically be transformed into songs.

Since 2016, Simon has worked with musicians from across the world to create songs that range from folk, to soft rock, hard rock, and metal. Along the way, he has collaborated with a singer whose band opened for Dio in the 1980s and a guitarist who has the distinction of having taken to the stage after a young Jimi Hendrix!

In 2018, Simon took his lyric writing to a new level, by launching a website called LyricSlinger.co.uk to promote his lyrics and the songs that have been created from them. And while this former comedy writer can be said to have got serious about lyric writing, a comedic seam still lies beneath the surface. Simon’s website proclaims that ‘By day Simon works as a customer messaging guru for a large UK bank but at night he transforms into the LyricSlinger. Words flash from his pen and fingers, like lightning bolts, emblazoning themselves onto paper or screen. Or something like that …’

Simon can work using either a lyrics-first or music-first writing approach, and is always happy to collaborate with new artists to continue his lyrical and musical education. Born in Ireland, Simon went to the same school as Oscar Wilde (different years!) and this focus on continued learning fits with Wilde’s quote that ‘Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to teaching’!

My lyric included on Wave Exchange album, by The Rock Station! (15Oct19)

I’m very excited that a lyric that I wrote has been included on an album that is now available to buy. It’s for a song called ‘Growler’ that features on The Rock Station’s debut album, ‘Wave Exchange’. The Rock Station is a band comprised of musicians and lyric writers from various countries, who all met on music collaboration website, www.kompoz.com. The band credits are listed as:
Guitars: Mike Lucas
Bass Guitar: Andy Gupta
Drums: Paul Schlichting
Vocals: Bob Campbell
Lyrics: John Scunziano, Bob Campbell, Simon Wright
Keyboards: Andy, Mike and Paul

You can buy the album via either the Amazon US or Amazon UK websites. Please check out the whole album, as it’s awesome, as are all the musicians who have created it! 

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Oct19)

I’ve had another article published in the excellent Write Away online lyric writing magazine. My article’s called ‘Offbeat Inspiration’ and features in the October 2019 edition. Instead of showcasing one of my lyrics, it’s a general article about how lyric writers can find inspiration from musical or lyrical snippets that they may ordinarily have discarded. I illustrate this by talking about the creative inspiration that was behind three legendary rock songs – Sweet Child O’mine by Guns N’Roses, Seasons of Wither by Aerosmith, and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Check out page 14 of the magazine to discover the origins of those famous songs. There’s loads of good content within the magazine and Joni Mitchell fans may be particularly keen to check out the feature on her. 

Article published in Write Away Magazine (04Sep19)

I’ve had an article, called ‘Yes’ it’s political’, featured in the September edition of the online Write Away Magazine. Wonder how many of you recognise what band/song that article title takes its inspiration from?! Answers on a postcard … or something. As well as talking about some examples of famous songs that were influenced by political events. my article also mentions a song called ‘I’ll Hide‘. This is a song that was created, from a lyric I wrote, by an amazing Finnish singer called Parmia Vaala, supported by English guitarist James Fraser. The song is about climate change and I thoroughly recommend that you check it out. 

 

New song published (27Sep19)

This song was the first time that I’ve worked with Ette, a really talented musician from Estonia. I love the cool vibe that he created for this song, including a reggae feel at the start. And we were delighted when we were joined by Markus Palsson, from Sweden, who provided his usual sumptuous vocals. I love the way that All That Matters has worked out and strongly recommend that you take a few moments to listen to it. 

The lyric is about the value of enduring friendship, especially through tough times in people’s lives. 

New song published (18Sep19)

Another collab with James Fraser and Nigel Robinson – we’ve probably worked on enough songs now to have an album! 🙂

Not Broken Down is a song that is about someone who finds love when they thought that ship had sailed. It’s got quite an uplifting positive message at its core, and James and Nigel have done a great job of crafting it into a really great song. 

New song published (17Jul19)

I really love the guitar riffs in this song. Great work by regular musical collaborators, James Fraser, Nigel Robinson, and Peter Zero.

The lyrics to War Face are about those times when life is getting you down but you still have to get up, put your war face on, and tackle life’s daily challenges. Probably something that a lot of people will be able to identify with, although hopefully not all the time.

New song published (13Jun19)

Have had another song published on Soundblend.’Darkness‘ is a bleak little tale of a failed romance. (I don’t tend to do upbeat songs that you can dance to. Sorry!)

James Fraser, my regular musical collaborator (and one-time sharer of a stage with Jimi Hendrix) has added baritone guitar and vocals, expertly turning it into an interesting song that is worth checking out. So check it out!

Remembering D-Day on its 75th anniversary (03Jun19)

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. It’s very poignant to hear stories from those who were there and we should be very appreciative that subsequent generations haven’t had to go through similar experiences. It’s great that we now have friendship across Western Europe, but worrying to see new waves of right wing populism rearing its head in the UK and other countries. Anyway, what I wanted to do today is honour those who served in past wars to safeguard of from tyranny. And to share my song Portraits of War which is about the horror and poignancy of conflict.

Give Portraits of War a listen. I think it’s one of my best lyrics and Justin Serrano, James Fraser, and Susan Fidler did an awesome job with it. Here is a snippet of the lyrics:

Portraits of war

(Verse 1)
I sketch a calloused face
Those eyes still glint despite the pain,
Mud runs like mascara
Tear drop tracks made by the rain.
The bombs explode like fireworks
As we shoot the jolly breeze,
Young Johnston’s in the corner
Looking like he’s just asleep.

(Chorus)
Portraits of war
Portraits of war
Life, the bloody canvass

Stained crimson to the core

Portraits of war.

Article published in Write Away magazine (May 2019)

I’ve become a regular contributor to Write Away magazine, an online magazine focused on lyric writing. The May 2019 edition is now out and you can find my article, entitled ‘Collaboration – Bringing Lyric Writers and Musicians together’, on page 9 of the magazine. It’s free to read so why not check it out, and also the other excellent articles.

Mykk Freeman R.I.P. (07May19)

I am saddened beyond words at the news that my friend Mykk Freeman has unexpectedly passed away. I got to know Mykk on the Kompoz music comparison website. I wish I had got to know him earlier but we have been working on a major collaboration this year. He was a massive talent, with huge creative vision, but most of all he was a great guy who gave his talents freely to so many other people. I know that he will not be forgotten by those who knew him. 

Song entered in Collab Contest (09Apr19)

I’ve been having fun working with American musician Joe in a Song Collaboration Contest on the MuseSongWriters website. My job has been to supply the lyrics and Joe has then done a great job of adding the music and vocals. And he’s even done a YouTube video of him singing a live recording of our song, Said Goodbye. Check it out! 

The contest has had an interesting approach. All participants were given the picture that you can see above and asked to write a song of no more than 3 minutes that was inspired by it. To me, it looked like it could have been immigrants fleeing from Europe to a better life in the United States, maybe at some point in the early(ish) 20th century. Some of my family emigrated from Ireland to either Canada or the United States so that kind of played a role in the lyric that emerged.

The contest is still ongoing but by the standard of the songs that I’ve heard so far my verdict is that everyone is a winner regardless of how the voting pans out! 

New blog post published (06Apr19) – Edinburgh Gig Review: Electric Boys and Last Great Dreamers

I’ve posted a new blog article. It’s called ‘Edinburgh Gig Review: Electric Boys and Last Great Dreamers‘. I’ve recently got back into going to gigs so thought I’d take the opportunity to write about what was a fantastic experience. 

Article published in Write Away Magazine (April 2019)

I’ve had a 3rd article published in Write Away magazine, a new lyric writing magazine. My article is called The Cut Up Lyric Technique and you can read it for free online. The Cut Up technique was used by people such as David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, and Johnny Cash so it’s well worth checking out! Write Away is a great magazine and this month’s edition includes some great articles, including How to Copyright your Creative Works, 5 Essential Elements for Songwriting, and a feature on Man in Black Johnny Cash. Make sure you check out all the fab content!

New song published (28Mar19) – Madly in love with you

 

I had a nice surprise this week when I discovered that 3 musicians had picked up a lyric that I wrote in 2016 and turned it into a lovely quirky song. It’s an Italian American effort with Riccardo Della Pelle on vocals, Fabrizio Formicone on sax and banjo, and Brian Henry on drums.

There’s a story behind the words that appear in Verse 3 (see below) which I’ve detailed in my LyricSlinger Latest Songs page!

(Verse 3)

Now I see the wind blow
As the train rushes in,
And the children scream
But it’s all in vain.

And the feathers fly up
Like an angel’s shredded wings,
The metal beast is unhurt
I hear its dark heart sing.

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day (17Mar19)

Given that it’s St Patrick’s Day and I’m Irish, here is a song about a fictitious Irish man, Boots O’Reilly. My lyric was expertly translated into a song by my regular collaborator, James Fraser.

I’ve shown the chorus below, which is based on an old Irish blessing.

‘May the road rise up to meet you
Fields stay green and rivers blue
May the road rise up to meet you
We’re all just walking through’

(Written by Simon Wright. March 2018) 

New song published (22Feb19) – River Reaper

It’s taken longer than I’d have hoped but I have my first new published song of 2019! And it’s been worth the wait with regular collaborators James Fraser and Nigel Robinson having done a great job with the River Reaper. 

The lyric was inspired by a painting that my wife did, which looked like it had the Grim Reaper walking beside a river. I wrote a lyric that is essentially about how death sometimes stalks river banks. My musician friends then turned it into a nicely moody song!

Enuff Z’nuff gig (13Feb19)

I don’t get to gigs as much as I’d like but I really enjoyed seeing Enuff Z’nuff play at Bannermans in Edinburgh. (They were ably supported by The Last Great Dreamers, and by Terragazi). I managed to get a selfie with Chip Z’nuff. Not the greatest pic of me but Chip looks every inch the over the top rock star!

Topical song about Shackleton’s 1915 Antarctic expedition! (11Feb19)

The BBC (and other news outlets) have been reporting on an exciting attempt to find famous explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship The Endurance, which was lost in the Antarctic during an ill-fated polar expedition in 1915.

The story of how Shackleton got his men home safely after his ship was crushed by sea-ice is one of the most amazing survival stories of all time. It inspired me to write a lyric called ‘Counting the days down‘, which was then turned into a song by my regular musical collaborator, James Fraser.

Have a listen to my song and make sure you read up on the story!

Work started on a sci fi concept collaboration (January 2019)

I’ve started writing some lyrics and script for what may turn out to be an epic sci fi musical collaboration. The idea is that a small group of humans flee Planet Earth in search of a new start amongst the stars. So far I’ve written 5 parts, with at least another 9 to go. It’s taking me back to a previous time when I used to write comedy sketches for theatre performance. Great fun! Hopefully I’ll be able to share finished tracks at some point in the future.

Article published in new Lyrics magazine (January 2019)

I’ve had an article published in the 1st edition of a new lyric writing magazine that has been launched by lyricist Jane Shields. My article is entitled ‘Become a ‘past’ master at lyric writing’ and is about how songwriters can use historical stories as inspiration for lyric writing.

You can view the magazine online or pay just £3 to get a paper copy – here’s the link, https://www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk/…

New song published (26Dec18) – Olives and Clementines

Olives and Clementines will probably be my last published song of 2018. In total I’ve ended up with 24 songs completed for the year, which is a new record for me! Indeed, I could claim 27 songs as there are another 3 that are essentially finished but I don’t have the final files through from the musician yet.

This song came about from watching a very moving BBC documentary about the plight of ordinary people who are stuck in war-torn Palestine. The lyric has been skilfully crafted into a gentle song by my regular contributor, James Fraser. I’d like to thank James for all the support he has provided over the year!

New song published (30Nov18) – Army of the Damned

Army of the Damned is a song that was great fun to write and it’s been even more fun to see it brought to life by a talented bunch of musicians. I wrote it with a view to it being a doom-laden Black Sabbath type of song, and I had Wilfred Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est poem in mind when I was trying to depict the sheer awfulness of war. 

Anand Gupta picked up my lyric and said that it would work well with a music track that he was working on. The music then progressed with involvement also from Heron Almeida and Paul Schlichting. And the great vocals were added by Bob Campbell. I think the end result is awesome!

New song published (29Nov18) – White Feathers

White Feathers is a song that was inspired by a story that I read from the First World War in the run up to Remembrance Day. I took that story, applied some creative licence, and turned it into a lyric. It’s about a boy who signs up to fight after a box of white feathers (signifying cowardice) is delivered to his family’s doorstep. 

James Fraser was moved by the lyric and has given it the treatment that it deserves with some beautiful music. Have a listen!

Christmas Charity album available! (November 2018) 

I have contributed a lyric to a song called ‘Stand for you’, which is featured on a Christmas charity album. The album is called ‘Hope for Homeless Heroes‘ Hearts’ and proceeds will help support homeless veterans in the US. 

The album is available to buy on CD Baby’s website, via digital download and costs $8.99. So if you’re looking for ideas for Christmas presents, and like to help worthwhile causes, then that can be 1 item ticked off your list.

What you get with the album is some sumptuous easy listening Christmas classics, plus some nice surprises. Hopefully, one of those nice surprises is hearing a Christmas heavy rock song right at the end. That’s how ‘Stand for you’ ended up and I’m indebted to Stephen Kalpin (guitar, bass, and album mastermind), and Bob Campbell (vocals, drums, production) for turning my lyric into a song that is hopefully both fun and impassioned.

New song published (11Oct18) – Hold On

Hold On is one of several songs from this year that I’m particularly proud to have been involved with. Most of the songs I’ve previously collaborated on have been guitar-driven tunes but when I heard Tommy Helsten’s beautiful piano track I just had to have a go at writing lyrics for it.

Things got even better when Kim Noble picked up my lyric and sang vocals. I think this is my first collab with Kim and her vocals are fantastic – just right for this song. Jean Toudou completed our very cosmopolitan* virtual band by providing drums and bass. Please check it out. You can even buy it if you like for a cost that I’m sure is less than you’d pay for a fizzy drink!  

* Participants on this song were based in Thailand, the United States, Spain, and Scotland! 🙂

New song published (26Sep18) – I’ll Hide

I’ll Hide is my first collab with extremely talented Finnish vocalist Parmia Vaala. She took my ‘Six degrees (and gone)’ initial lyric and took it off in a really interesting electronic direction. 

I think it sounds amazing and I hope that you will enjoy listening to it. The song topic’s pretty important, as it’s about the disastrous consequences that will befall our planet if the average global temperature increases by 6 degrees Celsius. 

New song published (25Sep18) – Underwater

Underwater is a song that’s about someone who is fed up with office life and lives to get away to the serenity that he experiences when he dives underwater. 

James Fraser (song arrangement, vocals, guitar, bass) and Nigel Robinson (drums and keyboards) teamed up with me again to turn this into an atmospheric interesting song. 

New song published (23Sep18) – Make Dreams Come True

Make Dreams Come True is a song about a musician who is out there busking trying to sell his or her CD but it’s not going well. Then another person (the singer) tells them not to give up and that they can make it if they’re prepared to work hard enough. So it’s a nice uplifting song and lyric.

Incidentally, I wrote the lyric to a pre-existing music track, so an interesting experience for me of making my words fit to an existing structure. The music was done by Steffen O (keyboards, music composition, production), James Fraser (Guitar, bass, vocals), Susan FidlerSongs (backing vocals) and Chris Bouchard (drums). I think it sounds brilliant!

New song published (18Sep18) – Six Degrees (And Gone)

Six Degrees (And Gone) is an interesting song for two reasons. Firstly, it came about after I read an article about the disastrous outcomes that would occur if the planet’s average temperatures were to increase by 6 degrees Celsius. Secondly, it’s inspired two separate versions. This version was led by the music of James Fraser, with the wonderful Parmia Vaala then adding amazing vocals. Nigel Robinson then added some great drums.

However, Parmia has also taken my lyrics and created a second version, called ‘I’ll Hide’. I’m really looking forward to sharing that version as well once it’s ready as it’s going to be awesome!

New song published (17Sep18) – This Dog

This Dog was a slightly quirky lyric that I wrote about a homeless dog who has had a tough time but still keeps wagging his tail. He’s still optimistic that a better time is right around the next corner. I am delighted that Suzana Stoimenova picked it up and helped turn it into an amazing song. It’s the first time I’ve worked with Suzana and I love her distinctive vocals! She also contributed various instruments and song arrangement. Ronnie Allison provided guitar that complements the song so well. And Paul Schlichting then did a great job of mastering all the tracks. 

Listen to This Dog and enjoy!

New song published (09Sep18) – Mr Smith and Mr Wesson

Mr Smith and Mr Wesson was a really fun lyric to write. It tells a fictitious tale of a couple who attempt to rob a bank but things don’t quite go to plan! James Fraser picked it up and did a fantastic job of layering music around it, and then Nigel Robinson joined us to add drums and keyboard.  

I hope people will check this song out and that you will enjoy it! Look out for some great harmonica and cool special effects. 🙂

From the archives – Black Heart Lane

I’m taking part in a collaboration contest on the MuseSongWriters website at the moment. It’s been great fun and I hope to share the end result at a later point. However, it prompted me to dig out a song from 2017 that came from a collaboration with another musician on the Muse site. It’s called Black Heart Lane and it’s really catchy and cool! Mike Birch (music and production) and Scott Palmer (vocals) did a great job with it. Check it out and see for yourself!  

New song published (30Aug18) – Out on my feet

Out on my feet is a song about someone who is having a tough time in life. They’re bone tired and having to get through the grind of the day’s tasks, knowing that the next day is going to be the same but also knowing that they will get through it, keep on going.

James Fraser and Nigel Robinson teamed up to turn my lyric into a really cool song. James provided vocals, guitar, bass, and production, while Nigel provided keyboards and drums. Thanks guys!

Met the man who went on stage AFTER Jimi Hendrix (24Aug18)

I had the pleasure of meeting my regular Internet collaborator James Fraser for the first time. We had a pint and some chat at Sandy Bells pub in Edinburgh. It was lovely to catch up and be able to discuss music and the songs that we have worked on together. James also presented me with a couple of copies of an album that he had put together of the songs we have worked on. 

I also took the opportunity to ask him about a really cool claim to fame that he has; that he was in a band that went on stage after the legendary Jimi Hendrix! To read about how that came about, check out the HendrixNorthEast page

New song published (14Aug18) – Counting the days down

Counting the days down was a really enjoyable lyric to write and I’m so pleased with the way James Fraser has skillfully crafted it into a lovely song. It’s based on the incredible true story of Ernest Shackleton’s failed attempt to cross the Antarctic continent from one coast to the other via the South Pole.

With their main boat, the Endurance, having become trapped in ice, the crew had to make their way to remote Elephant Island. From there, it turns into one of the greatest tales of heroism of all time as Shackleton and 5 other men (including navigator Frank Worsley) set off in a small boat to alert the world to their plight. Their only hope was the implausible one of making it through the fierce Antarctic seas to reach a whaling port from where help could be summoned.

New custom designed Lyric Slinger cartoon image created (12Aug18)

I’d like to thank talented artist Gemma Upson for providing me with a lovely drawing of a Lyric Slinger cartoon figure. I provided a rough creative brief and she’s done a great job with it. He’s very cool and I expect he’ll be making regular appearances on the site! 🙂 Check out Gemma’s work on her Crazy Box Canvas Facebook page. 

New song published (12Aug18) – Lady of the Lake

Lady of the Lake is a lyric that I wrote back in January. I’d discovered Nick Drake’s music on YouTube and had spent a lot of time listening to his fantastic songs. What a talent he was and such a shame that he didn’t have a happier life. Anyway, I guess you could say that Lady of the Lake was inspired by Drake’s works. Great work by James Fraser (vocals, guitar, bass, and production) and by Nigel Robinson (piano, strings, accordion) to breathe life into this one!

New song published (22Jul18) – Molly Brooker

Molly Brooker is a dark tale about a woman who lives alone and begins a romance with a prisoner who is in jail for murder. James Fraser picked it up and did vocals, guitar, bass and production. Roddy Potter added drums. And then Alice Minguez provided the finishing touches with some haunting vocals to provide a glimpse into Molly’s side of the story. VERY pleased with the way this one turned out and I hope you enjoy it too!

New song published (21Jul18) – Boots O’Reilly

Boots O’Reilly is a fictitious Irish character who I pictured had led a colourful life, including lots of time on the open road. The lyric has actually written for a songwriting collaboration contest on the MuseSongWriters website but wasn’t used. I then posted it on the Kompoz website and was delighted when regular collaborator James Fraser picked it up. James has done a great job with it. He used 2 acoustic guitars, Irish bouzouki, tin whistle, and bodhran. And also handled the vocals and all production. 🙂

New song published (01Jul18) – A Little Meadow

I have a new song for you to listen to. It’s called ‘A little meadow‘ and is a quirky love song. It’s about two people who find love when they least expect to. For one of them, love literally comes in on a wave. The song features the incredible talents of James Fraser who did all music and production, as well as the male vocals. What a talented guy! And then James and I had the delight of Alice Minguez coming in to do the female vocals. I love the way that duet works. And I owe a lot to another lyric writer (Ty) on the MuseSongWriters website who suggested to me that it should be done as a male/female vocal. Great idea, Ty!

There are a few other songs that are works in progress at the moment. Hopefully, I’ll be able to unveil some of them soon!

New Page added – My Latest Songs

I’ve added a page that shows My Latest Songs . Check it out – it’s got all the songs that have been completed so far this year from my lyrics.

 

Award winning song created – Footprints in the snow

Yay, I had great fun working with talented musician, Josh Castagno, on a Song Collaboration contest on the MuseSongwriters website. The standard of songs that each pairing produced was really high and I loved the variety of genres and styles that people came up with. Taking part was a win in itself but we had the added bonus of being voted the winning song by our fellow participants! 🙂 The song is called ‘Footprints in the snow‘. Please listen to it and I hope that you will enjoy it. One of our fellow contest participants said they could see it being done by The Lumineers – what do you think?

1st YouTube video created – Poor John Druitt

I have my first YouTube music video thanks to the excellent work of my Kompoz collaborator musician, James Fraser. It’s for a lyric that I wrote called ‘Poor John Druitt’ about a person who was named as a suspect in the 1888 Jack the Ripper murder case. Vocals, all music and production by James Fraser. Check out the Poor John Druitt video and you can also buy the song on Soundblend.  

Dio connection? Ghosts

Check out another completed song collaboration, Ghosts. It features a singer whose former band XLR8 once opened for Dio! Ghosts is about ethnic cleansing and I started the lyric in 2006 and completed it in 2016! It was originally a reflection on the Balkans War. Deep, huh?

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The LyricSlinger