I used to work with this cool lady and she would always take an interest in my songwriting. Every Monday, she’d ask how the weekend jam sessions went and if I’d recorded anything new. The weird thing was, anytime I had something uploaded for her to listen to, she’d listen to it through, and then tell me that it’s “not her kind of music” which is fair enough, but it always bemused me that she would take such an interest if she didn’t like what I was making.
One day, I decided to write her a song that she’d enjoy.
Spotify and Apple Music were playing at work all the time, so I knew what sort of songs she was into. Classic Rock. Australian Pub Rock in particular. She was a single mum in her 50’s, a strong, hard woman, an Aussie battler.
I wrote Proud Woman in a weekend, and recorded it at home on borrowed equipment. A mate I regularly jammed with did the vocals for me and when it was done, I uploaded it to my SoundCloud and gave her the link when I got to work.
She liked it.
The experience taught me the value of an audience of one. Even though the recording is rough, the focus on writing a song for one person with the aim that they - that person in particular - enjoys it, I think gave me a different perspective than when I was either writing purely for my own enjoyment, or simply going with some random song idea.
@dgar I know a lot are comparing it to AC/DC and 'dad rock' (music about really bad jokes and long black socks with white t-shirts? anyway...) but I have to say that a lot of the vocal construction and some of the backing chord structure made me think very much of a strong raw and raunchy "Lithium Flower"
@dgar I hit the link out of curiosity and my husband, a dad-rock kind of guy who happened to be within earshot, perked right up and asked what I was listening to.
@ClimateJenny
I thank you for your curiosity! 🫶
Dad-rock is a great name for what I refer to as “pub-rock”.
AC/DC, The Angels, Skyhooks… That was the feel I was going for.
Thanks for listening!
☝️😁🤘
@dgar@ClimateJenny
Think you got what you were going for. I also loved the story, enough to listen to the song & AC/DC was the first band that came to mind.
@dgar This story is really interesting to me. It's cool--you are not only able to understand what someone else wants and likes, but are curious and interested in others enough to put in some work to show them that you can also deliver it to them if you choose.
That is a really special power... that combination of keen emotional/social intelligence, technical know-how, AND willingness to show it and use it to make something for someone else. Pretty cool. Really interesting.
@dgar Actually really liked an instrumental I just heard - Icarus I think? There was an interview a while back with Sting, where he said something like “music should surprise”, and that’s really stuck with me.
@pmonks that’s two I don’t sing on.
😊
Space Pop is the other one.
There was an entire week when my top three songs were the ones I didn’t sing on. 😅
It’s really cool that you like them. I appreciate your listening. I love hearing from people who have tuned in. Thank you so much!
☝️😊✌️
@pmonks Icarus ended up being released as the b-side on the Daedalus single. It’s one of the first pieces I wrote, still in my teens, recorded only as chords in an exercise book, and heard only when I played it. I’ve attempted to put lyrics to it several times over the years, but none ever stuck. It seems to fit well following Daedalus though.
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