Starlight, Star Bright, First Song I Write Tonight ... (Songwriting Week 2--How's This End)

Thanks for re-enlisting. This week I intended to dig up one of the first songs I wrote (The Vision) and do a compare and contrast to the most recent song I wrote and posted last week (The Rest of Forever). But then a couple things got in the way of that idea. One, I must have "accidentally" deleted my recording of The Vision as part of a desperate attempt to salvage whatever songwriting credibility I've mustered so far. And two, The Rest of Forever is no longer the most recent song I wrote. Had another idea this past week while sitting at a traffic light outside my neighborhood Starbucks, and it goes something like this:

www.sonicbids.com/stevecelestini (Click to the left, click on the "
Audio" icon in the page that opens and select "How's This End -- Up Tempo")

Or ... should it go like this?:

www.sonicbids.com/stevecelestini (Go back to the sonic bids music player and this time select "How's This End -- Stripped Down")

Same song, same chords, but different tempo, key and vocal style makes for two very different feels. So, in addition to whatever comments you guys want to make, I'd love to hear your votes on which version you prefer and why. And oh by the by, if these recordings sound rough it's because they are ... very. These are basically first drafts that I had to record immediately after a long weekend of revelry in order to still miss my self-imposed publication deadline. That's all I'll say about that. That and thanks for your patience.

Eventually, I'll tell you what I was going for with this number. Before I do, though, let me acknowledge some very astute and collaborative advice I got from a friend. On Friday I played one of the two versions of the tune for Jim Ermilio. Jim was visiting from Boston to take part in our annual fantasy baseball draft. He listened carefully and essentially said, "I don't know anything about music, but do me a favor and play it [the other] way instead." And I did.

Now, let me make two comments about what Jim said. First, Jim may not be a musician per se, but he's an AVID music appreciator, concert goer,and collector (especially of albums on vinyl). PLUS he has two children who are brilliant musicians in large part due to the love and encouragement of Jim and his lovely wife, Sharon. So for Jim to say he doesn't know anything about music is preposterous, and I told him so. Second, when I played it "the other way" it sounded truer to the song's lyrical intent, more natural. Note that I didn't say it was better. I may think it's better and Jim may think so, but better is like beauty: it's the eye of the beholder thing (ear in this case but nevermind, I'm on a roll, or so I think; stop self-editing, Steve). In any event, that's why I'm giving Jim partial songwriting credit on this one; he also made some great lyric suggestions that I adopted.

To resume, what I was going for was to capture several simul-thoughts that popped into mind outside the Starbucks. While sitting at that traffic light, the ages old childhood wish "starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight" came to mind at the same exact moment I was remembering how much I used to like the 1960s-70s show "Hee Haw" when I was a kid. Then I remembered an old Buick my father and mother used to drive back in those days and how it looked sitting in the driveway of our house at 1508 Swope, Colorado Springs, CO. Strange mix of ingredients, but put them in the form of a recipe and it would look something like this:

One wish upon a star, One traffic light, Dash of Buck Owens, Dash of Roy Clark, One old car, One driveway, Three tablespoons bacon fat (because I pretty much always have bacon on my mind). Mix all ingredients and pat into disk shaped cakes. Fry in black cast iron skillet over medium heat (serves 2).

Not sure how well that food analogy works. Looks pretty stupid, upon reflection, but what the hell, I gave it a shot. To state it more literally, that mental mish-mash swimming around my head at that light is what prompted me to come up with the line "Red light, green light, first one I see tonight, tell me do I stop or go" and use it to start a pseudo-country song. Once I had that core concept in mind, I manufactured the rest of the story: basically, two star crossed lovers who can't decide whether they can stand each others company long enough to have a relationship with staying power. We don't know how it ends (I'm not writing Hollywood screenplays). All we do know is that the guy in the car wants to keep trying, but his patience is wearing thin and he really needs this lady to give him a sign, a gesture, that tells him she wants to keep trying, too.

I think that about does it for this week, but before I close let me state for the record that the story in this song is COMPLETELY MANUFACTURED AND FICTIONAL! Christina and I are fine and dandy and loving every minute of each others company. Hopefully that goes without saying, but I've met a lot of people over the years who think that every line of every song is based on something going on in the writer's life. Sometimes that's true, but many times it's not. If it was true all the time, every member of my band The Gravy Boys would have a cirrhotic liver, seven divorces, a felony record, and a moonshine still in the backyard. Oh, and we'd all be living in Kentucky or Oklahoma. See you next week.

Steve in North Carolina

PS: You may note below that this week I've included the guitar chords I use to play the song, just in case anyone's interested, wants to play along, etc. I'll try to do this in all future posts as well. Cheers.

PPS: I can't wait to hear how Jim reacts to being the co-writer of a song associated with memories of Hee Haw. He hates Hee Haw!!

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HOW’S THIS END [A (G form, Capo II)]

[G] [D] [C]

[G] [C] [D] [D][C][A][D]

[G] Red light, [D] green light

[G] First one I [C] see tonight

[G] Tell me, do I stop or [D] go [D][C][A][D]

[G] Rear view, [D] side view

[G] Both fill my [C] eyes with you

[G] How’s this end, [D] I’ve got to [G] know [G7]

[C] Walk to me, [Cm] talk to me

[G] Give me hope

A [D] reason not to [G] drive off in this [G7] lonely car!

[C] Please, my dear, [A] make this year

One where neither breaks the other's [D] heart [D][C][A][D]

[G] Waiting, antici[D]pating

[G] For a time when [C] no one’s [Am7] hating!

[G] How’s this end, [D] I’ve got to [G] know [D]

[INSTRUMENTAL TO FIRST VERSE THRU G7 CHORD]

[C] Walk to me, [Cm] talk to me

[G] Give me hope

A [D] reason not to [G] drive off in this [G7] lonely car!

[C] Please, my dear, [A] make this year

One where neither breaks the other's [D] heart [D][C][A][D]

[G] Waiting, antici[D]pating

[G] For a time when [C] no one’s [Am7] hating!

[G] How’s this end, [D] I’ve got to [G] know [C]

[G] How’s this end, [D] I’ve got to [G] know [C]

[G◊] How’s this end, [D◊] I’ve got to [G] know [G] [C] [G]

(c) Steve Celestini and Jim Ermilio