Music

Week 30 – King Of The Toadstool

Posted on by marcelpereira

I’m generally a very easygoing person, and there aren’t many people I really dislike. I mean, live and let live, right?

Carol tells me many, many times that I’m too nice, and she’s worried that people will take advantage of me. Anyway, whether that’s true or not isn’t the topic of this post.

So yes, about this person this song is about… I’m not going to name any names, of course. Nope, no details whatsoever. I’m not even going to say if this person is a guy or a girl. Suffice it to say that he/she is the “King of the Toadstool”.

What do I mean by that?

Picture an ugly amphibian perched on a toadstool, lording it over the flies that cross the path of its sticky tongue. The flies are the only ones that fear it, and it relishes that power. This toad thinks it’s the king of the world; it takes great pleasure in its glorious position, its mushroom throne.

It doesn’t realise that it is just a toad, and its “kingdom” is just a tiny patch of earth… And the flies? They are scared of everything.

The proverbial frog in the well.

If you read the lyrics below, you’ll get a better idea of how I feel towards this someone. And if he/she eventually stumbles across this post, I couldn’t give a damn, really.

King Of The Toadstool
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 27 Nov 2010

You’re the fat fish in a small pond
Wielding fear like Machiavelli
Telling everybody what to do, ohh…
I don’t have a problem with authority
Go to hell, respect you gotta earn

The fake plastic horns on your head
A million empty threats
Killing every Monday, Wednesday ohh…
Go ahead ‘cos you don’t scare me
From the bottom of your well, you’ll never learn

Chorus
You’re the king of the toadstool
Thinking you rule
But the sky is too high
Above your throne
You’re the king of the toadstool
Prince of the flies
But there’s no way I’d stick around
No I won’t

I’m no bug on your tongue
Got the first ticket out
I’m not getting high-strung
Gonna disappear

So your majesty you
Gotta find someone new
Clean your own dirty shoes
Cos I ain’t here

Week 29 – Be A Duck

Posted on by marcelpereira

I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase “like water off a duck’s back”, which basically means something has no effect on you, like when insults are hurled at you and you don’t feel even the least bit annoyed.

Of course, when it comes to hurtful words, they can – and usually do – hurt…

A while ago, I was trying to console Carol about something someone said to upset her; and to cut a long story short, I told her to “be a duck” – let the words roll off your back. They are just words after all.

This week, which was a very long and trying week for the two of us, I guess I felt the need to be a duck myself, and ignore some of the things people were saying to me.

So… this song is all about being a duck. Next time, if you know somebody who’s feeling down because of criticism, tell ’em to be a duck too 🙂

By the way, if you think you heard me sing the F-word, you heard right. Completely intentional – and the first time I’ve used an expletive in a song.

I actually think this song should be called “Be A Duck (Don’t Give A F**k)”, but I’ll stick with the current one for now 😉

Be A Duck
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 19 Nov 2010

Try not to think about
The silly things that people say
A thunderstorm of cruel words
Can ruin a sunny day
The cold chills fill your soul
And nag you as you pray
But they’re not true
I know you

Look the face in the mirror
Straight in the eye
Say hi, give a smile
It’s worth a try

Chorus
Don’t drown yourself
In whining over your bad luck
Be a duck, be a duck, be a da da da…
Shrug the water off your back
Don’t give a fuck, yeah

Words, they are just letters
Stacked together in a made up fact
And the labels stuck on you
Are not stuck with superglue
Like post-it notes on a tree
They soon fall away
Relax
You’re okay

Look the face in the mirror
Straight in the eye
Say hi, give a smile
It’s worth a try

Chorus
Don’t drown yourself
In whining over your bad luck
Be a duck, be a duck, be a da da da…
Shrug the water off your back
Don’t give a fuck, yeah

It’s easy to stumble
When you’re in doubt
Stand on a cloud
That’s allowed

Week 28 – On Heaven’s Wings

Posted on by marcelpereira

This week, I was introduced to just about the most beautiful passage on love I have ever read. It’s from The Prophet, a book by Lebanese-American poet and writer Khalil Gibran.

In the chapter on love, which you can read here, I encountered one of the most profound (and true) descriptions of this basic human emotion. Take some time to read it if you can.

As I read and re-read the passage to get its full meaning, one line stood out for me: “When love beckons to you follow him,/Though his ways are hard and steep.”

That line really brought home the meaning of love for me: that in order to truly experience love, you have to feel both its pleasure and its pain. Only then are you in the heart of love itself.

This was the line from which I began to write this song. I called it “On Heaven’s Wings” because I felt the title fit the message I wanted to achieve with it: An invitation to the one I love to experience true love with me.

There’s a reason for everything, and I think I discovered this passage because I wanted to write a love song to Carol this week. Something which had meaning…

I played this song to a fellow songwriter who was at the Maestro outlet at Scape Mall this morning, and he asked: “How many times have you made your wife fall in love with you?”

I shrugged and smiled. I think you’ll have to ask Carol for that answer.

On Heaven’s Wings
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 12 Nov, 2010

Love, you beckoned, and there you stood
One girl in a million
You had me good, you had me good

Love, you beckoned, and I answered
Your voice smooth as a kitten’s purr
My thoughts a blur, my thoughts a blur

Chorus
Walk with me
And I will sing
Lie with me
On Heaven’s wings

I know, I fear that love can hurt
But love, it can also heal
Pleasure and pain, again and again

So I yielded my heart to you
‘Cos we don’t want to laugh alone
Nor cry under a stone, under a stone

Chorus
Walk with me
And I will sing
Lie with me
On Heaven’s wings

We shall run like the deer
Run free, two melodies
That fall and rise perfectly
I love you for you
And so I give freely
Myself, my heart, my life

Chorus
Walk with me
And I will sing
Lie with me
On Heaven’s wings

Week 26 – Save Me (A Song of Hope)

Posted on by marcelpereira

Recently, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest announced a special competition in honour of Lennon’s 70th Birthday.

They sent out a call for songwriters to submit songs of peace, love, political activism and free expression, all in the spirit of the man himself. What’s more, the winner will be selected by none other than Yoko Ono!

I just knew I had to take part, despite the US$30 entrance fee.

I spent a bit more time and effort on this song than I usually do. I was trying to think of a message that would be true to the spirit of John Lennon, something that called for change but was not overtly preachy.

I also wanted to record it properly at home (with the limited equipment I have) instead of doing my usual video of me and the guitar. What I did was record the guitar track on Garageband, and add some drum loops and effects. Then I recorded my voice over the track and mixed everything together on Cubase.

I decided to write from the point of view of the people who needed us, and the words “save me” came to my mind. My intent was not for the song to be a forlorn cry for help, but rather a rallying call by the oppressed to you and me, the people who are able and willing to help them.

This song is a cry of hope, and my hope is that it will inspire people out there to do something for the less fortunate among them.

Save Me
Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 2010

I am the one who sleeps on the streets
I am the one who has nothing to eat
I am the prisoner of my neighbour’s hate
I am here because my skin seals my fate

I am the one who cannot use my eyes
I am the one who’s never learnt to write
I am sent to war for a stranger’s sins
I am down but hope lives within

Chorus
Save me
Save me
Give me something to believe
Hang a star up there for me

You are the one who can heal my heart
Only you can get me back on my feet
You hold my hand, I feel your love
Teaching me how to forget and forgive

Chorus
Save me
Save me
Give me something to believe
Hang a star up there for me

Bridge
Why do I see violence
Why do I shed tears
No I won’t sit in silence
I won’t give in to fears
Stop breathing in possessions
They make you lose direction
Fill your wallets with pictures
Instead of notes
I am a friend and not a foe

Chorus
Save me
Save me
Give me something to believe
Hang a star up there for me

Week 25 – Haze Gets In My Eyes

Posted on by marcelpereira

I wrote the lyrics on Thursday as a joke actually, because the haze was so bad it was – quite literally – getting into my eyes.

So I sat down, banged something out in about 10 minutes, and posted it here. I didn’t want to record anything at first, but a friend suggested I put a video on YouTube, so I thought what the heck.

This is my first parody, and I wrote it because I was so sick of this environmental problem which keeps coming back year after year, and nothing seems to be done about it.

If you want to know what a parody is, check out Weird Al Yankovic, one of the world’s most notable parodists of pop music.

I’m sure you can tell I used a Karaoke backing track from the actual Platters’ song, which is why all the backup vocals are completely off. What I did was record my vocals over the track and mix them together using Cubase. Then I just pulled some pictures from the internet and made the video with iMovie.

Hope it’ll brighten up those hazy days!

Haze Gets In My Eyes

(Sung to the tune of The Platters’ classic)

They asked me how I knew
The air was grey and blue
Oh, I of course replied
100 PSI cannot be denied

Hey, can’t you see the skies
You farmers are blind
Oh, when the land’s on fire
You must realize
Haze gets in my eyes

So they chaffed me and they gaily laughed
To think I could stop them burnin’
Still today, the cops are M.I.A
And my lungs are churnin’

Now, I can’t go outside
Tears I cannot hide
Oh, so at home I’ll stay
Till their lovely flames die
Haze gets in my eyes
Haze gets in my eyes

***

P.S. If I’ve ruffled any feathers by using the music or pictures without permission, this is meant only as a joke and not intended for commercial use.

Week 24 – Every Little Detail

Posted on by marcelpereira

It’s such a blessing to have someone who knows you inside out, who can read you like a book, and who can tell what you’re thinking about just by looking at you…

In the same way, it’s an unbelievable feeling to be able to know another person that well.

This song is for my wife, Carol.

It’s true, you know. There’s no one else in this world who knows her better than I do.

I asked her if she thought it was a sexy song… and she said yes 😉 (She’s blushing as I’m writing this post!)

Every Little Detail
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 15 Oct, 2010

I know exactly where to touch you to turn you on
Kisses like pins on a map, places only I have gone
Emotions flow like water as I breathe in the scent of your skin
I take pleasure in

Every little detail
Is sweet music to my eyes
Every little detail
As you lie by my side

The way your hair falls on your pillow after your bedtime routine
The goosebumps on your arms in the cold, cold wind
The way you bite your lips, the shape of the covers on your hips
I take pleasure in

Every little detail
Is sweet music to my eyes
Every little detail
As you lie by my side

I see colours only the painter sees
I hear rhymes only the poet needs
I read your face like a familiar place
I know

Every little detail
Is sweet music to my eyes
Every little detail
As you lie by my side

Against all odds: Musicians who truly inspire

Posted on by marcelpereira

Yesterday, I came across someone that truly humbled and inspired me.

His name is Liu Wei, a 23-year-old Chinese man who lost both his arms in an accident when he was only 10. He plays the piano with his toes – yes, his toes! – and he made headlines when he won the “China’s Got Talent” competition on Sunday for his rendition of James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”.

I’ve linked the video of his performance below. It’s in Chinese, but there is an English summary on YouTube.

What struck me was Liu’s determination and his fighting spirit. He started learning the piano at 19, and four years later, he can play pieces that even I with two hands can’t manage. (The only thing I can do with my toes is pick up things on the floor when I’m too lazy to bend down!)

Watching Liu perform, I could see the immense concentration on his face as he guided his feet across the keys. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to play the piano this way, but Liu does it with so much grace and determination. And at the end of the video, he says to the judges: “At least, I have a pair of perfect legs.” Wow.

He dreamt of becoming a musician, and he did. Truly amazing. My hat goes off to him.

It brought to mind another musician whom I heard about only earlier this year: Tony Melendez, a singer and songwriter who plays the guitar with his toes.

According to his biography, Tony, a Nicaraguan American, was born without arms because of the effects of thalidomide, a drug his mother was prescribed to treat her morning sickness.

Despite that, Tony became an accomplished guitarist in church, and rose to fame in 1987 when he sang and played for Pope John Paul II during the Pontiff’s visit to Los Angeles.

In the video below, Tony recollects that day. It was a really touching moment when, straight after Tony’s performance, the Pope himself climbed into the audience to embrace Tony and give him a kiss.

Tony and his band play actively today. (For the record, the band is called the “Toe Jam Band”!)

In all seriousness, though, Liu and Tony are both truly a testament to what we can accomplish if we give our heart and soul to our dreams.

Sometimes, able-bodied people like you and me take for granted the blessings we’ve been given. Liu and Tony, faced with such tremendous odds, overcame them – and more.

Like them, we should never lose sight of our dreams. No mountain is too high to conquer, once our eyes are firmly set on the summit.