Songwriting

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

Week 23 – Easy Come, Easy Go

Posted on by marcelpereira

Easy come, easy go. Something that applies to everything in life, I think. If you get something without putting in any effort, you don’t treasure it as much as something else you worked really hard for.  Generally, it refers to money, wealth, inheritances, material goods – and love of course. Easy love is just like easy money, it flies away.

Easy Come, Easy Go
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 8 October, 2010

Stuck my hand out the window
When I was just a boy
A lucky coin landed on my palm
It fell from the sky

The very next day I lost it
I started to cry
Daddy wouldn’t let me
Instead he told me why

Chorus
Easy come, easy go
That’s life for you my boy
Easy come, easy go
Look hard and you shall find

Some people expect
Luck to fall on their laps
You’ll find them hanging around
At the bottom of the pack

Others are climbing a ladder
They have to watch their backs
They pick each other’s pockets
To write their fancy cheques

Chorus
Easy come, easy go
That’s life for you my boy
Easy come, easy go
Look hard and you shall find

Women flock to my side
Like seagulls by the bay
They fly from ship to ship
Don’t you expect them to stay

Your hands may lose their strength
Your mind will set you free
But your heart is still the king
Inside it lies the key

Chorus
Easy come, easy go
That’s life for you my boy
Easy come, easy go
Look hard and you shall find

***

I opened the song with a story about a coin falling from the sky. It really did happen, you know. Not to me, but to my young nephew who told me about it and showed me the coin. I don’t know if it’s true, or if he was just making it up, but in any case it’s a great story. Anyway, he gave the coin to me and now I carry it around in my bag.

Another thing about this song is the father-son dynamic, where a father figure offers life lessons to his young son. My song, Take The Highway, deals with a similar topic:

Week 22 – My Wayward State Of Mind

Posted on by marcelpereira

Last week, there was a 2-page spread in The Sunday Times devoted to Generation Ys in Singapore, a generation which I am part of. Now, there are many negative stereotypes associated with us – many of them created by our parents. We are incapable of settling down, unfocused, always job hopping, impatient, can’t take hardship, and so on. There are dozens of articles online about this.

I’m glad, however, that the recent piece I read featured a few Gen Y-ers in Singapore who wanted to live life to the fullest, who worked for passion and not for money, who went off the beaten track. It was quite inspiring to read about their experiences and struggles.

It got me thinking, and I realise that I do know of a few friends who are doing their own thing too. Some of them have started their own businesses, some have left their jobs to pursue further studies, others are taking sabbaticals abroad just for the experience of another culture.

What inspired this week’s song was the sense of restlessness I’m sure many of us feel, especially those who have to choose between their dreams and facing up to the realities of growing up.

My aim was to capture that rebelliousness and desire to be true to oneself, and put them against the nagging pressures society places on you.

The song is titled “My Wayward State of Mind” to show that sense of inconsistency and to add a self-reflecting, sardonic tone to the song. I’m not sure if the message comes through clearly enough, but here goes:

My Wayward State Of Mind
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 1 Oct, 2010

I want to belong and I want to be free
I want to be famous and I want privacy
I want to move forward and I want to stay put
I want to be bad and I want to be good

I want children and I want a life
I want a lover and I want a wife
I want to be brown and I want to be white
I want to surrender and I want to fight

Chorus
I want to be me but I can’t decide
Between the ground and the sky
Part of a generation asking why
Guess it’s my wayward state of mind

I want to whisper and I want to shout
I want to be soft and I want to be loud
I want to build and I want to destroy
I want to laugh and I want to cry

I want to stand up and I want to recline
I want to lose and I want to find
I want to be nice and I want to be rude
I could go on, but I’m not in the mood

Chorus
I want to be me but I can’t decide
Between the ground and the sky
Part of a generation asking why
Guess it’s my wayward state of mind

We are the people who make our own rules
We are the ones who can’t be fooled
We don’t care if it’s wrong or right
It’s our choice, our choice

Week 21 – Your Eyes Have Forgotten How To Smile

Posted on by marcelpereira

This song is about sadness. It’s about that moment when it suddenly dawns upon you, that someone you love dearly is going through a really bad patch. It’s not just a momentary gloominess; it seems to cast a permanent shadow over her, and it won’t go away.

You can tell something is sucking away her joy, enthusiasm and zest for life. She can’t sleep well, she is always tired, and wherever she goes it seems as if the weight of the world is on her shoulders.

It’s frustrating. You don’t understand why she has to be so down all the time. You try to tell her everything will be alright. You do all sorts of things to cheer her up, but success is fleeting and the sadness returns with a vengeance.

Is there something wrong when you look into the eyes of the one you love and realise that they have forgotten how to smile?

Your Eyes Have Forgotten How To Smile
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 25 Sept, 2010

You fell asleep to flee the painful light of day
Avoiding questions you couldn’t answer
God knows how long you’ve stayed that way
A bird with its head tucked under a wing
You sleep in fear that you will never sing

I caught you frowning one sunny afternoon
The only black cloud on a pretty face
Paid a penny for your thoughts
Told you the storm would pass like cars in a race
You gave me a grin, you gave me a grin

Chorus
Suddenly I realised your eyes, your eyes
Have forgotten how to smile
They’ve forgotten how to smile

You have a knack for making yourself sadder
Than an abandoned nest
It’s so cold you can’t stay awake
You line your bed with tears from your heaving chest
Something’s left you with broken wings

Chorus
And now I realise your eyes, your eyes
Have forgotten how to smile
They’ve forgotten how to smile

Bridge
Do you listen to me when I spend
Half an evening trying to tell you
It’s not so bad, it’s alright
Maybe I’m saying something wrong
‘cos we always end up in a fight

Chorus
That’s when I realised your eyes, your eyes
Have forgotten how to smile
They’ve forgotten how to smile

Week 20 – It’s A New Life

Posted on by marcelpereira

As most of you know, I left the working world in April this year and decided to plunge full-time into songwriting.

I think it’s too early to tell if this has been a success or not, but anyway, after five months of staying at home, I began to feel the effects (and I believe it’s something that many people who are out of a job go through). My mind and body slowed down, I started to lose touch with the world in general, my social life plummeted… I felt like quite a bum, really.

Yes, I was making headway with my songwriting, devoting more time to music, writing one song a week, performing more, gaining confidence. All of this was very heartening to me.

Then there were the realities of life, expenses, bills, you know what I mean. Initially, I tried to get a permanent paid gig for my band, Raised On Radio. I made cold calls to bars and other places to see if they’d like some ‘live’ entertainment. So far, I’ve had little luck. I could see the strain of supporting me take its toll on Carol. It broke my heart.

So, I made a decision. This week, I opened a new chapter in my life.

I’ve started working part-time at Maestro Guitars, a homegrown guitar manufacturer. (Yes, the same guys that have been hosting the open mic performances at their outlet in *Scape Mall.)

I received an email from them one day looking for part-timers, and after thinking about it for a while, decided to send in my resume. To cut a long story short, I started training this week. (I have zero retail experience, mind you, so it’s been quite challenging!)

From next week onwards I’ll be stationed at any of their four outlets.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still dead serious about my dreams, taking my songs to the next level, and eventually cutting an album, God-willing. Of course, the song-a-week project will continue.

The good part about working in a guitar shop is that I get to meet all sorts of people, and I get to learn all sorts of things, like the different kinds of guitar strings available, what kind of sound different woods produce, and other things like pickups, accessories, and all the cool stuff in the world of guitars – stuff I’d never get a chance to learn about otherwise.

I mean, I can play and all but I’ve never been one to get into the nitty-gritty of my instrument. I’m just happy to buy whatever strings are available, you see… So, yep this is a fantastic learning opportunity for me.

This week’s song is all about new beginnings:

It’s A New Life
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 18 Sept, 2010

It’s a beautiful thing when you smell the rain
And a flower on a branch gets swept away
A thought springs from a little seed
From nothingness comes a new belief

Blazing a way with nothing but desire
Don’t know my destination but at least I’m tryin’
GPS won’t lead me to the land of my dreams
And the path that I’m takin’ ain’t nothing like it seems

Chorus
It’s a new life
It’s a new life
It’s a do something different kinda day
It’s a whole new point of view
And I won’t let it slip away

It’s getting real hot under the collar
If we can’t stand the pain then why the hell bother
Take your old pictures to the edge of the cliff
Tear ’em up and begin to live

Chorus

Bridge
I’m waking up, waking up to
A new reality
Another face in the mirror
Staring right back at me
Feeling like my feet are way too small
Before we can fly, we have to crawl

Chorus
It’s a new life
It’s a new life
It’s a do something different kinda day
It’s a whole new point of view
And I won’t let it slip away

Week 19 – Between Your Heart And Mine (A Duet)

Posted on by marcelpereira

A good friend of mine is getting married at the end of the year, and she asked Carol and myself to sing a couple of songs at her banquet. I said, of course we’d be happy to perform for her.

I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a wedding duet for a while – you know, something along the lines of “Endless Love” or “I’ve Finally Found Someone” – and I decided to try it this week. So this is my first ever duet.

This song is inspired by the saying: “No words are necessary between two loving hearts.”

There are two ways to interpret the title, “Between Your Heart And Mine”, something special shared between two people in love, or something that forces them apart. I chose the former, of course.

I didn’t actually want to make obvious references to marriage or a wedding in the lyrics, as I wanted this song to apply to any couple in love.

And… you’ll see that I got Carol to sing with me on this video, so this is her YouTube debut! *clap clap*

Between Your Heart and Mine
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 10 Sept, 2010

The spaces of my heart are filled with you
And I’m overflowing
Right from the very start I already knew
You’re the spring in my feet

I’ll hold you close like a secret for two
And I’m tellin’ the world
You showed me love with your smile so true
You’re all I need

Now I’ve found my place
It’s here in your embrace

Chorus
Between your heart and mine
No words are spoken
The look in your eyes
Spells forever
Between your heart and mine
Is a path we’ve chosen
The rest of our lives
Spent together

You make me bite my lips, you light up my fire
Just by being you don’t even have to try
You are the beat in my drum, and the reason I’m dancing
I’d wait another lifetime to have you by my side

Nothing can come between (Nothing can come between)
Nothing can come between (Nothing can come between)
Nothing can come between (Nothing can come between)
Your heart and mine

Chorus
Between your heart and mine
No words are spoken
The look in your eyes
Spells forever
Between your heart and mine
Is a path we’ve chosen
The rest of our lives
Spent together

Week 18 – With Both My Hands

Posted on by marcelpereira

There’s a Nigerian proverb that goes: “Hold a true friend with both your hands”. I think it’s a lovely saying, and when I came across it while looking for ideas for my song this week, I knew I just had to write something based on it.

A pair of hands is a very powerful image, don’t you think? They invoke love, support, comfort, friendship, and all sorts of positive things. When you pray over someone, you stretch out both your hands over them.

Carol mentioned this song is a departure from my usual style, and I agree. It’s spiritual, and I make several Christian references in the lyrics. Something I don’t usually do, if you’ve been following my songwriting so far.

I think it’s because Corrinne May’s recent performance rubbed off on me a little. Her spirituality and faith inspired me to write this song, really.

Lyrics below. Comments are welcome!

With Both My Hands
© Music and Lyrics by Marcel Lee Pereira, 3 Sept, 2010

Don’t go anywhere, I’m coming over now
I heard all about it, and I know you’re feeling down
I will be with you in your hour of need
When everything around you has crumbled to your feet

Chorus
With both my hands
I will bless you
For you I will lift them up in prayer
I will hold you
With both my hands
Wash your feet and comb your hair

Sit back for a while, let me do all your  dishes
Put on a comedy, relax in your favourite chair
Start looking forward to building new bridges
Put your worries in heaven’s care

Chorus
With both my hands
I will bless you
For you I will lift them up in prayer
I will hold you
With both my hands
Wash your feet and comb your hair

Bridge
It’s the least I can do
The least I can do
To protect and defend you
With both my hands, with both my hands

Chorus
With both my hands
I will bless you
For you I will lift them up in prayer
I will hold you
With both my hands
Wash your feet and comb your hair