Theme song I wrote for an upcoming podcast
So. I have never written in this manner before. It was CRAZY. There’s a lot of parts to this story. Not sure where to begin. I think in this case chronological would make the least sense.
About two months ago, I was asked to write a theme song for an upcoming podcast series. Of course, propelled by flattery and excitement, I said yes before I had any idea what the hell I would do. But that feeling of being stumped, well, it didn’t last too long.
You see, there has been this melody that has been floating around my head for years. It was an instrumental, with horns. I thought of it as a game show song. Sort of like a theme song they’d cut to before a commercial break, or sample when someone just answered a ten thousand dollar question.
I’m curious to know if this happens/has happend to you? A recurring melody? Even if you’ve never written a song, or not typically musical? Just something you hear in your head, maybe you think you heard it somewhere, you’re just not sure where?
I had no use for it. I believe the time line was right around the time The Pollynoses broke up, when I was in a really dark place. I’d just written Ebony Eyes. But boy, when this sound bite surfaced the melody would play over and over in my brain. It threatened to drive me fucking insane. Like Kars For Kids. Or We Built This City On Rock N Roll.
It was so catchy I was convinced I didn’t write it. But after about 5 years of reviewing every TV show I could think of, and listening to hours of big band music, I thought maybe it was mine.
Nevertheless, it was pointless. Just a little sound bit in my head. Maybe someday, I’d write that screen play, and there would be a game show in the screen play, and this song could be in the soundtrack. Or something far fetched like that.
Fast forward to present. Faced with this new challenge, I quickly excavated it from my memory and decided the vocals would follow the melody, It was a very easy, quick write. I wrote it singing into the video app on my phone.
The hard part was recording the song into my software. I don’t think I ever wrote in this order, where the melody was written first. I felt naked, with no guitar part, piano, bass, nothing. That was REALLY freaking weird. I literally had to figure out how to play the notes on the guitar, and record that as my first track. Track 2 I sang those exact notes. Then i built a bass part and horns and drums around that melody. Really out of my comfort zone. I never would have done this if I wasn’t commissioned for a “theme song”
I want to warn you….My wife wouldn’t let me work on it in her presence. It annoyed her too much. I told her it’s finished and she still doesn’t want to listen! Why? It’s an annoying jingle. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of it, I think it will work GREAT for this upcoming podcast show. But I am clearly over trying to be “cool”. Also, I apologize in advance if it “repeats” on you.