All original. All lyrics and vocals by me, except for the audio recordings. I also got lyrics advice from a friend of mine on Youtube, the very talented Sean Leary. Given the overall theme of the song, and especially the twist at the end, I thought it would be ironic to ask for help, haha! So basically, he came up with the 3 short lines following the 2nd chorus by re-wording my lyrics. Thanks Sean.
Ok, now here's the story behind the song (if you're not interested you can skip all this). It started about 1-2 years ago with some simple beats and melodies. The idea kept getting forgotten until last month, when I decided it was worth continuing. So I expanded the structure and finished all the instrumental parts, but I wanted to add lyrics, and still had no idea what they should be about. The music has a fun, silly sort of sound, so I knew that my more serious lyrics wouldn't fit. Eventually, I started thinking about writing from the perspective of a total control freak, who has to be in charge of every little detail in the creative process. Sometimes I feel this way myself, but the lyrics are greatly exaggerated for a somewhat comedic effect. This is when I realized I could use certain audio recordings which tie in to that theme. The longer ones are from a TV show called "Arthur". I used to watch it when I was growing up, and I'll admit that I have been re-watching old episodes lately. The opening clip and the one during the interlude are from an episode where Arthur is trying to write a commercial jingle for a contest, and he becomes a control freak. The clip at the end is from a different episode; it doesn't really fit with the topic, but I included it because it has always made me laugh. And then there is a very short clip (used multiple times) of George from the show "Seinfeld", saying Jerry is "such a control freak!". Lastly, I included a clip of Arjen Lucassen, one of my favorite music artists, referring to himself as "an absolute control freak". So it is kind of a weird collection of recordings, but they all basically relate to the song. As for the actual lyrics, I wrote the chorus very quickly, just trying to turn the rhythms into phrases. That is why it sounds the way it does, although the verses were written a bit more slowly and carefully. As I said, it is all very exaggerated, so don't take them too seriously. Lyrics:
Into isolation,
the commencement of creation
Now I'm out on these uncharted seas
with certainty of the song that waits for me
If it's there, I'll find it
And I'll always mastermind it
At the helm of the ship is where I wanna be
Get back, nobody's gonna help me!
I'll put every beat, every note in its place
I'll do everything myself until I
write the perfect song, can't help but sing along
you won't believe what you hear while
fighting back the tears, remember it for years
All because of me, I have everything I need
It's all under my control, I'm reaching every goal
Don't interfere, because I'm on a roll
You are free to follow
But obey the great Apollo
You remember Pan and Marsyas?
Yeah, I will take the lead, I'm the deity
These are not delusions,
rather, verified conclusions
For my name will live on throughout history
(and no, you're not allowed to help me)
I'll put every beat, every note in its place
I'll do everything myself until I
write the perfect song, can't help but sing along
you won't believe what you hear while
fighting back the tears, remember it for years
All because of me, I have everything I need
It's all under my control, I'm reaching every goal
Don't interfere, because I'm on a roll
I'm on a roll
in control
reaching every goal
[interlude and audio recordings]
I'll put every beat, every note in its place
I'll do everything myself until I
write the perfect song, can't help but sing along
you won't believe what you hear while
fighting back the tears, remember it for years
All because of me, I have everything I need
It's all under my control, just tell me what you
think about it 'cause I'm not exactly sure...
The last two lines are meant to convey that no matter how confident we are with our abilities, we all seek some kind of validation for our work. We might think it is great as we are doing it, but once it is done, there is uncertainty about what others will think.
Thanks for listening and sharing honest opinions (as well as mixing advice, perhaps). The picture is from Arthur - the actual episode I got the audio from. In fact, this is Arthur as he is saying the first quote, which made me laugh a lot.
Oh, one last thing. Just like Arthur did, I might enter my song into a songwriting contest (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pages/john-lennon-songwriting-contest?src=3TP4F9C). So wish me luck!