The song writing process -How we do it.

Julien says “we have improved this over the years and it’s got quite a nice rhythm to it now.  Jez and I are always coming up with riffs which we hastily get onto any recorded format, usually a quick film.  All of us and especially Martin, know that a good and powerful riff is everything in rock.  It’s one of those magic things.  You know what it is when you hear it.  The opening riff to Dance all night, is one of those.  Jez has the original part and then I just played it again and again (actually in a hotel room on my travel guitar) until I got the second half.  I added in the verse and bridge riff and got the basics into Band Lab.  I love Band Lab.  I use this as the main tool to get the song to ‘demo ready’.  I can add in a drum machine knowing that when Martin gets hold of it there will be another blast of magic.  I am no drummer, however a solid beat will get it to the next level.  Working out the bpm is also important, especially when it come to the recording proper process.

When it comes to lyrics, then I’m always making notes on my phone as phrases that I hear or just come into my head.  Often in the shower!  I get a line or 2 and a melody and then need to get it down in some way ASAP!  If I don’t it’s gone. 

I can actually just sit down and write lyrics.  I’ve done this a few times without the melody or chords in mind.  Kinda Elton/Bernie style.  Good examples would be Sky’s the Limit on Picking up the pieces EP.  Ramona on Are You Having Fun is about one particular night. I had the chorus and wrote the verses on a train.  Just sit and write and then re-write until it fits.

I have done a few story songs, Steal for me on the first album Deep Water, is my best.  It’s about Jack Sheppard, and 18th Century thief in England (click here to see his Wikipedia entry).

So I get a demo together on Band Lab and then have the nervous moment of presenting to the rest of the band.  It’s a bit like handing over a baby! Some they like, some they don’t and some are instant hits.  Some I have to really push as I know they will work.  I See you and Coldstar are good examples.

Andy is great at the song structure editing as well as adding in additional lyrics where needed.  Verse 3 on I See You is his as is the bridge in Today.  Speaking of Today, that is an example of a jam that we kept coming back to over and over.  Jez had the opening riff and then at one practice with just me Jez and Martin, I played bass and the verse lyrics just came.  We got it down ‘on tape’ quickly.  Over the next few months we couldn’t get it to a full song.  I knew it needed a bridge.  Another resource for me if my vinyl collection.  I was listening to The Who’s Paint by numbers (great album much under rated).  I thought what would Pete Townsend do here for a bridge.  The big who power rock chord obviously.  Once that was in the rest came together.  The outro was born from live performances, we still just let this one go loose and see what happens.

Recently I’ve been enjoying getting a bass line with Phil in mind and then building it from there.  Also there is nothing like a new guitar to help write new songs.  It was the Gretch with Coldstar, the Les Paul with Picking up the pieces and Are you having fun and the Patirck Eggle for Prime.