Over on Facebook, the North State Songwriters Group has begun the North State Songapalooza (thanks to local country star Nate Rogers for coming up with the name).
I was inspired to organize our Songapalooza after reading about a songwriting game going on in Texas. This challenge requires members to write a song around a given phrase in a short period of time. Journalist Jon Lewis gave our group their first songwriting assignment: "love's simmering" and we had two weeks to come up with a completed song using the phrase.
For me, undertaking a songwriting challenge is like offering my muse a triple-shot expresso with a Redbull chaser. I get very caught up in the creative energy and forget to do things like sleep, feed my family and finish zipping my dress other crucial daily activities.
I worked on one song for ten days and wasn't at all happy with it, but last Monday I unwrapped a bowl my sister gave me and was immediately inspired. I wrote, recorded and rewrote over the next two days and finished "Good Days" this morning.
I was inspired to organize our Songapalooza after reading about a songwriting game going on in Texas. This challenge requires members to write a song around a given phrase in a short period of time. Journalist Jon Lewis gave our group their first songwriting assignment: "love's simmering" and we had two weeks to come up with a completed song using the phrase.
I worked on one song for ten days and wasn't at all happy with it, but last Monday I unwrapped a bowl my sister gave me and was immediately inspired. I wrote, recorded and rewrote over the next two days and finished "Good Days" this morning.
Good Days
Words and music by Erin Friedman
She
bought a bowl because she thought
It
would be pretty filled with apricots
Seems
like summer’s nothing but a winter dream
She
tries to be her own best friend
But
she knows where it hurts and then
Sometimes
that girl can be so mean
Chorus:
On
Good Days she sees
Both
forest and the trees
On
Good Days she believes
The
best is yet to be
A
poor excuse
But
Lord, it’s true
Good
Days are few
And
far between
Her
morning prayer’s a plea for grace
Wipes
the slate of her mistakes
Heals
in the spirit of love’s simmering song
Then
the music fades away
As
she stumbles through her day
Shouldering
the blame for what went wrong