What should I write songs about?

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So I'm going to have a new musical project, one that will work very very quickly, as an antidote to my band, which works very very slowly. This week I will work on lyrics and drum tracks/loops. Sometimes this week I'm supposed to get my new keyboard, I'll spend a brief period of time familiarizing myself with it. Then this weekend, when Sarah is out of town, I'm going to write and record all the music tracks. Then I'll have an album, and it will inevitably be unlistenable and sloppy. But I need some help: give me some topics for things to write songs about for my album. Any topic will do, anything that you've ever wanted to hear a song about. Shoot:

― NA. (Nick A.), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:27 (twenty-two years ago)

the glory of me

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude, if I write a song about you, I'll inevitably end up rhyming "Horace" with "of course," which don't really rhyme, and I don't think you want that.

― NA. (Nick A.), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

lotsa things rhyme with Mann though.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

write about the consequences of trying to achieve something that's just beyond your grasp; victory in a set of tennis, for example

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 9 June 2003 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I started to write a song about Horace but it sounds too much like They Might Be Giants in my head, so I'm scrapping it. But here's what I had:

I built a golden monument to the glory of Mann,
But it collapsed under the pressure of what it signified.
So I dug an endless hole to show the size of his soul,
But that just fucked up gravity and the world was destroyed.

And that's all I had. But I like Tracer's, I'll work with that more seriously.

― NA. (Nick A.), Monday, 9 June 2003 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

You should have called it "Mann (Not Man)" so that people didn't think you were exulting the human condition or some such instead of me Me ME.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 9 June 2003 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Hi.
You should just write a whole bunch of love songs to me.
Noise love songs.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Monday, 9 June 2003 18:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Take all of the thread titles from ILE and try to use as many of the phrases as you can in a song (or two, or three, or maybe an album's worth). You could also incorporate some of the posts to the threads.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Monday, 9 June 2003 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm Gonna Write Me A Song
by H. Mann

I gotta write a song
I gotta write a song
Everybody tellin' me what I oughtta write about
But I gotta write a song

I wanna make some art
I wanna make some art
Everybody tellin' me that art's a dead scene
But I wanna make some art

Girl don't you wear that dress
Girl don't you wear that dress
Everybody else can see what you've been saving just for me
So girl don't you wear that dress

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 9 June 2003 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

* Start the album out with a song about a baby being born. Then it grows up through the songs, falls in love, has trials and tribulations, and so on... and in the last song it's old and either just reflecting on life or dieing.

* Make a bunch of songs about natural disasters or just all about floods since we've been getting so much rain.

* Flip to a random page in your word-a-day calendar and make a song about that word.

* Make all your songs inspired by different colors.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Monday, 9 June 2003 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Write songs about Trogdor.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 9 June 2003 19:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song about your favourite Beat Poet, the underrated Lew Welch.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 9 June 2003 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Go to some gaming newsgroups on Google and find out lots of trivial bullshit about a dozen or so shoot-em-ups and fantasy roleplaying games (or even racing games) from the walkthrus and cheat codes they are always going on about. You will instantly have enough absurd subject matter to write at least thirteen in a dozen. Alternatively, watch some cable movie channels every night for a week and write songs about crap thrillers.

― Millar (Millar), Monday, 9 June 2003 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Create a sweeping and epic history that functions as an allegory of whatever you did today.

― Aaron A., Monday, 9 June 2003 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

You need songs about 40s and blunts.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 9 June 2003 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

ILX must be the theme. A song about chickenbears, another about men who trim their pubic hair, etc.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 9 June 2003 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a series of songs that explore the history of the toothpick.

― Chris P (Chris P), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)

and toast.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Write an album about Momus. And charge him for the privilege.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Write about the current state of play in Big Brother. It will be a document of the present day, and a timeless story.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Moderators, please delete my suggestion, I have decided I want to keep it to myself

― Millar (Millar), Monday, 9 June 2003 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Songs about Canada.

Alternately, songs about General Motors products.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 9 June 2003 21:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Your journey to work.

Nintendo.

Shopping.

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 9 June 2003 21:25 (twenty-two years ago)

THE GLORY OF MAN(N)

starting with the affirmation of man(n)
i worked myself backwards
using cynicism
the time monitor
the space measurer
i live sweat but i dream light years
i am the tide the rise and the fall
the reality soldier the laugh child
the one of the many
the flame child

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Monday, 9 June 2003 21:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, Martin have you heard Mike Hanle y's "I Love Everything" song?

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 9 June 2003 21:50 (twenty-two years ago)

You have to write songs about the dialogue in ROGER DODGER

― Millar (Millar), Monday, 9 June 2003 22:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Write songs about bling, everyone's mad for the bling.

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Or maybe pigeons, or what have you.

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 02:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh no! Just do a song where you shout! Then call it My instant Shouting So!ng. My ideas are bad, but they're no worse that INTERCONTINENTAL FAMINE, which, incidentally, is an excellent album title. And so the wheel etc.

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 02:17 (twenty-two years ago)

There aren't enough songs about Vince Vaughn, so you should try to rectify this.

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 02:18 (twenty-two years ago)

write about how some woman did you wrong.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 02:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Or how Vince Vaughn did you wrong.

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 02:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song that teaches how to do drum tracks/loops.

― Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 02:58 (twenty-two years ago)

You should write a song about a man whose girlfriend dumps him by writing him a 'Dear John' letter which is confusing for him because his name is really Bill but then it turns out that she's dumping him because she's found out that he's being going with hookers and when he closely examines the letter's punctuation he realises she's sent him a 'Dear "John" ' letter.

― estela (estela), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 10:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Write an ode to hot water seeing as how we don't have any and I miss it already.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 12:35 (twenty-two years ago)

For Millar - A Song Using Wierd Gamer Inspeak

TOURNAMENT DESERT by Barry Gamer and The Neon Joypads

Got my Rax up first, those derricks were mine
Out comes TH to garrison the line
Get rid of the cars because he's GLA
Four supply trucks at the start of the game

Gat plus flamer down the left and the right
Find the workers, avoid the stinger sites
Grab the oil at both sides of the map
Already got the Prop going, get ready for Lotus attack

She's Black Lotus
(and your buildings will be hers)
She's Black Lotus
(nobody uses her cash hack ability)

Techies and terrors are hounding my trucks
Overlord coming but it's costing me big bucks
A few BM's and a Nuke Cannon too
Oh look theres a little gap for her to get through

She's Black Lotus
(she'll win a game through stealth)
She's Black Lotus
(but she's weak, very little health)

Of course this is easy against the GLA
But the USA's spy drones keep her at bay
But she'll take buildings and you can sell what they're worth
Or run around moaning about how migs should be nerfed

She's Black Lotus
(Yes, dodgy fan fiction exists)
She's Black Lotus
(Vastly superior to both Kell and Burton)
She's Black Lotus
(She can detect stealthed units)
She's Black Lotus
(But all this is rendered useless by EA's piss poor technical support)

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song about what you had for breakfast. Weird Al is the only guy who writes songs about food, and although I adore him, there's got to be room in the firld for others.

― j.lu (j.lu), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Top 100 Food Songs

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 22:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Biggie Smalls

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:27 (twenty-two years ago)

An ironic indie cover of "I'll Be Missing You" = surely the worst thing ever on god's green earth.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:36 (twenty-two years ago)

No, that would be terrible. But what with Trife talking about him and me listening to some Biggie yesterday I think it would be an awesome thing if there were more songs about him.

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Mr. Coombs casts a long shadow. But I like the idea of a song that treats him in a more abstract light -- there are plenty of precedents for that kind of approach.

(One of these days I'll listen to Ready to Die all the way through again. I think.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Mr. Coombs casts a long shadow.

SUPERGRASS??????

― Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

his sideburns certainly cast quite a shadow

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 10 June 2003 23:59 (twenty-two years ago)

You have successfully befuddled the fuck out of me, Nicole. Well done.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not like I befuddled a duck out of you, that would have been impressive.

― Nicole (Nicole), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 00:03 (twenty-two years ago)

A befuddled duck:

http://www.nzflower.co.nz/images/toy-crash-duck-med.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 00:05 (twenty-two years ago)

that duck appears to be waiting for some hot butt loving.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

(sorry, it's been a difficult morning)

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 00:10 (twenty-two years ago)

hobbits

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I still think "Chickenbears and Pubic Hairs" is a grebt idea

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 01:24 (twenty-two years ago)

That's so played out. The obvious choice is to write about the babe. What babe, you ask? The babe with the power. The power of VOODOO

― Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 01:24 (twenty-two years ago)

You do etc

― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 01:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I still think you should write songs about the power of bling

― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 01:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Sanils and dental floss and the Smithsonian Institution.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 03:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm working too slowly, I'm just finishing up my first one, which is very loosely based on Tracer's first idea way up top. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I played on ILX the ENTIRE day yesterday.

― NA. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 12:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh, forget anything I posted last night. I will leave it at that.

― Nicole (Nicole), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 12:17 (twenty-two years ago)

No, a song about Biggie Smalls is a grate idea.

― NA. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 12:34 (twenty-two years ago)

A song about Mase would be better.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song about what the spacemen 3 must be like in person.

― Sarah McLUsky (coco), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Rhyme "flying" and "crying" with "denying". Led Zeppelin built a career on that.

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 12:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Rhyme girl with whirl.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

She's a girl in whirl!
Watch her twirl!
Oh dear, she's gonna hurl!

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 13:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Love will set you in a whirl
Love will set you flyin'
Better watch out, baby girl
Fall down, you'll be cryin'
Girl, ain't no denyin'
Girl, ain't no denyyyyin'
If you think that love is cute
You better take a parachute

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

You could write somgs about politics.

― Tim (Tim), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 13:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song that rhymes society and conformity. Like Sum 41.

― Sarah McLUsky (coco), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

write a song about the unnecessary flexing while checking your watch and playing a game of volleyball with Iceman and Slider.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Communists, Republicans, Democrats
They all need fancy hats
Conservatives, Liberals, Anarchists
Like writing long lists
Of how everything is wrong
And how they'll put it right

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

u see this last song I did is kinda like the Twee Manics.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 14:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song that rhymes "vitriol" with "shit, y'all".

― Chris P (Chris P), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song that's totally out of season, like about winter. Then you'll be ahead of everyone else.

― Sarah Mclusky (coco), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Write songs about animals that should not exist, like ligers and duck-billed platipi and humanzees and shit.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Ok, so far I've done one of these:
write about the consequences of trying to achieve something that's just beyond your grasp; victory in a set of tennis, for example
-- Tracer Hand (tracerhan...), June 9th, 2003. (later)

which is also kind of about this:
You could write somgs about politics.
-- Tim (hopkinsti...), June 11th, 2003. (later)

And I've done one about this:
Write a song that teaches how to do drum tracks/loops.
-- Sébastien Chikara (sebastie...), June 10th, 2003. (later)

and one about this (though I don't know what sanils are so I left that out):
Sanils and dental floss and the Smithsonian Institution.
-- I'm Passing Open Windows (mslaur...), June 11th, 2003. (later)

They are all very quickly written and stupid, but it doesn't matter. It's fun to work fast for a change.

― NA. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

seven months pass...

dude make a song about someting different...instead just the same ol love/hate ballads..be different...write about things that are actually real in life and not just made up or fantasy like someone losing his/her job then gettin wasted and goin out and gettin into a wreck and killin teen drivers or something...something that is real...like war,paolitics,sex,drugs, marriage, diseases, life, death, people...just things like that...that people can relate too..ya know..lol...well i jsut thought i would drop my thoughts into the hat...the rest is up 2 you...i'm out!..later

― aaron houchin, Sunday, 11 January 2004 04:48 (twenty-two years ago)

hear that NA?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 11 January 2004 06:35 (twenty-two years ago)

the next song i write is gonna be about marriage.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Sunday, 11 January 2004 06:38 (twenty-two years ago)

the next song i write is going to be about the futility of writing songs.
after that, there will be one about lollipops.
and then, the one about being fucked but not loved.
then one about Alpo.

― Orbit (Orbit), Sunday, 11 January 2004 06:47 (twenty-two years ago)

about yer penis

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 11 January 2004 07:46 (twenty-two years ago)

call it "my dingaling"

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Sunday, 11 January 2004 07:59 (twenty-two years ago)

It doesn't matter what your songs are about. If they're good, no one cares.

― may pang (maypang), Sunday, 11 January 2004 08:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Except for girls. Girls always pay attention to lyrics.

― may pang (maypang), Sunday, 11 January 2004 08:01 (twenty-two years ago)

*pats aaron houchin's pate*

There, there, Aaron. All will be better in the morning.

(p.s.: This thread was fantastic! Wish I'd read this in time.)

― Tenacious Dee (Dee the Lurker), Sunday, 11 January 2004 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh this was the first Petrified Forest album! It ended up being a concept album about getting lost in the woods and never escaping. It turned out pretty good.

― NA (Nick A.), Sunday, 11 January 2004 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song about Spinoza working as a lens grinder.

― jel -- (jel), Sunday, 11 January 2004 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song about gaseous monkeys that can fly cos the gas in them is lighter than air.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Sunday, 11 January 2004 17:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Or crepuscular invertibrates with good table manners.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Sunday, 11 January 2004 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

You should first start with a tune and go from there. The tune of the music will set you in the mood of the song, thus helping YOU find words to go with it. And it helps to have a good rythem.

Just a Song

Just a song i wrote
not too long ago
I was sitting at the computer
and thought I'd give it a go, oh

It's just a song
no need to fret
oh just a song
...why else would i be here
than to just write a song!
lol!

― Amanda N., Wednesday, 3 March 2004 01:39 (twenty-two years ago)

The SUPERGRASS????? post is like the funniest thing on this thread, I'm not sure how I missed it the first time.

Anyway "remus lupin" I think that song was pretty lazy of you. There's not even dragons in it.

― Allyzay, Wednesday, 3 March 2004 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I would say my pussy which smells like freesia but I don't think Sarah would appreciate that and I like Sarah.

So instead I will say Silly Putty.

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 04:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Write a song about adult chickenpox.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 04:50 (twenty-two years ago)

chickenfat

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 06:05 (twenty-two years ago)

forest whittaker & the politics of dodgeball.

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 13 March 2004 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Uzbekistani drug dealers

― Michael B, Sunday, 14 March 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

the next song i write is gonna be about marriage.

i don't remember typing that! and my next song wasn't about marriage, it was about, um, stuff.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Sunday, 14 March 2004 21:15 (twenty-two years ago)

six years pass...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maysville,_Kentucky

The story of Maysville's Bermuda Triangle began around 1992 when a barge sank near the Kentucky shoreline in West Maysville Kentucky. A subsequent salvage operation in 1994 tried to raise the sunken barge with two Navy minesweepers. The minesweepers were the next victim as they became stuck in the mud. A towboat trying to free the minesweepers also fell victim when damage to its engines rendered it crippled. Next came a salvage barge named The Hercules. The Maysville Bermuda Triangle made short work of it as well. While hoisting the original barge, the crane aboard The Hercules broke as the barge reached the surface, and down it sank again. Then The Hercules itself sank, coming to rest on top of the barge it was supposed to save. Eventually the minesweepers and the towboat sank as well. The entire salvage operation nicknamed John Beatty's Navy, after its owner, fell victim to what an Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson would later call, "The Bermuda Triangle of the Ohio River".

― del griffith, Monday, 27 September 2010 20:43 (fifteen years ago)

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