The Regular Friday Post
Editor - Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the victims of the tragedy that occurred in Washington, DC this week.
Rando Lyric this week: I've crossed lines with words and wire
Ed. As we do every year, we remember February 3 is….
…”The Day The Music Died”: ”On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were all killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson.[a][1][2] The event became known as "The Day the Music Died" after singer-songwriter Don McLean referred to it as such in his 1971 song "American Pie"..…
American Pie song link - I think this was “A Song To Play” a couple of years ago. It’s a challenge…
Last week’s rando lyrics: The lyric, “I want a life on fire, going mad with desire” is from the song "A Wonderful Life”, written and performed by Brian Fallon. The song was released as a single in 2015 and recorded as Track 1 on the album, “Painkillers” released in March of 2016. “Painkillers” was produced by Butch Walker.
Credit: Genius Single: A Wonderful Life
Credit: Wikipedia Links: Brian Fallon (Album) Painkillers
Ed. Note: I’ve featured Mr. Fallon on Michael Acoustic before, and this song previously as well. One reason I’m reprising it now is that while I’m stuck in these cold days in the interior Pacific Northwest, I needed to watch a video where EVERYONE is smiling - watch closely, it’s true! Also it’s one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar, and whether you’re just starting out or been playing for awhile, it’s just a fun song to play. Lyrics and Chordify chord chart below, and for those who find the Bm (and other barre chords) difficult, it’s a great song to gain some practice on. I admit I cheated on that chord for years, but….
Welcome to The Regular Friday post!
Okay, I’m (mostly) done bitchin’ about the weather - I know, everyone does, no one does anything about it, yeah, yeah….meh. Probably not the most important thing to worry about right now, and that’s another reason to learn to play (or just listen to) a song where everyone in the video is laughing, dancing and smiling. “A Wonderful Life” really is a great song, and for me at least, a really fun song to play. There are some quick chord changes, but in a pattern that once you get it, everything comes together. Have fun with it after you look through “Some Stuff” below!
Some Stuff:
Some Links (Ed. - limited to timely links this week from Music Business Worldwide - more general but less time sensitive links in a Saturday post soon) :
Ed. Kind of a busy week…
Spotify "Bundling" Discount - but is it, really? Or is it a way to stiff songwriters?
British AI Copyright Protections - we need some of these here…
National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) Songwriter Awards
Late entry: This headline from ASCAP (my PRO) just popped up as I was writing this and it’s great news for humans…US Copyright Office sez "Humans First"
And even more late entry…(this is the MLC’s response to the Spotify “bundling” court decision referred to in the MBW article above): MLC Response To Spotify Decision
A Song To Play: “A Wonderful Life”
Key of GMajor, 4/4 common time and a sprightly, but manageable, 120 BPM - start out a little slower, you’ll find it’s a bit difficult not to speed up as you get comfortable with it, but in the end it sounds really good at the 120 BPM.
Four easy chords, though most are quick chord changes, through the verse, pre-chorus, chorus and the outro. A couple of Bm barre chords in the bridge for a bit of a challenge.
Have fun!!
Lyrics Credit: Genius Link:
[Verse 1]
Most of this life's been a drag of a high
And lows like a blow in a paid thrown title fight
Most of my sins were born in a kiss on a night like this
Calling all lonely hearts
[Pre-Chorus]
Whoa, oh, oh oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Don't you want a life like we saw on the picture show?
Whoa, oh, oh oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
So come on, give me something
And come on, keep me up all night
[Chorus]
You say, my baby
Yeah, all this time in between drives me crazy
I want a life on fire, going mad with desire
I don't wanna survive, I want a wonderful life
[Verse 2]
Modern love seems that it goes from a dream
To a crash and a roll, just shaking up everyone
Maybe there's more than the treasures we secure
That become heavy chains, to sink us in tidal waves
[Pre-Chorus]
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh
And all I could do is take you from the circus show
Whoa oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh
So come on give me something
And come on keep me up all night
[Chorus]
You say, my baby
Yeah, all this time in between drives me crazy
I want a life on fire, going mad with desire
I don't wanna survive, I want a wonderful life
[Bridge]
And all my nights they always end the same
(With the blacktop, blacktop) Coming from behind
It's just the age-old game from the living dead
Buzzing in my head, they keep me up all night
[Chorus]
You say, my baby
Yeah, all this time in between drives me crazy
I want a life on fire, going mad with desire
I don't wanna survive, I want a wonderful life
[Outro]
(All my sins were born in a kiss on a night like this)
(Calling all lonely hearts)
I want a wonderful life
(All my sins were born in a kiss on a night like this)
(Calling all lonely hearts)
I want a wonderful life
The “ME!” Section…..
What I’m Listening2: - Cold Weather Blues - 25 playable songs (Note - you may have to go to Ultimate Guitar or Chordify - subscriptions required, but worth it - to find chord charts for them)!
Shameless Self Promotion Section:
My song is out! Link: “>Long Road Back<”click on this link for streaming options, then scroll down for links (or just click on these links) to Amazon, Apple, Pandora, iTunes and even Spotify
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Disclaimer Section
This Substack is free, I receive no compensation of any kind from companies or products I mention (except when you click on one of the links above for my song - then I might make 0.003 cents - yes 3/1000ths of a cent… just sayin…). Some linked or quoted material may be copyrighted by others, and I credit them. I rely on the “Fair Use” doctrine for educational purposes (Link: Fair Use). *I do not use AI for any of the text that’s found here, things I link to (such as some images) might…
-Michael Acoustic
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This Week’s Conversation With Mika, The Cat:
Mika: “Human!! This new food doesn’t have ANY new food on top of it!!“
Me: “Still thinkin’ about those opposable thumbs you don’t have, ain’t ya?”
Cheers and keep playing!!
Michael Acoustic
“It’s never really final - you just run out of things you can bear to change…”