The above line is from a Cure song, for those of you who didn't recognise the lyric. Its a nice thought to start the last day of the week with, I think. If only I could be as positive about Mondays.
Today I woke up with two different songs playing in my head. I told my wife this over breakfast and she looked at me a little strangely, saying "two songs" as though it was weird. I suppose for a lot of people it is but in my head, there is a mash-up DJ playing constantly. My wife just reckons I've got stereo sound in my head. I thought about this and applied my logic to it. Why would I wake with two distinctly different, yet oddly similar songs in my head? I'm thinking one comes from the left side of my brain and the other from the right.
Thinking about it this way had me wondering which song came from which side. The two songs were 'Just What I Needed' by The Cars and 'Velouria' by The Pixies. See, I told you. Two very different but strangely similar songs. Maybe both came from one side of my brain, mixed together, and I've seperated them in my conciousness. Both of these songs have been past favourites of mine, although about 12 years apart. Both songs are excellent examples of the pop song format, performed by very different bands.
The Cars had a huge impact on me as a songwriter, something which I've only very recently realised. One of my favourite songs of all time and a brilliant example of the then emerging New Wave form was 'Let's Go' (Despite many moves and the loss of a lot of favourite recordings, I somehow have managed to hold on to the original vinyl single I bought in 1978, if I remember rightly). Their pop sensibilities, harmonies and booty-shaking appeal motivated me to really start working at the writing process. I bought my first home recording device, along with an analog synthesiser, set it all up in my bedroom and got to work. I wrote a lot of really crappy songs. I also wrote a couple of good ones. I understood back then that this is the way it worked for me. Of course, since then I have read that this is how the process works for a lot of songwriters, which validated my process even more.
The Pixies, on the other hand, came to me initially at a time when I was working as a DJ on a community radio station in South Australia then a little later, as a musician playing solo shows in a Canberra City bar called De Depot. It was a funny little place and I had taken a job there to keep myself occupied after I split up with my first wife. I started out as a barman, but Kevin, the manager of the place and a good friend of mine, kept at me about playing live solo. I'd never played by myself in front of an audience and the thought fairly rattled me. But after annoying me and then promising vast quantities of 'courage', I got up on the tiny stage and played my first solo set. It was much better than what I thought it was going to be, and I allowed myself to relax and enjoy performing. I went on to play many solo shows there and at a number of different venues around the City. It was around then I heard the Pixies song, 'Here Comes Your Man'. I was particularly taken with this song because it was an unashamed template of a lot of brilliant 60's pop songs. So I went and bought the album, 'Doolittle'. This album changed the way I thought about writing, with a lot of the lyric being a nonsense prop for some brilliant melodies, and other lyric being so succinct they almost weren't there. Not long after this, I formed a band and started gigging. The rest, as they say, is a subjective historical account based on dodgy recollections and unreliable memories.
So, back to the start. The two songs I woke up with this morning are like dear old friends. Not the sort of friends you would necessarily sleep with, but there you go. Both songs feature strong melodies, great hooks and are essentially songs of love. Maybe it is a Friday thing, knowing I've got a couple of days to relax with my beautiful wife.