By the Light of the Stars

I'm back, in less than 24 hours. Actually, even less than 12. Surprised?

I was extremely dissatisfied with yesterday's post, so I had to edit it completely, and I also didn't like the song all that much (was that obvious or what?). So I turned off my computer and went to bed, with the intention of writing another song. And what came out was my favourite song. Ever. The idea had been rolling through my mind for the past two weeks, but I never knew how to write it. I guess I should describe it as "the best first date I haven't had yet." (I got this idea from Taylor Swift, who described one of the new songs as such.) Since I've never been on one, I guess this is what I want. I'm a romantic, so the result should not surprise anyone. But I really really love it.

By the Light of the Stars

the stars were shining the night you took me out
in your red truck we just rode around town
I asked where we were going and you said it's a surprise
you stopped then and told me to close my eyes
you took a blanket from your truck and led me
to an empty parking lot where we lay down
and stared up at the night sky and the stars

CHORUS:
and you said "you don't know how beautiful you are
right here beside me by the light of the stars
I could lay here with you forever
and never let go, not ever
girl, you have no idea"

I held on and captured the night for a memory
your eyes like two black holes looking at me
you cradled my head on your shoulder
and with your other hand showed me the big dipper
two hours later we hated to leave
we rolled the windows down and I let my hair free
our way home was lit by the light of the stars

CHORUS:
and you said "you don't know how beautiful you are
right here beside me by the light of the stars
I could drive here with you forever
and never let you go, not ever
girl, you have no idea"

BRIDGE:
you were saying goodbye with a kiss
and I said I wanted more nights like this
and I could feel the beating of my heart
when you said my eyes reflected the stars

CHORUS:
and you said "you don't know how beautiful you are
right here beside me by the light of the stars
I could stay here with you forever
and never let go, no never
girl, you have no idea"

the stars were shining the night you took me out...

What do you think?? I really really want you to like it.

Much love, and thank you for the musik,

NBK

Fall In Love With Someone Else

Hey, all.

Did anyone watch the "CMT Music Fest" on ABC last Tuesday? It was hosted by Julianne Hough, Kellie Pickler, and (of course) Taylor Swift. The CMA Fest is a week-long event in Nashville during which the artists meet fans and sign autographs and perform on the street. There are also concerts every night, and that is what aired. The real event was sometime in June, but it aired last Tuesday. I myself didn't watch it live, but taped it and watched it last night. There were performances by the three hosts, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Bucky Covington, Keith Urban, Rodney Atkins (when he came on I screamed, he played one of my favourite songs), Faith Hill, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jewel, Dwight Yoakam, Rascal Flatts (they played twice), Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner, Gretchen Wilson, Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins, and Miranda Lambert. I loved it. Taylor opened with "Picture to Burn," but she played again on the streets of Nashville. She played one of the songs that will be on Fearless, called "Love Story." I heard it for the first time yesterday, and saw the video today. Definitely worth watching. So when I watched her play the song, I burst into tears during the chorus. Her songs always make me cry because they're so wonderful! But this one is especially beautiful.

Next is the song. I don't know how good it is. It was spawned yesterday, the result of an emotional me. It's about the same subject as "The Words Were Mine." Things happened yesterday (I won't go into detail) and I hated myself as I had never before done (which is saying a lot). In the end, I told myself severely I'd have to (can you guess?) fall in love with someone else. And I don't want to. But I know I have to, for his sake.

It may very well be the worst song I have ever written. It's probably because I've heard all of Taylor's amazing songs that the gap between the caliber of hers and mine is immutable. I was also going to take his name out of it, but what the hell.

Fall In Love With Someone Else

Matt played hockey and wore a red baseball cap
he had black hair and eyes and was quick to laugh
he said sweet things and I couldn't help it
I used to walk away with a mind full of him
I looked for him but I didn't realize
since we never spoke I'd look crazy in his eyes
I noticed it the first day I didn't see him
that his patience was going a little thin
he walked quickly, didn't wait for his friends
I knew then that I would have to end it

PRE-CHORUS (change of music before the chorus, chorus usually then has different melody):
I guess I was kidding myself
looked for you everywhere I ever was
but I was just trying to save myself
hold onto a hope I thought I'd lost

CHORUS:
but believe me when I say
I know I've gotta let you go your way
and I've gotta stop pretending
and move on to start my happy ending
so I'm letting you go now
cause I know somehow
I've got to fall in love with someone else

I know Matt's favourite shirt was navy blue
but I'll bet he never knew the truth
now it's old news, just another blind guy
another chance for happiness to pass me by
I wished hard and put my heart in his hands
but he didn't get it, didn't understand
now I'm trying hard not to fall apart
cause he don't even know he broke my heart
and now I hate me even more than ever
because I made him hate me back

PRE-CHORUS:
I guess I was kidding myself
looked for you everywhere I ever was
but I was just trying to save myself
hold onto a hope I thought I'd lost

CHORUS:
but believe me when I say
I know I've gotta let you go your way
and I've gotta stop pretending
and move on to start my happy ending
so I'm letting you go now
cause I know somehow
I've got to fall in love with someone else

BRIDGE:
he showed me pretty clearly
he doesn't want to be the one for me
but I'll forgive him anything
cause he sees it all but knows nothing

CHORUS:
but believe me when I say
I know I've gotta let you go your way
and I've gotta stop pretending
and move on to start my happy ending
so I'm letting you go now
cause I know somehow
I've got to fall in love with someone else

leave it up to my Matt
to do it all like that

I don't know if I want to know what you think about this song. But I will tell you that you are completely allowed to tear it apart. Tear me apart, too, for that matter. Tell me I'm an idiot, crazy, hypocritical. Tell me everything I need to know. Thank you.

Much love, and thank you for the musik,

NBK

p.s. 58 days to Fearless!

The Words Were Mine

Hello, all!

It's been a crazy week. But who hasn't had one? I really can't complain, because the best part of my week was yesterday when, during lunch, I went outside and sat at one of the picnic tables by a playground close by. The luxury was fantastic, but so was having the muses around me to majorly rewrite an old song. It was one I had liked before, but having written it in about 15 minutes, it needed the revision I had refused to give it until yesterday. I saw the subject of the song and realized how lame it was, so I decided to make it (a) more relatable, (b) more realistic, (c) less telling, and (d) better.

In its original form, it was titled "Good Luck Tonight," the story of a girl who had always wanted to say that (and the rest of the chorus) to her high school crush, the goalie of the school ice hockey team, but he never saw her and so she was left with nothing but the embarrasment of having been turned down by him; it skipped a few years and there she was, watching him as the big shot goalie on a professional ice hockey team and she still wants to say that (and the rest of the chorus) but she never will. The chorus was "good luck tonight / I hope you stop every puck coming your way / never go down without a fight / the season isn't over until May / so good luck tonight." Lame, I know.

Fast forward a few months later, and the song is entitled "The Words Were Mine," the story of a girl who wanted to tell her high school crush (it is irrelevant as to whether or not he is the goalie of the school ice hockey team) that he is awesome but it came out differently (use your imagination) and so he thinks she is really weird and doesn't speak to her anymore, much to her dismay.

The Words Were Mine

you know I can't stand it when you look at me that way
no smile, just a glance, then you look away
as if I had never been
and it's plain what you think of me

CHORUS:
forgive me for what I said the first time
it was awkward but the words were mine
don't you know about first impressions
if you're wrong, there's an easy solution
just try again 'cause I swear
it's your disdain that I can't bear

I meant to say you'll be great one day
and wish you luck for every game you play
but it didn't come out the right way
so now it's just a glance, then you look away

CHORUS:
forgive me for what I said the first time
it was awkward but the words were mine
don't you know about first impressions
if you're wrong there's an easy solution
just try again 'cause I swear
it's your disdain that I can't bear

BRIDGE:
you wouldn't judge a song by its first note
or discard an author from the first word he wrote
the day is not determined by the morning weather
the block in your road could be as light as a feather

CHORUS:
forgive me for what I said the first time
it was awkward but the words were mine
don't you know about first impressions
if you're wrong there's an easy solution
just try again 'cause I swear
it's your disdain that I can't bear
(the first time the words were mine)
(I'll maintain I don't need disdain)

you know I can't stand it when you look at me that way

If you were wondering how much of the original song remained, it is the first line (and thus the last as well) that is completely unchanged from Good Luck Tonight to this new one, and so are the first two lines of the second verse (although originally I had them during the bridge). The second line of the song used to be "one glance, a moment of eye contact, and then you look away," which I thought was stupid in this rewrite, so I changed that in both cases. And that's it. So it could almost be that it is an entirely new song. Funny.

Opinions? Comments? Likes? Dislikes? All are much appreciated, thank you very much!

Much love, and thank you for the musik,

NBK

p.s. Good luck to Roger Federer in tomorrow's final of the US Open, and to Kimi Raikkonen in tomorrow's Belgian GP (remember what you said, that you have to win it to stay alive in the championship hunt, and I'll be supporting you!).

p.p.s. 66 days to Fearless!

I Lied to You

Hello, again!

So it's a few days later, and so much has changed. The biggest thing is that I told my mom about my dream. The bottom line of the entire long, realistic, slightly scary (in a 'this is your future' way), and tearful (on my end) conversation - that took place, inexplicably, with me standing in the door to the closet in my bedroom - was that at the end of my college education, I had her permission to move to Nashville and pursue the country music dream if my dreams still aimed that way. I've also decided to write a letter to Taylor Swift, with two of my songs (I'm thinking 'I Didn't Know' and 'Twice Used and Once Discarded').

The next segment of the posts, as everyone knows, is the song. It is entitled 'I Lied To You,' and the story behind it is strange. Let me introduce it this way: Do you know the story behind Taylor's 'Stay Beautiful'? Apparently she saw a guy on the street whom she thought was wonderful, and was nice to her and everything, and she wrote a song about him (this is just what I heard, it may not be true). Well, this song is similar, in that I met the subject, Mark, in an elevator at my sister's dorm. Two days ago, we installed my sister into her new college dorm (she is graduating this year!) and her room was on the seventh floor, so in order to bring all the items in, we had to go up and down in the elevator. And the rest is a song.

---song has been removed by the blogger on Sept. 6 for major rewrite---

It is quite possible that this song is the worst I have ever written. Perhaps too much information? And I should mention that I exaggerated the emotions way too much, particularly in the 8th line of the first verse and the fourth line of the chorus. The sixth line of the chorus is, unfortunately, true because I can't forgive myself for lying to him. I don't even know him! I guess this puts me off lying for life. Just don't pretend to be something you're not. It could end up hurting someone else. That's what I've learned. And if I have to write a very crappy song to learn that, so be it. Sorry you had to suffer through that one.

Much love and thank you for the musik,

NBK

p.s. 69 days until Fearless!