Call This Home

New song! Yay.

But first! A few news items that have cropped up since my last post.

Brooks and Dunn is/are breaking up. Yes, that Brooks & Dunn. The duo that dominated the Best Vocal Duo category at all major awards shows for at least the past two decades (only defeated once, by Montgomery Gentry, and later replaced by Sugarland). The duo that hosted the CMAs countless times. The duo that toured, dueted (is that a word? say yes.), and made music videos with Reba McEntire. The duo that made songs like "My Maria," "Cowgirls Don't Cry," "God Must Be Busy," "Put a Girl in It," "Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You," "Indian Summer," "Proud of the House We Built," "Play Something Country," and myriad others, of which 23 were Number 1 hits. The duo that has been together for over twenty years; its name is almost synonymous with country music. One and the same. The pair made the announcement August 10. It shocked me and made me sad. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn will go on tour one last time, next year.

Next, tomorrow is annual Country's Night to Rock! festival (or CMA Music Festival) on ABC at 8 pm. I'll be watching - will you?

Thirdly, it has been announced that Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will be hosting the CMAs again. This will be on November 11th. Again, I will be watching - will you?

Next. I can finally reveal my special project! I'm sure you've been dying to know what it is. My sister loves classical music, and I've been slowly educating her in country music. So, this summer I took upon myself a massive undertaking. I compiled a "Country Music For Dummies." I wrote a list of the most well-known country singers (which grew and grew throughout the project), and researched everything about them. I ended up writing the person's origins - as in birth date and place and a fun fact (for example, Chuck Wicks grew up on a potato farm), record deals, and albums. Each album had its own paragraph, which included the singles and any special accolades or interesting tidbit for either the songs or the album. What I didn't include were Greatest Hits/compilation albums (except for Mark Wills, because his most commercially successful single came from a Greatest Hits), live albums, and Christmas albums. For forays into any other genre, I merely mentioned the fact of the album's existence. Some other pages I included were for the ACM Awards, the CMA Awards, the CMT Awards, Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry, and Billboard Magazine (the last of which I ended up not putting in the final anthology due to space issues). The artists I put into the anthology were:
Alabama
Alan Jackson
Ashton Shepherd
Big & Rich
Billy Currington
Billy Ray Cyrus
Blake Shelton
Brad Paisley
Brooks & Dunn
Bucky Covington
Carrie Underwood
Carter Twins
Chris Cagle
Chuck Wicks
Clint Black
Craig Morgan
Crystal Shawanda
Darius Rucker
Diamond Rio
Dierks Bentley
Dixie Chicks
Doc Walker
Dolly Parton
Dwight Yoakam
Emerson Drive
Emmylou Harris
Faith Hill
Garth Brooks
Gary Allan
George Jones
George Strait
Gloriana
Gretchen Wilson
Hank Williams
Hank Williams, Jr.
Hank Williams III
Heartland
Heidi Newfield
Holly Williams
Jack Ingram (whom I had to leave out due to space issues)
Jake Owen
James Otto
Jamey Johnson
Jason Aldean
Jason Michael Carroll
Jessica Simpson
Jimmy Wayne
Joe Nichols
John Rich
Johnny Cash
Josh Turner
Julianne Hough
Kate & Kacey
Keith Anderson
Keith Urban
Keith Whitley
Kellie Pickler
Kenny Chesney
Kris Kristofferson
Lady Antebellum
LeAnn Rimes
Lee Ann Womack
Little Big Town
Lonestar
Love and Theft
Luke Bryan
Mark Wills
Martina McBride
Merle Haggard
Miranda Lambert
Montgomery Gentry
Patsy Cline
Paul Brandt
Phil Vassar
Rascal Flatts
Reba McEntire
Rodney Atkins
Sara Evans
Shania Twain
Sugarland
Taylor Swift
The Wreckers
Tim McGraw
Toby Keith
Trace Adkins
Tracy Lawrence
Trisha Yearwood and
Vince Gill
In addition to the anthology, I made a Country Music for Dummies CD for her, with one song per artist (except for Garth Brooks, because he has no songs on iTunes and I didn't want to use a Karaoke version of "If Tomorrow Never Comes," because that would be completely lame, and listentoyoutube.com was being finnicky and not working when I needed it to). As a result, I've become incredibly obsessed with Emerson Drive (specifically "Moments" - LISTEN TO THE SONG!!!!!!) and "Baby Girl" by Sugarland. "Heart Like Memphis," Carter Twins' song, is totally cool, too. Maybe in another post I'll write the specific songs I picked for each artist (if you want a tearjerker, try "I'll Walk" by Bucky Covington). So that took up most of my time, especially since I had to do it secretly - stressing out by day, working by night (a few nights I worked under the covers until 4 in the morning). But it was absolutely worth it.

On a sad note, I would like to acknowledge the passing of my iPod. The final, official death of a loyal companion, a faithful sidekick, and the best friend I have ever known. I think a little eulogy is necessary and not too over-the-top: I bought the 60 GB iPod with my own money on July 25, 2006. Because my computer was old-school, I didn't have the appropriate software to use for iTunes, so I borrowed my neighbor's computer to import all the CDs and songs I wanted; they threw out the computer a few weeks later. With no homebase, I began to manually import songs from my sister's computer, when - completely out of the blue - all of the songs were deleted from it. This was around March 2007. The most-played songs were "Not Ready to Make Nice" and "Easy Silence" by the Dixie Chicks. I cried, and began the long process of rebuilding. That November, I discovered Taylor Swift, and "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" rose to the most-played song, followed by the other 10 on her CD, as well as the aforementioned Dixie Chicks songs and "Every Time I Hear Your Name" by Keith Anderson (probably my favourite country song ever). This May, I dropped it on the pavement while I was watching "The Best Day" music video by Taylor Swift. I got warnings and messages alerting me to restore my iPod. I did. All my songs - upwards of 2100 - were deleted. I cried like a baby, and cried myself to sleep. Instead of rebuilding, I put the bare necessities on my iPod and looked forward to the day I would get a new computer and make my own library. That was this month, and I spent three days straight (except for the nights, which I dedicated to Country Music for Dummies) building my library, until I had more songs than I had had before. Ceremoniously, I called my family over to see the syncing of my three-year-old iPod to the brand new library (this was on Tuesday night, around 11 pm). Grinning ear-to-ear, I plugged my iPod into the USB cord and thereby into the computer, at which point...iTunes froze. So I restarted my computer, because the entire computer froze. I repeated the entire process a few more times, until I realized that my iPod was the source of my problems. (And not only that, but the next day, my computer had a virus and I couldn't turn it on for a long time, much to my distress since the computer was barely two weeks old.) I had also deleted the songs I had had on my iPod previously, so I no longer could even listen to music. Needless to say, I broke down into unflattering tears. And that, sad to say, was the end of a beautiful friendship. (A moment of silence would be nice.)

The next day, I got my Christmas present from my parents - an iTouch. "We had wanted to get you one anyway, but now seemed like a really good time," they said. I'm still figuring it out, because I'm still so used to my iPod.

So...introducing the first song I wrote with my iTouch (the Notes function works really well for this type of thing). I've been working on it since Wednesday night, and finished it just a little while ago. It's one of my most finessed songs, and most thought-out songs. I like it.

Call This Home

She was eighteen years old and unsure of her road
as she stood on the street and watched her family go
she was up that first night until the morning light
'cause the new place just didn't feel right
they said, call this home for the next four years
or you're never gonna like it here

CHORUS:
and everything was so new it didn't feel real
welcome smiles were so big they seemed insincere
the odds against her loomed larger than life
mostly she wished that she'd do what was right

she was twenty-three and newly married
when the pair moved to Hamilton Street
she was in love with the man and her wedding band
but the house was a new, unknown land
they said, the first place is always the hardest
it gets easier from this

CHORUS:
and everything was so new it didn't feel real
welcome smiles were so big they seemed insincere
the odds against her loomed larger than life
mostly she wished that she'd do what was right

BRIDGE:
nine months later a baby girl smiled at her
things changed more quickly than she could ever have dreamed

The next thing she knows they're hitting the road
and she's finding it hard to let go
her little girl is going out into the world
the day goes by in a bit of a whirl
when they're saying goodbye they've got tears in their eyes
and her daughter cries
as she says,

CHORUS:
everything is so new it doesn't feel real
people's smiles are so big they seem insincere
I don't want to face all the odds against me
all I want to do is to do the right thing

I think it's the most country-themed song that I've written, in that it follows one person throughout her life. And there are multiple rhymes in each couplet - and in each line, which I'm really proud of.

Criticism/comments/applause/jeers all accepted with equal delight.

Much love, and thank you for the musik!

NBK

p.s. On to the second year!

p.p.s. Travis Zajac was re-signed to a four-year, $15.55 contract on July 22. So yay! And he got married on August 15. Congratulations are in order on all fronts.

p.p.p.s. I mentioned the Tour de France in a previous post. The winner was Spaniard Alberto Contador, for whom I said I was rooting. In second place was Andy Schleck (my new favourite...I'd bet money that he will win next year), winning also the young riders' competition, with the white jersey (that suits him so well) I also mentioned. I love him. Third was Lance Armstrong. It was an amazing race, with a team time trial for the first time in four years, and Mont Ventoux the day before the ceremonial Paris stage. My predicitions for next year: Andy Schleck (all the way, baby!) will win. And Lance's new Radioshack team with Levi Leipheimer won't. The Vuelta a Espana began yesterday.

Snow White

I figured it wasn't cool to tantalize you with "Snow White" without actually letting you read it properly.

The only way to do the song justice is to not put anything before the introduction, so I'll save that for another post.

I was inspired by the Dixie Chicks' "Travelin' Soldier" to write this song. That's all the introduction you're gonna get because the song is self-explanatory.

Snow White

when she first started feeling sore
having bad headaches and blurry vision
she put it down to insomnia but wasn't too sure
as it all got worse she told her mother
who gave her some pills and took her to the doctor
the x-rays were taken and they sat down in the room
the doctor said it showed up snow white
he looked them in the eyes and told them the news

CHORUS:
she put her arms around me
and whispered "I love you
if that's the last chance I'll get to tell you I'll say it again."
there's so many things she'll never get to do
I lie awake at night, listening to her breathe
and I wish she would never stop

the doctor said it could extend her life but not mend
because sooner or later it would have to end
she got weaker and sicker as the liquid dripped into her arm
she would empty her stomach and then sleep
chatting with those who came to visit
though some would have to leave to weep

for fun she would plan the rest of her life
lying there on the hospital bed
too weak to laugh, she named the kids she'd never have
she pictured weeknights in Paris in May
imagined college and the courses she'd take
and she thought she'd at least see her fourteenth birthday
though food made her sick she could almost taste the cake

CHORUS:
she put her arms around me
and whispered "I love you
if that's the last chance I'll get to tell you I'll say it again."
there's so many things she'll never get to do
I lie awake at night, listening to her breathe
and I wish she would never stop

all wearing black, friends and family gathered at noon
they cried together and shared fond stories
time ran out much too soon
for a little girl two weeks shy of fourteen
she lasted longer than they had thought
but they wish she could've stayed
her baby brother will grow up knowing naught
thanks for the memories

Keep in mind that I wrote that before I knew what I was doing. The syntax and rhymes are a bit off, but I don't really want to change it. It's the oldest song I have that I haven't changed ("Zach is Looking Hot Tonight" was written earlier but I edited that heavily not long ago).

To all those who lost a loved one to cancer, I'm sorry.

Much love, and thank you for the musik.

NBK

p.s. In the last post, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

1-year Anniversary Celebratory Post (okay, so a little late...)

Fun fact: "girl/world" is the most common rhyming couple in songwriting (in my experience).

So I thought that to acknowledge that great length of time I would show you how I wrote some of my songs, so that you can see the [non-] "genius at work."

The first is for a song that I wrote way back when (March 2007) and was the first song I wrote that rhymed and made sense. In essence, it was my first real song. I haven't posted it here yet, but I will. It's called "Snow White":

(first page) (second page)

The first half of the second page is the chorus of a song I wrote for my friend when she was feeling down. You can see how my handwriting changed from that chorus (which I had written earlier) to "Snow White."

How about I do a song that I've posted here? It's "The Words Were Mine":

If you remember back to my introduction to the song, you'll recall that I mentioned that I essentially threw out "Good Luck Tonight" and made the new song out of it. Well, this is the page I did it on, and you can see that I left only a line here and there from the original. By the way, if you can read "Good Luck Tonight," let me know and I will personally commend you.

Well, that's it. Those are the two craziest ones. Somehow I thought it would be cooler. If there is a song that you would like to see how I wrote, please let me know and I'll do what I can to scan it and upload it. I mostly write in composition notebooks so that can be a tad more difficult, but I'll do what I can.

Look for a normal post later this afternoon.

Much love, and thank you for the musik!

NBK