i have been listening to my solo playlist on Spotify as I go day to day to get inspiration for the words within my piece. I am currently sitting in an internet café with it on in my ears, watching others go about daily routines, kids crying… laughter… eating, drinking etc. I am allowing the music to be an accompaniment to the waitress’ life. I am letting the words and lyrics relate to her inner thoughts. I imagine her coming out of this routine and time stopping, everything around her stopping, still as if a pause button and she comes out of her own mind and body, performs the song as an inner monologue… and then continues the job.
It is this aspect of inner thoughts and imagination – the realness behind what we present ourselves as.
I imagine, through the smiles, and sweet toned voice of the waitress is inner hurt. I begin to attach stories to her life. made up of course. I imagine… a break up the night before. I imagine, a past drug addiction. I imagine a miscarriage that only makes her bitter that there’s 6 children in here currently making a lot of noise, running around and saying cute things of which she flashes a staged smile and nods her head along to the mothers who share with her their woes and joys. Behind it all her heart is hurting, beating quickly as her stomach churns at the memory she tries to repress. and she gets on. “Thankyou ill bring those over in just a second okay?..* :)”
I hear lyrics that vary from serious topics, bad things in life, confronting these inner issues. I also hear the simplest day to day actions made into songs. Lilly Allen – Friday Night –
This song is purely about going to a club on a Friday night. she simply describes her journey, what she sees, what she does etc.
what I like is the humour within it all- serious or simple topics that play with humour, by the tone of the music or the topic.
I am struggling at this moment as to whether to have a serious topic, or a funny one. what I really want to do is to take on different voices / roles within the spoken song. like a conversational piece- lilly allen and kate nash at very good examples of this of which I have been studying intently. topics like love – but things like stalking and obsession, making light of the things that we all do and go through.
the ironic ‘oh yes I’m fine, everythings just wonderful, I’m having the time of my life’
(everythings wonderful – lilly allen)
this song is particularly interesting to me. lyrics that read:
oh jesus Christ almighty,
do I feel alright? no -not slightly
I wanna get a flat I know I can afford it
its just the bureaucrats that wont give me a mortgage
its very funny cos I got your fuc*n money and I’m never gonna get it just cos of my bad credit
….
why cant I sleep at night
don’t say its gonna be alright
I wanna be able to eat spaghetti bolognese
and not feel bad about it for days and days and days
all my magazines they talk about weight loss
if I buy those jeans I can look like kate moss
I know its not the life that I chose
but I guess its just the way that things go