I just received notice today that one of my songs (You Know Me) has just won the honorable mention in the 2009 Billboard Song Writing Contest. I got a nice certificate and letter. It’s a nice validation so thank you to Billboard.
I was recently asked in a radio interview how I came up with the groove for this song; a hard question to answer. My writing is usually done at the keyboard and is as more sub-conscious than analytical thought process. Ideas come to me through my playing and I try to develop them.
Of course the development includes a fair amount of critical through so I think I can answer this question through a post analysis of what I did.
The song is based around the intro, which is a modal pattern (C Dorian) with that ascending bass line. I liked this sound and it reminded me of some of the Jazz coming out of the late 50’s – 60’s, and smattered about in early fusion projects.
This kind of style often creates a very laid back mood but I wanted it to groove so I added those anticipations to the bass. Once I did that, it really took on some life and gave it a hint of Latin rhythm.
That feel set up the verse with a slight Bossa groove. But I still felt that it should have a touch of r&b / soul to feel to it so the traditional IV – I pattern found in many Bossa tunes was supported by the trap set playing a more standard rock ballad style while the percussion and bass laid a little more on the Latin side.
The bass plays a big role in the feel for this song. By over emphasizing that fretless phased sound (thanks Jaco for such a lasting impression) the intro seems to surround and wash over you.
The lyrics were inspired by my wife of course. As I was writing this I thought of how Jobim would use simple imagery to tell his story. I thought of Ipanema and wanted to capture the impact meeting Michelle had on me through that technique.
This all sounds so dry for what I think of as a sweet and somewhat wet song. I hope you enjoy it. Be well.