Taking a look back into pop music history I’m digging out a tune by an artist I have a strange respect for. Growing up guitar didn’t really lend me to wanting to listen to Michael Jackson. However, learning more about him and his career changed that. Once I was finally out of music school I really started getting into artists/bands that were more about the song and not the means in the individual guitars involved. As it so happens, this song is one of my favorite Michael Jackson tunes thanks to the percussive groove that propels it.
In fact a whole lot of my own writing stems from getting an amazing groove going. Much like Michael’s core work. The sense of rhythm that gets your body moving and your head bobbing. My personal feeling is that if the music isn’t moving you in some way. shape or form, then it’s likely doing something wrong. Michael was a definite master of this. No question about it.
They Don’t Really Care About Us
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, aggravation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Bang bang, shot dead
Everybody’s gone mad
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Beat me, hate me
You can never break me
Will me, thrill me
You can never kill me
Jew me, sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, kike me
Don’t you black or white me
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Tell me what has become of my life
I have a wife and two children who love me
I am the victim of police brutality, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of hate
You’re rapin’ me off my pride
Oh, for God’s sake
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy…
Set me free
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Trepidation, speculation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Black male, black mail
Throw your brother in jail
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of shame
They’re throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can’t believe this is the land from which I came
You know I really do hate to say it
The government don’t wanna see
But if Roosevelt was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, speculation
Everybody litigation
Beat me, bash me
You can never trash me
Hit me, kick me
You can never get me
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Some things in life they just don’t wanna see
But if Martin Luther was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, segregation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Kick me, kike me
Don’t you wrong or right me
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about
All I wanna say is that
they don’t really care about
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Writer(s): Michael Jackson, Michael Joe Jackson
Copyright: Mijac Music
Yesterday I happened to catch a Facebook post by a long time friend of mine. We both played on the Los Angeles circuit with our bands when we were cutting our teeth. His post was how he had just discovered an artist called Ian Thornley who fronts a little group known as Big Wreck. It reminded me how I had heard of Big Wreck from some friends in Las Vegas some time after they had released The Pleasure and The Greed. I was hooked immediately. Amazing and creative rock guitar based writing, smothered with clever lyrics and an insanely awesome rock voice that I kinda wish I could have. Ian also had a band after Big Wreck called Thornley. However, about a year and a half ago Big Wreck put itself back together and recorded a new set of songs. My favorite single from the release is Wolves. I love the groove, the guitar parts, the mandolin parts, the lyrics, and the amazing melody. It hits a great niche of music where being awesomely clever still means something to rock ‘n’ roll – unfortunately the masses don’t get it. Immerse yourself and bleed out your heart from beating for other music that isn’t so clever. 😉
Wolves
Oh mark my words
In between the lines
And every little piece
Of the story’s entwined
I always told my side my way.
There was no more room
In the packet of wolves
They wouldn’t let me in
Saw the mission was afoot
They showed us all we were without
Oh, they said bleed out your heart
If it’s still beating for someone else
Trap all those chains
That keep you tethered, that keep you safe
A rosie little world
In your packet of wolves
A cosy little hang
In the back of your school
Those stories always get so old
Well is that one night
Going off the grid
I never said you didn’t
I never said you did
And all of my favourite stories are about you
You said bleed out your heart
If it’s still beating for someone else
Break all those chains
That keep you tethered, that keep you safe
They said bleed out your heart
If it’s still beating for someone else
Trap all those chains
That keep you tethered, that keep you safe
Bleed out your heart
If it’s still beating for someone else
Break all those chains
That keep you tethered, that keep you safe.
Oh I can recall a moment when I first sang this song for a performance. It was in front a collegiate crowd in Atlanta. I don’t do cover songs very often but the people running the APCA conference were adamant that I should do a couple of covers during my set to make sure college buyers would be sure to book me. Of the two cover songs I had the band learn, one of them was Harder To Breathe. It was a smokin’ hit at the time and it fit right up my alley for what I was doing musically. Therein lies my story for Throwback Thursday and how I got some college bookings thanks to Maroon 5.
Harder To Breathe
(buy it)
How dare you say that my behavior is unacceptable
So condescending unnecessarily critical
I have the tendency of getting very physical
So watch your step cause if I do you’ll need a miracle
You drain me dry and make me wonder why I’m even here
This double vision I was seeing is finally clear
You want to stay but you know very well I want you gone
Not fit to funkin’ tread the ground I’m walking on
When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You’ll understand what I mean when I say
There’s no way we’re gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it’s getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there cause it’s getting harder and harder to breathe
What you are doing is screwing things up inside my head
You should know better you never listened to a word I said
Clutching your pillow and writhing in a naked sweat
Hoping somebody someday will do you like I did
When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You’ll understand what I mean when I say
There’s no way we’re gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it’s getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there cause it’s getting harder and harder to breathe
Does it kill
Does it burn
Is it painful to learn
That it’s me that has all the control
Does it thrill
Does it sting
When you feel what I bring
And you wish that you had me to hold
When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You’ll understand what I mean when I say
There’s no way we’re gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it’s getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there cause it’s getting harder and harder to breathe
SONGWRITERS
LEVINE, ADAM / CARMICHAEL, JESSE ROYAL / DUSICK, RYAN MICHAEL / VALENTINE, JAMES / MADDEN, MICKEY
As you may know, Apple made some announcements today about their iPhone product line. I’m betting that the iPhone 5 ends up being the shortest lived iPhone in Apple’s history. Well, maybe except for the 3 and the 3G. I’ve got my eye on the iPhone 5s with its awesome new tech specs. Beyond that, I’m excited to see what comes of Apple’s new service inside of iOS 7 called iTunes Radio.
iTunes Radio
Several months back I had gotten what are known as NOI’s. A notice of intent to get a compulsory license for my catalog. It’s been a steady stream of services getting into the streaming service. One such service caught my eye – Apple. I found an NOI in my inbox coming from Apple. That made me think, wow, they’re finally going to get into the streaming game. Long before it was actually announced via any rumor site. I felt like I had a little bit of an inside scoop. 🙂
What’s The Deal
As Apple puts it, it’s radio re-imagined. You’ll be able to pick your own station, much like you can with another service that starts with a P. I’m getting a feeling that it will be like a cross between the P service and another service called Spotify. The immediate differences is that you’ll get super quick purchasing direct from iTunes. It’s like the best of both worlds inside one service.
Other Cool Features
Besides your ability to start a Jody Whitesides station 😉 is the ability to use Siri to play a song and start a new station. Use your mouth to get at your music as fast as you can! There will be iTunes Radio exclusives. Hopefully in the not to distant future, I’ll be able to be a part of that with some of the new music I’m creating for you now. One of the other features that makes this cool for the end user is no ads to listen to with the music. I wonder how long that will last?
Looking forward to seeing all of this when it arrives on September 18th in just over a week. The music world takes on another change for the better for the consumer!
One of the songs I’ve been working on lately that originally underwent a pretty big lyric rewrite. Oddly enough at it’s current stage it got voted into the top 18 from 72 songs. Lyrically, I’m still taking a look at the song to make sure it’s where it should be. The melody is strong so that helps a whole lot. Without giving away too much of the song – well, none of the music anyway. You can help produce it with me by Pledging. Here’s an early look at the lyrics in their current form.
Brighter Side Of Success
© Too Much Music – Jody Whitesides
Have you ever noticed
How the crowds seem to dance around the fame
Do you ever wonder
Why they act so over the top without shame
Rich or poor is only moments away
Can you believe one or the other is where you’ll stay
You’ve imagined your dreams
You’ve dared to believe
Would your friends all confess
You’re on the Brighter Side Of Success
Remember it used to be
You were someone who’d help out a hurting friend
And the tabloid’s new flair
They inflate your ego to set current trends
Rich or poor is only moments away
Can you believe one or the other is where you’ll stay
You’ve imagined your dreams
You’ve dared to believe
Would your friends all confess
You’re on the Brighter Side Of Success
Rich or poor is only moments away
Can you believe one or the other is where you’ll stay
You’ve imagined your dreams
You’ve dared to believe
Would your friends all confess
You’re on the Brighter Side Of Success
Would your friends all confess
You’re on the Brighter Side Of Success
Success is based on factors that seem intangible. Sometimes the craziest stuff will work, sometimes it won’t. Other times, the most amazing art will work, sometimes it won’t. No one appears to have the perfect formula for it. Either way, when you hit it, can you handle the brighter side of success?
What an interesting day. It’s got a big combo going on with it. I was emailed fairly early by a PR person looking forme to do a blog post on my blog ‘Single of the Day‘ which is currently on a little hiatus. He reminded me that it is Freddie Mercury’s birthday today, or least it would have been. Anyone who is a big Queen fan ought to know that. Let’s add the 2nd punch. Today marks the beginning of the NFL season with an NFL Thursday night game tonight between the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos. So I’ll give a little shout out to Queen’s awesome song “We Are The Champions” which turned into a massive sporting hit. It’s an oldie but killer goodie.
We Are The Champions
I’ve paid my dues
Time after time
I’ve done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I’ve made a few
I’ve had my share of sand
Kicked in my face
But I’ve come through
And we mean to go on and on and on and on
We are the champions – my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting
Till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions of the World
I’ve taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune
And everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it’s been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before
The whole human race
And I ain’t gonna lose
And we mean to go on and on and on and on
We are the champions – my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting
Till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions of the World
We are the champions – my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting
Till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions