Songwriters Association of Canada SAC 4X4 Songwriting & Blogging Challenge 2016 Week 4

So this one was harder than I thought it would be. For this week’s challenge I had to find 2 separate songs or song ideas and meld them together to form a new song. Sounded easy but unfortunately I was not happy with anything I put together and instead found myself editing the individual ideas and even writing more parts, which is good in the long run but not what the challenge called for. I finally came up with a combo that felt okay yesterday using a chorus from a song I wrote a while back that I decided to change to a different chorus after workshopping the song at SongStudio a couple years ago with Simon Law. I still have a recording of the song in its original form, and of course the new and hopefully improved song Letting go with the new chorus

Week 3 of SAC 4X4 Songwriting and Blogging Challenge -Relationship building in songwriting

This week’s challenge was a collaboration challenge working with another participant to come up with a song about relationships. I did my Co write with the brilliantly talented, Jordan Paul. Jordan wrote the music and melody and performed the song and I took care of the lyrics. Jordan and I met a few years ago at SongStudio and although we are friends, this is the first time we’ve written a song together. I found an idea I had started on and worked on it for a couple of days and then sent it to Jordan to see if it sparked his interest. I kept it loose as many ideas with no definite form, as in chorus or bridge being noted. I wanted to allow for Jordan’s own interpretation with the music, melody and performance, as I knew from the moment I finished writing the lyrics that he should be the one to perform it. His voice is perfect for this dark, haunting lyric. He really did a fabulous job, even under such time constraints, most of the song being written on the last day and the format organized, etc.

 

We will be working on fine tuning this song and doing a better recording of it soon and also plan to do more writing together which I am very excited about. Our styles are different enough to make it interesting and we both felt comfortable communicating our needs openly.

 

A really great experience and a terrific new song too!! Very happy !

Here is the link to the initial recording on soundcloud We’ll be uploading a better recording soon too so come check back in a few days

My dark and dreary heart   Jordan Paul, Music  Lynn Mantle, Lyrics

Intro (Intro lyric by Jordan Paul)
Sheʼs not one for confrontations
Bad ideas, expectations

Verse
Talk to me in riddles
Talk to me in rhyme
Meet me in the middle
Why you messing with my mind

Chorus
The lines have been drawn
Iʼm somewhere in between
Moving thruʼ the dark and light
And all that is unseen
Like mixing oil and water
Fusing day with night
Oh my dark and dreary heart
Oh my dark and dreary heart
Verse
Itʼs a strange situation
Iʼve found myself inside
Ah, love me just a little
Are you really so unkind
Trying to un hear
The things that you have said
Fighting with this dark desireʼs
Like killing the un dead
Chorus
The lines have been drawn
Iʼm somewhere in between
Moving thruʼ the dark and light
And all that is unseen
Like mixing oil and water
Fusing day with night
Oh my dark and dreary heart
Oh my dark and dreary heart
Bridge
Turn me in
Turn me out
Take me to the breaking point
Toss me all about
Chorus
The lines have been drawn
Iʼm somewhere in between
Moving thruʼ the dark and light
And all that is unseen
Like mixing oil and water
Fusing day with night
Oh my dark and dreary heart
You in all my darkness
Me in all your light
Oh my dark and dreary heart
Oh my dark and dreary heart

S.A.C. 4X4 Songwriting and Blogging Challenge 2016 Wk. 1

I think this will be the first full song I have written since the last challenge in 2015 when I unfortunately was not able to fully participate due to emergency spinal cord surgery. I missed the deadline for this week#1 challenge cuz I have had a rough day and Saturday was the only day I had time to work on my song. The song came fairly quickly but kept running into obstacles with performing, recording and even trying to log in here to write my blog.
Anyways, I have a lot of work to do on my song but this first draft does lay it out well. I need to tighten it up and work on a few lines of the lyrics and some phrasing issues. It’s funny how difficult it was to come up with a 2 chord song. I do have some older 2 chord songs but have not written in such a rigid framework in a long time. It felt really good to dig in and get to work actually completing an entire song and the challenge could not have come at a better time for me.
So although I still have a lot of work to get it to where I want it, I am pretty happy with the new song I can soon add to my catalogue, thanks Murray!

Love knows no bounds by Lynn Mantle

Use to be so easy
Before our hearts were on the run
Love was light and breezy
Always thought we were the lucky ones

But everything is changing
Now it’s time for letting go
Cuz there’s nothing left worth saving
Funny we’re the last to know
Funny were the last to know

Chorus x2
Love knows no bounds
Til it hits the ground
Love knows no bounds
Til it all comes crashing down

I know you gave your heart and soul
Keeping track of every ounce
Babe sometimes you gotta let it go
To see if it will bounce

And no more sugar coating
The way we feel
What was good is gone
There’s no chance of repeal
Nothing left to be revealed

Chorus

Bridge
And ain’t it just like love
To leave us when the chips are down
There’s always new love coming ‘round
Ya there’s always new love to be found

Chorus

SAC Challenge 2015 – Week 2 pt.1

So I have some lyrics and some melodic ideas for them but really struggling with this week’s challenge. Write an explosive pop hit! YIKES! Trying to get my anxiety out of the way to let something come through. Unfortunately I think my lyrics lean too far towards a bluesy tune, which is kind of more moving towards my main writing genre. I have already started on a couple more song ideas just in case I can’t fit this song to a pop melody and sell everyone on the idea of it being a pop song.. lol

But here’s what I got thus far ..

Twisted edge                              by Lynn Mantle

I’m complicated

Don’t try to figure me out

You’ve under rated

What I’m all about

You been dancin’ about

On a slippery ledge

I’m smoother than silk

With a twisted edge

Chorus

You don’t know me by a long shot

And you can’t call me yours

I’m smooth with a twist

Like I told you before

Smooth with a twist X2

You call me baby

Like that’s my name

Think you got swagger (But you’re all swagger)

Think you got game      (Ain’t got no game)

You shower me with presents  (gifts)

Like my love can be bought

You’re not the hunter but the hunted (You’re the hunted, not the hunter)

It’s you who’s been caught

Chorus

My heart grows tired

Of your silly game

I need a fire

Not a flickering flame

Your best moves don’t impress me

Like they did before

Tired of everything about you

Think I’ll show you the door

Chorus

The moral of our story

Is plain to see

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover

And don’t you dare go judging me

Smooth with a twist x2

I will follow up this entry with my final product for this week soon (I hope).

Bright Blessings,

Lynn xx

SAC Songwriting & Blogging Challenge 2015 – Week 1

This is my second go at the songwriting & blogging challenge. Last year I finished the songwriting aspect of the challenge but did not push myself in my weakest area, blogging about it. So here I am in the 11th hour of week 1! Oh well..

So week 1’s challenge is a big one. Writing a song suited for Matt Dusk’s upcoming album. Very daunted by the task. Usually by now I would have the song basically down but that is not the case. I in fact only really felt like something was coming together this afternoon. So I now have some basic bones for two possible songs but I really think I will need to bring somone else into the fold here if I want this song pitch to have any chance of success. Hopefully things will start to pull together over the next couple of weeks, as I really don’t want to leave this too late and end up rushing to put a decent production of the song forward.

Keeping this first blog entry short as I have a bit of a migraine. I plan on pushing myself hard to submit more than one entry per week (as required by the challenge) I need to reach out more and not rely so much on my music to share my life experiences and thoughts.

Well, there it is.

Until next time…

Thanks for reading!

Bright Blessings & Stay Warm xx

SAC Songwriting & Blogging Challenge 2014 – Week 1 Assignment/Blog

SAC Songwriting & Blogging Challenge 2014 – 6 songs in 6 weeks

So I decided to take part in the Songwriter’s Association of Canada (SAC) Songwriting and Blogging challenge this year. I am pretty revved up about it actually, as I have never taken part before and there are 79 other songwriters taking part as well. I am looking forward to the challenge and the interactions with this awesome group of variously experienced songwriters. The challenge is being led by Christopher Ward, so I know at the very least I will leave the experience with a lot of new knowledge. I am hoping to also have some new songs out of this that I can can continue to work on after the challenge is over. The other reason I am looking forward to the experience is that it will be the push I so needed to finally start blogging. I kinda let my music do my talking and so it is about time I come out from behind my songs and put myself out there.

So, here is my first assignment and my first song, “Fireflies” .

Stay tuned for week 2…

Thanks for listening xx

Week 1 Assignment

Song Titles I like/Am inspired by

It is very hard to come up with just three song titles.. I finally decided to just post the first three that I had jotted down

1. Bird on a wire   -Leonard Cohen

2. Good morning heartache  -Irene Higginbotham, Ervin Drake and Dan Fisher

3. Many Rivers to cross   -Jimmy Cliff

Song Themes

1. Impossible/difficult romantic relationships .. (This Masquerade)

2. Loss

3. Overcoming obstacles

Opening lines that I like-that inspire me

1. “ Sitting here in limbo but I know it won’t be long. Sitting here in limbo like a bird without a song. Well their putting up resistance but I know that my faith will lead me on. ”

     Sitting in Limbo –Jimmy Cliff

2. “Good morning heartache you old gloomy sight. Good morning heartache, thought we said good bye last night. I tossed and turned till it seemed you had gone but here you are with the dawn.”      Good morning heartache – Irene Higginbotham, Ervin Drake and Dan Fisher

3. “Like a bird on a wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir. I have tried in my way to be free.”

   Bird on a wire –Leonard Cohen

 

5 Original title Ideas

Like catching fireflies

Still don’t know where I’m headed

I forgot to tell you

Under lock and key

When memories fade

5 Theme Ideas

Impossible love

Love letters

Time flying by

Finding our way

Overcoming obstacles

Starting lines

The last thing you said was the first thing I heard

I’ve seen more than my share of hurt

I used to be much better at love

Rolling along at such high speeds, you must have known there’d be casualties

Last night I dreamt that you were still mine

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