Finding New Fans Can Backfire

I read an article today on a music marketing website that had to do with finding new fans online.  It basically said not to wait for fans to find you, but to seek them out by looking for similar artists to yourself on websites that you have your music on, like Reverbnation or MySpace.  The author said to "reach out" to these other artists' fans.

While I see the importance of marketing yourself and your music when you're a performing artist or in a band, I do think that some of this can backfire on you if you don't know how to go about it or when to stop.  As an example, I had a songwriter who emailed me a month or so ago about a song that he had placed in some kind of online contest.  He wanted votes for his song.  Now, first of all think of this:  if you are trying to get people who don't know you to vote for your song, what if they don't like it?  I mean, that is a possibility!  They might end up voting for someone else.   There's a backfire right there.  So solicit people that you already know like your music.  That's the first step.

I did not go to the site to listen to his song because I basically didn't have time at that point.  So I pretty much ignored his email, which was generic in nature anyway.  In other words, mine was in a long list of emails, he didn't email me specifically.   But even after I ignored it, he didn't stop at that.  He emailed again, presumably to the same number of email addresses saying that he had reached a semi-final with his song and he needed votes again.  And then I got a third email, as he was still looking for votes.  So this time, I politely emailed for him to please remove me from his email list.

Songs I Like - Baker Street

I remember when Baker Street came out in 1978 because this song compelled me to buy the whole album, which was great. The most unusual thing about this song is that the chorus is entirely instrumental with that distinguishable sax solo. Apparently this song lead to a resurgence in the purchase of saxophones, called the "Baker Street Phenomenon". Any song that drives people to want to learn an instrument is okay in my books!

The whole album is terrific, and I seriously don't think he had as successful an album since that one.  One of Gerry's more famous previous songs was "Stuck In The Middle" from his stint in the band Stealer's Wheel, but for me Baker Street was far superior.  He wrote it after Stealer's Wheel broke up and he was involved in a prolonged legal battle to get out of his contract with the band.  He travelled quite a bit between Glasgow and London during the contract dispute and ended up staying at a friend's in London on Baker Street, where the idea for the song was born.

The Baker Street sax solo was supposedly first meant to be sung, then a guitar bit was considered.   It was the session player Raphael Ravenscroft who suggested he try it on a soprano sax, and the rest is history.  When I think of it now, I can't imagine it being anything other than sax.

"Winding your way down Baker Street"...lyrically, the song is in the second person but I imagine the song as being autobiographical, describing a guy who has had some struggles with alcohol and depression, with life being lived out on the low end.  "Just one more year and then you'll be happy, but you're crying, you're crying now."

Musically the song is in the key of "D", but one of my favourite parts is the pre-chorus where it shifts to a Dm7 and Am.  Shifting from a major to a minor 7th can create a powerful emotional impact:

Here is the first pre-chorus:

Dm7                              Am    

  You used to think that it was so easy

Dm7                            Am         

  You used to say that it was so easy

     C             G              D    * 

But you're tryin, you're tryin’ now

Dm7                            Am              

  Another year and then you'd be happy

Dm7                                  Am           

  Just one more year and then you'd be happy

     C               G             A     Dm7/G         

But you're cryin', you're cryin' now 

Gerry Rafferty died last January (2011), apparently of multi-organ failure after years of alcohol abuse.  It brought on a surge of new interest in his songs, but in the years leading up to his death he appeared to spiral deeper and deeper into his dark place.  It's too bad that it often takes an artist or songwriter's death to bring the attention that they so desire in life.  Rafferty had that attention during the late 70's and although he released a number of albums since, none of them achieved the success that City to City did.

Listen to Baker Street in the video below.

~ IJ

Songs I Like - Karma Police

I swear I've sung this song dozens of times with guitar classes and students, and every time I do, it leaves me both confused and mesmerized. I absolutely love the chord progressions in this song, and the twists and turns musically. But what was it about?

I know enough about karma because I'm an avid reader of Buddhist philosophy. In the refrain, the line that repeats is "This is what you get." which makes perfect sense to me, karmically-speaking (I know, I know, karmically is not a word!). But lines like "her Hitler hairdo is making me feel ill" and "he talks in maths, he buzzes like a fridge" went right over my head until I did a little research on the meaning of the song.

However, before I explain it, why not have a listen?  You can find the video below.

My interpretation of it is a son trying to enact revenge on his father, but you know, but when I watched the video of the song, well, these video directors and producers just like to play with images flying around in their own heads sometimes, so the video doesn't necessarily explain anything. Here are the lyrics, including chords as I teach them, you lucky dogs!

INTRO: | Am D7/F# | Em G | Am F | Em G | Am D |
       | G G/F# C C/B | Am | Bm D |

Am    D7/F# Em
  Kar_ma Police,
   G        Am
Arrest this man,
   F        Em
He talks in maths,
   G             Am
He buzzes like a fridge
     D    | G G/F#  C  C/B | Am | Bm D |
He's like a detuned ra-di----o

Am    D7/F# Em
  Kar_ma  Police,
   G        Am
Arrest this girl,
    F      Em
Her hitler hairdo,
   G              Am
Is making me feel ill,
    D       G       G/F# C C/B Am Bm D
And we have crashed her  par---ty

REFRAIN:
| C         D         | G   F# |
    This is what you'll get,
| C         D         | G   F# |
    This is what you'll get,
| C         D         | G
    This is what you'll get,
         Bm      | C | Bm D |
When you mess with us...

Am    D7/F# Em
  Kar_ma  Police,
     G           Am
I've given all I can,
     F    Em
It's not enough,
     G           Am
I've given all I can,
    D           G  G/F# C     C/B Am Bm D
But we're still on the  pay---roll

[REPEAT REFRAIN]

| Bm          D    | G 
    And for a minute there,
  D    | G      D     | E   |
I lost myself I lost myself, 
| Bm          D    | G 
    And for a minute there,
  D    | G      D     | E   |
I lost myself I lost myself,

| Bm D | G D | G D | E |

Bm           D      G
   And for a minute there,
  D      G      D      E
I lost myself I lost myself,
Bm           D           G
  Just for a minute there,
  D      G      D      E
I lost myself I lost myself

||: Bm D | G D | G D | E :|| 

So, are you any closer to figuring out what it's about?  Okay, I'll let you off the hook :-).  Here's an explanation from Wikipedia:

"Radiohead members used to tell one another that they would call 'the karma police' on them if they did something wrong. The joke was incorporated as into the lyrics and title of the song. Yorke explained that the song was about stress and 'having people looking at you in that certain [malicious] way, I can't handle it anymore'. Thom Yorke explained the idea of the lyrics to The Independent in 2006, saying, 'It's for someone who has to work for a large company. This is a song against bosses. Fuck the middle management!' Yorke and Jonny Greenwood emphasized in interviews that the song had a humorous bent; Yorke said, '[It's] not entirely serious, I hope people will realize that.' The song includes the line 'He buzzes like a fridge/He's like a detuned radio', a reference to the distracting, metaphorical background noise Yorke calls 'fridge buzz'. Yorke has said that the idea of fridge buzz is one of the primary themes of OK Computer [the CD containing Karma Police];'Karma Police' also shares themes of insanity and dissatisfaction with capitalism."

Now you know :-) 

~ IJ