Your Opinion On A Song
Sunday, June 24th, 2012
So there’s a scene in Steve’s Quest where Steve, our young software engineer hero, has worked up the nerve to invite his lovely colleague Sabrina to a party at his apartment, and Sabrina, to Steve’s surprise, has shown up.
Steve, noticing this, is at a loss about what to do next. His friend Ash, who considers himself somewhat of a Lothario, has some advice: Steve should ask Sabrina if she’d like a tour of his apartment, and conclude their tour someplace where Steve and Sabrina can be alone together (i.e., Steve’s bedroom).
The song where Ash bestows these pearls of wisdom is called “Give Her The Tour.” I’ve written two versions of the song: one that parodies ‘80s hard rock bands like Van Halen, Poison, and so on, and another that’s a more traditional show tune with almost a bossa nova feel.
I’m At A Loss Too
At the moment, I’m trying to decide which song to use in the show. I think each song has its pluses and minuses.
On one hand, the more rockin’ version of the song is in keeping with the general musical approach of the show, and will be amusing to people familiar with the type of song I’m sending up.
On the other, I’m more proud of the “show tune” version because I think the lyrics are subtler and more skillfully written, it’s a duet between two characters as opposed to a soliloquy by one, and I think it gives us a clearer sense of who Ash and Steve are.
Really, There’s A Deeper Meaning
I worried a bit about posting the song here, because I thought people might see it as overly crude or something. But I think it’s worth finding out your opinion, because this is such an important song in the show.
From my perspective, although it’s obviously not meant to be taken 100% seriously, the song is really a look at the confusing messages young men get about sexuality in our culture. In light of all the radically different and opposing views out there on the subject, it’s no wonder someone like Steve feels anxious and uncertain.
Anyway, without further ado, I’m going to post two (very) rough demo versions of the song below, and ask which one you prefer. I did these purely by using MIDI programming and singing through a headphone mic.
The Rockin’ Version of Give Her The Tour
The “Show Tune” Version of Give Her The Tour
Thanks for letting me know what you think!
Related posts:
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June 24th, 2012 at 3:58 pm
I like the rockin’ version! But then again…I’m a rocker, so I guess I *would* like it better, n’est ce pas?
June 24th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
Hi Jay, now of course when I read your comment I burst into song: “I’m a rocker! Whooaaa! And no one can take that away!”
June 25th, 2012 at 6:21 pm
Hi Chris, like you say the show tuney one is the more accomplished song. But having this dropped into a show the rest of which is heavy metal would be weird.
The heavy metal version is good fun and certainly stands up well.
I think the decision is more about how it fits with the rest of the show rather than which particular song.
June 27th, 2012 at 6:03 am
I like the Rockn version, Chris
.
June 29th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Rock on!! hehe. Nicely written post. =)
June 29th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Hi Evan — thanks for the feedback — I’m thinking I’m going to bring the intensity down a bit in Episode 2 of the show, which is when this song appears, and so my thinking at the moment is that the show-tune version is the best bet.
June 29th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Thanks Rob — I like it too — I just need to figure out which song will offer the best mixture and variety in the context of the whole show.
June 29th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Hi Kim — thanks for the support.
July 2nd, 2012 at 9:10 am
Chris, I enjoyed both of these songs.
Didn’t find the rock song crude at all. It tickled my funny bone, actually.
I prefer the show tune. I could hear the lyrics better and it felt more theatrical to me. I agree with Evan though; it depends on how the song fits in the with the show because listening to them out of context won’t give us that perspective. Both of them would work from my perspective.
July 2nd, 2012 at 9:23 am
Thanks Davina. I’m leaning toward the show tune myself because it adds some variety to the music — the songs in Episode 1 (coming soon!) are all pretty driving rock anthems, and I’m thinking I’ll go for a bit of a change of pace in Episode 2.
July 2nd, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Chris,
I definitely like the “rockin” version, especially given what you said about Ash being the type of guy he is. I could Steve singing the show tune, but Ash needs to be a bit more aggressive than that…as least as I see it.
It nice to see you’re moving right along with this:~)
July 2nd, 2012 at 4:23 pm
hey, at library — no sounds here to enjoy your tunes.
Will listen from home later! Because I LOVE your music.
xo
July 3rd, 2012 at 7:52 am
Hi Sara — thanks for the feedback — I think the ’80s hard rock version may suit Ash’s personality a little better, and my only real concern about it is that it’s more of a solo song by Ash, and I think a song featuring more people accomplishes more character development. But maybe that song could be rewritten to add more vocal parts.
July 3rd, 2012 at 7:52 am
Hi Jannie — looking forward to hearing whether / how much you enjoy them!
July 3rd, 2012 at 6:40 pm
I like the show tune much better as I could hear the words more clearly. Then again, I am not into the heavy metal rocker music, which explains my choice.
Go with what you feel. Whenever I cannot decide, I will sit with it for a while…….until the moment, when something clicks inside me to tell me that I have hit the right choice and that I am done.
July 3rd, 2012 at 9:24 pm
I like them both – the musical version explains more of the emotion and thoughts /story going on and the rock version is more macho and dynamic and lets the listener make the connection
I would be hard pressed to make a choice, I think it needs to fit into the story to see how the impact would be and continuity. This is fun…
Love that Steve character and now the lady of his dreams – nice art too
July 5th, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Wow, that is some freaking rocking guitar, Chris! I didn’t realize you are THIS talented!
I enjoyed listening to both these alternately this morning as I drove to work.
What if you made the rockin’ version 3 verses, incorporating some of those lyrics in the Bossa version? Keeping the guitar solo, of course! And some of those killer harmonies that delighted.
The impetus behind the song is grrrrrreat!! I can totally see the motivation behind him breaking out into song.
I wonder if the little echo guy in the 2nd one might dilute the intensity of emotion just a tad. Loved the humor in 2, tho. I think he would’ve cleaned the bathroom,tho, for his crush. Remember that Seinfeld bit about love and getting right down on
hands and knees to scrub the tub for it?
Your voice is really great! And the quality of all far removed from crude.
Xo
July 6th, 2012 at 6:17 am
Hi Evelyn — yes, I’m definitely leaning toward the show tune more myself — I want to provide some variety for people in the non-rocker demographic like yourself.
July 6th, 2012 at 6:20 am
Hi Patricia — I like that way of putting it — that the musical version delves deeper into the emotions of the characters at that point in the story — because of that, I think I’m going to use the show-tune version. Also, Episode 1 is pretty loud and rocking and I want to tone down the intensity a bit for Episode 2.
July 6th, 2012 at 6:31 am
Hey Jannie — glad you enjoyed the tunes! To be honest, I bought the guitar solo from a “Generic Guitar Licks” MP3 collection for .89, and then I changed the key and tempo to fit it into the song. All of this was done just using Finale and Audacity (and Amazon).
July 22nd, 2012 at 4:35 am
Chris,
I like the Show Tune best. I think it’s great. It really showcases the vulnerable side of the lead character.