PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase It is what it is, a political Blues

Hi everyone,

I wrote a political song. The leader of the free world is a concern to all Western nations. That's why I made this song. I know some people don't like this kind of songs or messages, but I believe it matters to all of us. Therefore I made it. The title of the song is used many times by the main figure in the song. More of his words appear in the lyrics.

https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/it-is-what-it-is

The melody is Blues / Rock-based.

I hope you like it for the lyrics, the melody or both,
Hans
Oh, and let me know what I did good or wrong. I like to learn!
===============================================================
The lyrics:
It is what it is
(c) HWBerkhout, 31082020

Our world is in trouble, and we can't sleep
Democracy is eroding, we weep
A doubtful government, we're ashamed everyday
A president praising dictators and thinks that's ok

Chorus
Mayhem and madness cause our world to decline
It is what it is and he feels fine
He's indifferent as cities burn
Call it nasty, but it's not his concern  

Black lives matter and MeToo
Pandemics and injustice, all ends under his shoe
He shows no empathy, calls it all a hoax
He tweets: fake news, and shatters hope

Economy is a loss, environment in despair
Millions without work, and he doesn't care
This failing leader proves he cannot reign
He denies all, he is so vain

Chorus
Mayhem and madness cause our world to decline
It is what it is and he feels fine
He's indifferent as cities burn
Call it nasty, but it's not his concern

Solo

Chorus2
But mayhem and madness make his world will decline
If it is what it is, then we feel fine
We'll be indifferent as his empire burns
Call it nasty but it's not our concern

Let's prevent this voting to be toyed
It is what it is, Democracy can't be destroyed
Though it sounds like a dream, dream it all the time!
It is what it is  and we'll be fine
Is it what it is? Are we fine?
Oh, wake up man...!
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The Band:
Style: GUARDOG.STY, Tempo 90, Key: Dm

RealTracks in song:  1636:Bass, Elec., JazzFunkBreezy
RealTracks in song: 3247:Guitar, Elec, Solist Funky Blues
RealTracks in song: 3251:Guitar, Bariton Elec, Modern FunkRealTracks in song:   573:Guitar, Elec, Blues
RealTracks in song: 3334:Guitar, Elec, Blues Pop
RealTracks in song: 3355:Guitar, Elec, Lowdown Blues
RealDrums in Song: BluesRockSlowEv^4-a:Snare , b:Snare, HiHat
===================================================================

Yes, it is an important problem that effects the entire world. Political leaning aside the last four years have been bad for the climate, peace and honesty.
Nice Hendrixy guitar.
Thanks

Hans,

A big thumbs up for this one!

An excellent write - touching on a lot of important issues.

Good tracks. Excellent vocals - lots of passion.

The mix is good (the lead guitar was slightly louder than it needed to be, I think).

Well done! Hopefully the truth will eventually prevail.

fj

Good job. It is one of the jobs of musicians to comment on political, national, and international issues. I always support musicians right to protest or point out what they consider right or wrong with the world. I support this no matter if I agree with their point of view or not.

If a song offends me I just turn it off.

I liked the music, good tune.

Billy

Hans,
I like the live feel of this;loose blues rock band (great name for that style) and its the kind of lyric that would get immediate response from an audience .You deliver it with conviction!
You asked for input; I think the lyrics and your vocal delivery would be even punchier with small edits in a few places, eg:

Our world is in trouble, and we can't sleep
Democracy is eroding, we weep

cut the "and" & the "is" giving you more space for words that matter to sync with the rhythm.
I`m with you on the message and enjoyed hearing you put it to this beat.

Robert

Hans,
Solid work! Good arrangement and vocals. Liked that solo too.
The message is very clear. We shall see next election if people changed their opinion of the "leader". Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Hi Ray, you weren't even complaining...! And thanks for your nice comment on the song. Yes, this topic needs a fast solution.
But I wasn't aware this guitar was a Hendrixy. Maybe next time you could do it? Or are you too busy with the Spirits?

Thanks,
Hans



Hi Floyd, I'm starting to feel proud with your words... No EQ-issues this time! I really worked hard on that and watched a buch of YouTube videos to bring me closer to a solution. Apparently it worked. Only some adjustments on the leadguitar and, according to Robert, on the lyrics. These advices help me and I am grateful for that!




Hi Robert, thanks a lot for your kind words and advise. I just wrote Floyd I appreciate these kind of advises. And you are 'a crack' on lyrics. Who can help me more on that than you? Oh, I must not forget Ray. I always try to follow his advise, although i like teasing him a bit. Don't know why, but I do.
I will try to change the lyrics and make them more punchy, but it will take a while.



Hi Misha, thanks for your nice words. I was pretty sure we wouldn't disagree on the lyrics. But it was nice to (not) read about the EQ. So, I'm improving step by step. One day we make a song together!

Have a nice day,
Hans

We like EVERYTHING about it. The lyric and its message, the hook, the vocals, the band including the solo guitar. Great use of that RT!

The mix sounds fine on our monitors. The soundstage is excellent. Everything has its place. Great dynamics also.

Again, we really enjoyed our listens!

J&B

This has a groovy feel to it with nice guitar chops.

The lyrics say what many would like to say...

Excellent! Nice arrangement, great vocal, and can't argue with the lyrics.

As far as the mix goes, I think it's top notch. Love the way you panned those rhythm guitars.

I have to disagree with Floyd about the lead guitar, to my ears it's sitting in the mix just where it should be throughout most of the song, you could maybe drop it a couple db during the intro but other than that I like it.

Really good, Hans!

Hi everyone,

It were Robert and Floyd that made me decide to change a couple of things in the song. For Floyds' part I lowered the volume of the lead guitar. Robert gave me good hints on the lyrics (skip a lot of 'and', 'is', 'but's). I immediately changed all that in the lyrics. And that meant I had to sing everything again. While doing that in the chorusses I discovered something interesting. A way of singing like in gospelsongs. The background vocals repeat the last words of sentences. I never did that and I felt a bit uneasy doing it. Then I thought to let you decide if you like it or not...

And then I got these lovely replies:



Well, J&B, what a nice reply that is! I fantasized about the loudness on your monitors; 'you cranked them all to the top' you used to say. That must gave a lot of bassfeelings in your bellies...
Thanks a lot!



Hi Chris, we haven't met before I believe. I saw you delivered a new song on the forum. I will listen to it in a while.
Thanks for your reply. And yes I like baritonguitars in this kind of songs. I used 2.
And I am glad you liked the lyrics. I had some doubts putting this kind of song on the forum, but even we in the Netherlands have a lot of concerns how things go. And then we have to say some things about it (or sing it, in my case).

Hope to meet you again on the forum!



Hi Dave, I think you disagreed with Floyd while I already altered things in this song. Read my first sentences in this post. What you heared whas different from what Floyd heard. I think you both would agreed on the topic when I didn't do so.
but the other thing is appearently you like the chorusses as well. Floyd hadn't heard them. I think now he would like them too, don't you think so?
But thanks a lot for your nice and also encouraging words. No EQ-ing problems this time...

Thanks everyone and have a very nice day,
Hans

Cool tune Hans. Super vocal and backtrack. Just loved the intro. Well done

I liked the bluesy energy of this a lot. I think it's hard to write about politics in a song without coming off with a lot of awkward lyric lines. Certainly the Haight-Ashbury groups of the late sixties and others have done it well, but not always. One of my favorite groups from that time, Quicksilver, had a problem with awkward political lyric lines, IMHO. OTOH, Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane was so good at it he was nominated for a Pulitzer prize. I think you've done well and certainly the message sits well with me as I cannot stand the guy. I know many think he's great, even some Norwegian who nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, WTF? Well, good song, congrats, hope I haven't started a flame war.

Nice job, Hans. From the point of view of a conservative American, knowing that the world news in Holland paints a negative picture of current USA economic policy in Europe, just as it does here, is not surprising. Nederlandsche Bank is one of the owners of the Bank of International Settlements, (BIS,) the most powerful bank in the Western Hemisphere. Other major stockholders include the Federal Reserve Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Italy, Bank of Canada, and Swiss National Bank. You probably know, facilities that manufacture consumables, technology, medicine, steel, and many other components of the American economy were transferred to Asia, where wages and expenses are a fraction of what they are, here. This created a veritable bonanza for the international central banks, including our (foreign-owned) Federal Reserve, along with Nederlandsche Bank, (Dutch-owned) and others who bankrolled the development of the Asian Rim. As Vladimir Putin has put it, "The bankers' mistake was failing to include America's middle class in a share of the bounty." It's been on us. It's been a blast. Turn out the lights, Hans, the party's over.

Excellent combination of funk and blues. The solo guitar is very good selection. Great vocals and I really like the backing gospel vocal style. The lyrics are maybe bit too straightforward and aggressive to my taste, but anyway the message fits the style and in my mind raises again the question can a democratically elected person end democracy without his supporters opposing it...

Janne

Hans

Nice overall sound, vocal and the guitar was an inspired choice.

Peter

I like it, Hans. The mix sounds good to me. Love that guitar and the way you've done the choruses. The lyrics aren't subtle, but it's very difficult to be subtle about your protagonist.
Regards,
Leon

Hello Birchwood,

I loved the lyrics which reflect reality. Your arrangement lends itself perfectly to the content of your words. It's well thought out and well done.

Kindly

Dero13
alias JaniJackFlash

Hi Scott, sorry I mixed you up with Ray. You are the real Spirit levels! I hope I don't make these mistakes again. But thanks for your nice words on the song. Although I will come with a revised version. almost the same lyrics but other melody and setup.



Hi Tunemonger, I thank you for your very nice words and your history-view of bands and politics. I like reading these things. Think because my father was a teacher in History. But as I wrote to scott, I will come with a revised version of the song. One that made my feet tap! Oh, and I surely hope you started that flame war! What I heard is a bit scarry...



Hi Ed, we will never turn out the light until we're over! I think the dutch did and do a lot of less ethical things when it comes to trade. I sometimes feel ashamed on that. I still think I am not conservative, although I have some doubts. But conservative isn't allways bad. I like to dream how to reach a better, more equal life on earth, but that has a (too) long way to go. But let us hope on good times to come. And for your words on the song: I revised it and will post it shortly after answering these posts on the song. Thank you very much for your thoughts, Ed.



Hi Janne, thank you too for your nice comment on the song, although you mentioned the lyrics are a bit blunt, where I thought I was too polite. A nice difference in perspective, don't you think? But your last sentence is exactly what worries me the most these days. The division in the US weakens not only the US. And what can we do about that? I can't vote.



Hi Peter, thanks for these nice words. But as I said (above) I started to dislike the song myself. Not the lyrics of course. So I revised it. Take a listen if you like. Maybe you like that song too (?)



Hi Leon, thanks for what you said. And you said the same as Janne about the somewhat blunt lyrics. But that man beats me with nasty words. And I used words he used. I am glad you understood my 'protagonist' can't be treated subtle.



Hi Dero13, it was nice reading your comment. Still I changed the song because it started to bore me a little. Hope you have time and interest to listen to it and tell me what you think.

Thank you all for listening,
Hans

I gave a listen....

Musically....moves along pretty well and it worked well for my ears.
The mix was fine to me but I'm mixed a bit on the lead guitar volume that was mentioned.
But...that's getting down to a db or so which does not take away from the song at all.
The music/arrangement kept my attention throughout.
Vocals were expressive and delivered well.

Subject/lyrics.....I have no comments.

Well done...keep up the good work.

Carry on....