Posts Tagged ‘songwriter’

Why my song, “Out Of My Mind” took 40+ years to write!!

Posted: May 29, 2016 in music, songwriting
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Enjoy “OUT OF MY MIND” on Youtube!
In the early months of 1975 I started a new song on my piano titled “Let It Ride”! Let It Ride was a popular phrase at that time that refers to just letting go of a situation you can’t change. The song it is a story about a guy who failed at love and how painful the memories are when he sees his former girlfriend on the street!
Verse 1 has stayed pretty much the same over the years.
I SAW YOU THE OTHER DAY AND
THOSE OLD FEELINGS OF LOVE RETURNED
I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED THE OTHER WAY
TO REMEMBER THE LESSON I LEARNED
BUT AGAIN I LET THE THOUGHT OF YOU
TEARS ME TO SHREADS INSIDE
I JUST CAN’T LET IT RIDE NO
I JUST CAN’T LET IT RIDE
Verse 2 has gone through many changes over the years but basically had this form until recently
IT WAS COLD THAT EARLY FALL
WHEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU
IT SEEMED AS THOUGH WE HAD IT ALL
TILL YOU LEFT WITHOUT LEAVING A CLUE
IT WAS MY MISTAKE TO THINK YOU LOVED ME
WHEN I KNEW THE TRUTH INSIDE
I JUST CAN’T LET IT RIDE NO
I JUST CAN’T LET IT RIDE
Originally there was only a musical bridge with no words.
In 1989, I presented the song for critique when I took a songwriting semester taught by the late legendary songwriter, Jack Segal! In fact he recommended the line “TILL YOU LEFT WITHOUT LEAVING A CLUE”! I honestly can’t remember what was there before but I am sure it probably was more cliché’ – a bad songwriting habit I had at that time. Jack liked the song but felt it still needed some work so I put it on the back burner.
Over the years I made several attempts to fix the song like changing the title to “Let It Slide” but there are 2 lines in Verse 2 that I have never been happy with:
“IT WAS MY MISTAKE TO THINK YOU LOVED ME WHEN I KNEW THE TRUTH INSIDE” – the phrasing never seemed right to me so I would set it on the back shelf again.
Very often, for some reason, lyrics come to me when I am in the shower!! Last week, as I was singing the song, out of my mouth came two new lines for that section!
“I THOUGHT I FOUND SOMEONE WHO WOULD ALWAYS LOVE ME – NOW LONELINESS IS ALL I CAN FIND” With a new last rhyme from INSIDE to FIND – it now occurred to me a new title was needed and within minutes I replaced “I JUST CAN’T LET IT RIDE” with “I CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND”!! I GOT SO EXCITED! I also decided to put some hope into the lyric by adding 2 lines where my musical bridge had been “ONE DAY SOON I WILL BE HAPPY AGAIN”!
The song was finally finished after 41 long years!!
I’ve been told that I am a persistent person – I guess believing in this song for 41 years proves that  I am!
Enjoy “OUT OF MY MIND” on Youtube! https://youtu.be/BxBat8mkOWE 
Dave
OUT OF MY MIND
© 2016 by Dave Colvin – Arnybarn Music (BMI)
Final lyric : VERSE 1
I SAW YOU THE OTHER DAY AND
THOSE OLD FEELINGS FOR YOU RETURNED
I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED THE OTHER WAY
TO REMEMBER THE LESSON I LEARNED
BUT AGAIN I LET THE THOUGHT OF YOU
TEAR ME TO SHREDS INSIDE NOW
I CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND, NO
I CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND

VERSE 2
IT WAS COLD THAT EARLY FALL
WHEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU
IT SEEMED AS THOUGH WE HAD IT ALL
TILL YOU LEFT WITHOUT LEAVING A CLUE
THOUGHT I FOUND SOMEONE WHO WOULD ALWAYS LOVE ME
NOW LONELINESS IS ALL I CAN FIND
I CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND, NO
I CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND

BRIDGE
ONE DAY SOON
I WILL BE HAPPY AGAIN

½ VERSE 3
BUT FOR NOW I’M LETTING THE THOUGHT OF YOU
TEAR ME TO SHREDS INSIDE CAUSE
I CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY
SOMETINES I THINK THAT I’M LOSING MY
GOT TO GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND
OUT OF MY MIND

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OUT MY WINDOW

Posted: April 27, 2016 in Hemophilia, songwriting, Uncategorized
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In the late 1980’s – early 1990’s I took four “semesters” of songwriting classes when we lived in the San Fernando Valley area in Los Angeles. I took 2 “semesters” with Jack Segal and 2 with Jason Blume. The one thing both recommended is to “write what you know”! In other words, if you know nothing about being a sailor, writing a song about that would be a struggle if not impossible.
I had also been given this advice by some very kind music publishers from Nashville when I was pitching songs to them in the early 1980’s. So around 1980 I wrote a song called “Out My Window” – a story about a person lay up in a hospital bed unable to walk. Because of my hemophilia, I had spent many weeks and months in such a bed in Decatur and Macon County Hospital in Decatur, IL.
davejudyhosp This photo is me and my sister, Judy in 1972 when I spent many weeks in the hospital because of a swollen left knee that wouldn’t heal.

Another such incident is chronicled in this excerpt from my upcoming auto-biography:
“Second grade, fall of 1962, was life changing. Again, we started the year walking to school. Nine days into the school year I was swinging on our home swing set. In hind sight, after having grown some in height, , the chains to the swings should have been adjusted to raise the seat higher off the ground.

            I used to love to swing as high as I could – each time trying to see over the top of the swing set as I rose on the back side. I would often swing very high and then on the down swoop – jump straight ahead into the grass. It felt as if I was flying!

This particular day, as I pumped my leg on the up swing to increase my speed, my right leg somehow caught on the ground underneath me and my right knee twisted horribly. This is kind of hard to write about as I can still feel the excruciating pain in my mind. Mom used to say she heard me cry out and immediately her heart seemed to stop.

I limped from the swing set into the house crying. My right knee had already started to swell. It wasn’t broken, but it didn’t need to be. With hemophilia, strains of any sort can cause bleeding into the joint, whether in an elbow, knee, hip or ankle.

Mom and Dad rushed me to the hospital where I would spend the rest of the year in and out of – sometimes for 30 days at a time. I can still remember the doctor saying I might never walk again. Well, he didn’t know me! I would show him!”

In all my years of writing songs before 1980 and since, the song, “Out My Window” is the only song that speaks on the subject of my bleeding disorder – though I do not refer to it by name. Another rule of lyric writing is to make the lyric as universal as possible – so I only refer to being in a bed and not being able to walk. Hopefully that will resonate with folks that have had a similar experience or know someone who has been bed ridden – only being able to look out the window hoping to one day return to walking!

A recent music video with lyric of OUT MY WINDOW (click link) is posted on Youtube!

Song cut for “You Are Living On”

Posted: April 6, 2016 in Country Music, songwriting
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Living On CoverI  have been writing songs for 50 years! I have been pitching my songs to other artists, labels, publishers etc. for about 40 years! Now,  one of my songs that I wrote by myself, has been recorded by a professional recording artist!

Norwegian Artist – Nina Flaaseth’s CD,“Living On” is now available to download on most digital distribution sites! It includes my 1st solo-written cut “You Are Living On”! (Track 9) Excited for this wonderful traditional Country musician/singer and thankful to Nina for adding my song to her CD! Nina even titled her CD, “Living On”, inspired by the song!

You can download the CD below or just the song on Amazon here: Nina Flaaseth: “You Are Living On” it is also available on iTunes ! To buy the CD, pm Nina on her Facebook page !

I think if there is a picture in the dictionary by the word “persistent” it just might be my picture! Ha! Actually, it is more that I LOVE music and just kept trying and trying!

To have my first solo write get cut be my song, “You Are Living On”, holds special meaning to me. Written after the death of my father-in-law in 2008 – just under 3 years after the passing of both of my parents, I needed to express my feelings! Then, my brother passed in January of this year – so this song means a lot to me – totally written from the heart! All those songwriting classes teach you to “write what you know” – it is such good advice!

Never give up any dream you may have! Please feel free to share this post! Thanks!
Dave

My years performing at The Decatur Celebration!

Posted: August 2, 2015 in Celebration, Decatur, Hemophilia, Illinois, music
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daverainedout 2007

2007 RAINED OUT

2008 Sun in my Face

2008 Sun in my Face

2009 singing to tracks after getting over a broken elbow!

2009 singing to tracks after getting over a broken elbow!

2010 - favorite year

2010 – favorite year

From 2007-2011 I was blessed to have been invited to perform each year at the Decatur Celebration in Decatur, Illinois! As they get ready to head into the 30th year anniversary next weekend of the annual street festival, I think back fondly on the experience – even the first year I got rained out!
Regardless of the year, it literally takes a village (my family) to get me up on that stage! I sang on a relatively small stage set up for local performers that was called the Mini Place Stage, later changed to the Street Jam Stage. Between Debbie nervously making sure I didn’t fall and my son-in-law and brother-in-law helping me up and down the 4 stairs on the side of the stage, I could not have done it without my family! Each year friends I’ve known since childhood would take the time to come see and hear me sing – that has meant so much to me!
My song, “My Decatur My Hometown” had gotten some local press that initially brought about my invitation to perform. I had put together a CD of my original songs called “HOME” and our daughter, Meredith, ran the “Merch Table” selling that as well as t-shirts we had made up. 2009 Celebration merch table

2007 Rained Out!

2007 Rained Out!

Each year was special! In 2007 I was 5 minutes from getting on stage when the clouds opened up and it rained, heavily, for two hours!! Never made it to stage that year!

2008 Sun in my Face

2008 Sun in my Face

In 2008 the sun was in my face most of the time but I did get interviewed by the Herald & Review newspaper regarding the rained out year and my song about Decatur!

2009 singing to tracks after getting over a broken elbow!

2009 singing to tracks after getting over a broken elbow!

2009 I had just healed from a broken left elbow so I sang most of the songs to the music tracks recorded here in Nashville! I did play two songs on the guitar but didn’t feel I could play the whole show! 2009 ended special as well with my wife Debbie, my sister Judy, her husband Rich, my cousin Bryan and his son Tony joining me on stage as the Colvinnaires to sing “My Decatur My Hometown”!

2009 Colvinnaires

2009 Colvinnaires

2010 - favorite year

2010 – favorite year

My favorite year was 2010. They had moved the stage from in front of The Arts Council building to over by The Avon Theater. It seemed more wide open – folks could sit on the grass or at the couple of picnic tables. The stage had a little shade roofing it had not had before. The temperature was warm but not hot as it was the other years.

HOT 2011 final performance at the Celebration

HOT 2011 final performance at the Celebration

After barely getting through the extreme hot temps of 2011 and cutting my performance short by about 10 minutes, I felt it was probably time to call an end to performing. It was getting more difficult getting me up on stage and more difficult getting through a set that I use to be able to perform much longer and more easily!  My elbows were swelling more frequently adding to my decision.    2011 Dave and Debbie

So after a final local performance in Brentwood, TN. (another outdoors- in the heat situation) in August of 2011, I’ve not performed since save for a talent show appearance at our church!
I had surgery on my right elbow in 2012 and just had surgery on the left! Now that both elbows are fixed – maybe we can find some indoor venues where I can more easily share my music?
I will always, however, be grateful and thankful for my years playing at The Decatur Celebration and thankful to my family and friends for helping me do what I love doing!
I have the whole half hour show from my fave year of 2010 here from Youtube for you to watch if you like!
Filmed by Lewis Marien with a little help from his family! 🙂

Why Is Katy Perry in the lyric of my new ukulele song?

Posted: October 18, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Why Is Katy Perry in the lyric of my new ukulele song?
I recently bought myself a ukulele with birthday money my two sisters sent me! Within a few hours I had learned enough chords to play “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and posted it on YouTube! It got several views!

One morning recently I was watching “Good Morning America” and they were promoting a contest where high schools could submit a video to the tune of Katy Perry’s new single, “Roar”. As she got out of the car, she walked down through fans who were behind a rope line. At one point she stopped at a guy who had his cell phone and quickly took a “Selfie” of the two of them! He seemed ecstatic!

Well, that scene got me to thinking about how cell phone cameras have changed our lives! We can share each event, big or small, in our life! We can snap photos at car accidents, other events – remember all those videos and stills taken at the Boston Marathon tragedy?

So, later that day I was practicing and still learning my ukulele. As a songwriter, one of the best ways to learn how to play a new
instrument is to write songs with the new chords learned! So as I was playing around on it I started singing…”I’m gonna take a Selfie….ummm….when I get to meet Katy Perry…” “How fun”, I thought!
So I continued and ended up with this lyric and song called, “SELFIE”
I hope you enjoy the song and please feel free to comment or share this blog post or the song with your friends!
Musically yours!
Dave Colvin


SELFIE
© 2013 by Dave Colvin
VERSE 1
I’m gonna take a Selfie
On the day I meet Katy Perry
A picture of us both smiling oh so sweet
Friends online will give it a million re-tweets
On the day I meet Katy Perry
I’ll take a selfie
VERSE 2
Yes, I’m gonna take a selfie
On the day my love and I marry
Use InstaGram so all the world can see
How happy two people could possibly be
On the day my love and I marry
I’ll take a selfie
BRIDGE
I am so glad there’s now a camera in my phone
And with access to the ‘net
We can share life’s big events with everyone
(instrumental)
VERSE 3
I’m gonna take a Selfie
On the day of the birth of our baby
Post it on my page for all our friends to see
How happy together are we three
On the day of the birth of our baby
On the day my love and I marry
Even On the day I meet Katy Perry
I’ll take a selfie
I’ll take a selfie
I’ll take a selfie