Soul Yo Yo
Episode #193: Soul Yo-Yo\xa0 \xa0 \xa0(Song starts at 5:08)\nEver wondered about all the personal ups and downs we have and how\xa0- in some of the more extreme moments - we seem to bring to light aspects of ourselves we perhaps don\u2019t regularly access? I wonder why we wait for those times of crises to express and act on more of our potential?\nThat was the inspiration for the words of song #43 Soul Yo-Yo, Written in 1998. \u2018We\u2019re barely in touch with our souls, closest to them in our pain\u2019\nWhen I arrived in Melbourne (from NZ, back in 1997), it was quite an adjustment to make, living in the big city.\nThe normal ensuing ups and downs of settling into somewhere new resulted in me writing a lot in a diary - some of which, in turn, found it\u2019s way into lyrics for my songs as I found my way along.\nI was lucky. I found gigs relatively straightaway and, after a while, I started a stall at the arts market selling my CDs and art (which I still do today).\nIn between gigs and markets, sometimes life in the city was quite challenging. Seeing people who were homeless as I took the tram to a gig (where I entertained in the shiny environment, performing for clientele with plenty of money to buy dinner) played on my mind.\nAlso, I missed the easily accessible NZ outdoors, where I was used to heading for several times a week to help cope with city life: \u2018The country feeds my soul\u2019.\nLooking at the bigger picture, the lyrics touch on the idea of perhaps doing a bit of work on the self regularly: \u2018It\u2019s soul money in the bank\u2019\nI was without a band at the time & I was in the process of trying to find some players for a rock band (And I did - Pete Pascoe and the Patient Hum - I\u2019m busy finishing our 3rd album, presently).\nSo I wrote Soul Yo-Yo for a non existent band, planning to present it sometime in the future (it\u2019s in the genre of a lively crowded house song).\nI was determined to be making progress in some way. By doing this, I was sort of laying down stepping stones for a possible future. An exercise in self belief, determination -\xa0in effect, acting in faith, that it would all come together, somehow.\nThe demo on this episode was recorded back in 2000. I\u2019d gone into a studio with my electric piano and my voice, and recorded the current group of song (I\u2019d completely forgotten about this recording session until I put my hand in a box of old recordings and pulled out a CD\u2026this is song number 5 row 14 recorded \u2018on the trot\u2019 one afternoon).\nOn the recording, you can hear a younger me, playing and singing in a style that would suit a band arrangement.\nI think perhaps I\u2019ll present this one to the band in the new year and see how it goes. If it doesn\u2019t suit us, I\u2019ll might put it on a sort of \u201880s synth rock\u2019 album, which I have brewing.\nWith this sort of back story as a kind of a backdrop, I hope you enjoy the show, listening as I analyse the lyrics and look at how the music came together for 'Soul Yo-Yo'.\nThe creative process of songwriting is such a joy. Exploring 'Soul Yo-Yo' has brought more of that to the surface again on this episode.\nIt\u2019s such good fun to be producing the episodes for this podcast. It\u2019s my online \u2018songwriter speaks\u2019 sort of a presentation.\nSo here\u2019s another song, several interrelated stories and concepts - all delivered with a liberal dose of humour and with some piano accompaniment.\nEnjoy (and by the way, if you\u2019re new here, welcome! If you enjoy this episode, there\u2019s another 192 listen to!)\nBlog:\xa0www.petepascoe.Wordpress.com