The Same Game
b"Episode #167: The Same Game\\xa0 (Song starts at: 3:50) \\nAfter focusing on the lyrics for the majority of last week\\u2019s episode, as it turns out, here, we are mostly looking at the music composition of song # 672, 'The Same Game'.\\nThe lyrics are about that moment when you finally arrive home after a long day out and about. Maybe a candle is lit, some relaxing music is put on, then you sit back and think about everything that happened in the day. We go through a lot each day, us humans -\\xa0with our interactions and commitments, the unexpected things that happen.\\nUltimately as we go through our lives, we are all doing and learning as we go along ~ playing the same game, in effect.\\nI found some video of Paul Dredge and I constructing the music together from scratch. I\\u2019ve edited the audio from the video into sections and offer insights into what\\u2019s happening at each stage of the co-songwriting process.\\n So on this episode, you get to be in the room with us back in 2017, as we work together, composing what turned out to be the 2nd song on the album 'The Untrodden Track' (folk rock).\\nListening back, this is actually a great example of how Paul and I write together.\\nIt\\u2019s fascinating to listen to how a song can take shape and transform in such a short time.\\nIt\\u2019s takes a lot of trust and mutual respect to write a song with another person. It\\u2019s one thing to let go and \\u2018play\\u2019 when you\\u2019re in a room by yourself. You allow each other the freedom to make the mistakes, laugh and then carry on.You also have to have absolute faith in the other person\\u2019s ability and freedom in the moment.\\nA feature of working together is: there is a performance element that comes into play. Well, there is for Paul and I, having played 1000s of gigs together, we push each other on as we go along and this lifts the whole energy.\\nThere\\u2019s a natural give and take between us as we allow time and space for each other\\u2019s strengths to come into play - and the unexpected turns one might take is supported by the other, much like theatre sports.\\nIt may turn out to be cul de sac, but worth exploring nonetheless. It may turn out to be the whole chorus, or an apparent dead end moment may end up leading us on to a whole unthought of arrangement idea.\\nWe did eventually come to a full stop the original title, which was 'Second Chance'. We completely discarded lines like these: \\nit\\u2019s never too late to turn around in the dance\\nHaven\\u2019t we all got a second chance? \\nOn reflection, perhaps these lines are a little cliched, clumsy and trite, so editing them out in the moment was the right thing to do,\\nOr\\u2026 maybe it\\u2019s not such a full stop - I could now choose to write another song, 'Second Chance', with and edited version of these lyrics\\xa0 - and maybe I will. \\nThat\\u2019s the nature of the creative flow: you just keep on moving along and go with the flow. Which is really a case of just constantly learning by making mistakes and moving on - again,\\xa0 it\\u2019s a lot like life, then: 'The Same Game' we are all playing. \\nSo the title and the lyrics ring true, then. It all comes down to the story\\u2026 just like making a movie, story is number #1. \\nThis is the most \\u2018pop rock- ish\\u2019 sort of song on the album, 'The Untrodden Track'. The album cut is the version you\\u2019ll here on this episode\\xa0 - plus you\\u2019ll hear the audio of pretty much the whole song improvised live, in pieces, as it\\u2019s taking shape.\\nOk , welcome to the songwriting room. Grab a coffee. It\\u2019s mid-morning in Melbourne in 2017 and we\\u2019ve just had some breakfast.\\nPaul has picked up his guitar and I have a page of lyrics in my hand, ready to \\u2018wing\\u2019 a melody along with his music.\\nHere we go. Enjoy!"