Weather Girl
Episode #188: Weather Girl\xa0 \xa0 (Song starts at 3:48)\nBack in the day, when I wrote this one, there used to be a weather girl on TV after the news. She used to have a stick and point out the highs and the lows on a weather map.\nAlso back in the day I was getting to know a young lady. It was a little bit of an up and down time. I wasn\u2019t sure quite how a lunch date was going to go, from day to day.\nI guess looking back, we just weren\u2019t cut out to be together too easily. I found all the ups and downs and mood changes a handful. So I came up with the idea for a song: a weather girl\xa0 - with all the highs and the lows.\nIn August, 1991, when I wrote this one, I was living in New Zealand. Maybe it\u2019s to do with living on a small pacific island, looking back, the subject weather always came up quickly in conversation: \u201cNice day today..\u201d \u201cYes, but it\u2019s going to rain later this week\u201d , etc. Perhaps in the old days, with lots of living being done outdoors and near the ocean, one used to have a closer eye once weather.\nAs a kid, I remember when I stayed with my Dad, the silence required when the news came on\u2026and then even more so when the weather report came on. He used to be a farmer\u2026\nOther New Zealanders have written a song about the weather. Neil Finns Weather With You, Dave Dobbyns Outlook For Tuesday are great examples.\nAs I chat about where the song came from, I relate an account of me cycling into the winter weather \u2026and so on. Yep, weather had quite an effect on us New Zealanders.\nAnyway. Weather Girl turned out to be a nice gentle gentle pop song. It was a pleasure to record a version as part of this podcast episode. I think I\u2019ll take it further and produce a finished version of it.\nI wrote the words first, as I often did then. These days words and music often comes through at the same time. I\u2019ve started to become quite a handy secretary - it\u2019s part of the songwriting gig: catching the words and the music as they come through together.\nIt\u2019s like the phrases are instantly recorded in my mind and I\u2019m able to rewind and play the section in my mind as I play and sing along, writing the words and the melody.\nThe natural rhythms of the syllables of the words really dictate proceedings when it comes to the phrasing of the melody.\nAnd likewise, natural seems to be the key, keeping in the flow, when I let my fingers wander on the keys.\nI keep all the theory in mind and just play. It really is like having all the colours at hand and combining them as I paint a picture.\nWith the words already written, it\u2019s like the picture is half done. Well, there\u2019s plenty of other elements, bass melody, rhythm, etc. but the main thing is there: the feeling.\nA bit of background /behind the scenes news: I have 5 albums coming along nicely, presently. Including the first \u2018songs from the podcast \u2018 album, #1. It\u2019s all coming together well.\nI am juggling a lot of other things on a weekly basis:\xa0 24 piano students in 2 days, arts markets, seascape painting, producing prints, my blog, and this podcast. I also have a YouTube channel, but I\u2019ve been a bit quiet there lately. More coming soon.\nI hope you enjoy this episodes song, 'Weather Girl'. It\u2019s a warm sounding wee song.\nIt was fun having a look at how this song came together.\nHere we go. I hope you enjoy another song and some relaxed chat.