I'll Build My Church on Classic Rock

Hey, mogpeeps! Sorry for the extended absence, but explaining it would just bore you, probably. I missed you lunatics, though (and I say "lunatics" very fondly).



Anyway, a few of you might remember a work-in-progress I posted an embarrassingly long time ago (http://mog.com/zarpex/blog/135099), a song of mine called "Classic Rock," which has been quite maddeningly slow going. It's still not quite done yet, incredibly, but it's a LOT closer. Among the qualms I expressed at the time I shared it were: 1) the key was wrong. 2) I was completely disheartened by my efforts at arranging strings, brass and male choir. 3) the bridge was half as long as it needed to be. 4) the lyrics were good, but I still wasn't quite happy with all of them..

Well, the key has been adjusted to a more manageable one, I found a significantly better arranger (although we don't have the brass and male choir parts together quite yet), the bridge is now exactly what I'd been struggling for, and the lyrics are much more satisfying (with the exception of one line that I think I'll go back to the earlier version of). And we've added a guitar part I'm quite pleased with (although the bass part I have some quibbles with -- a bit too obviously McCartney-ish, I think.)

So hey; it might be a few more months before this thing is really finally ready. And do bear in mind, please, that this was a rough mix thrown together onto a CD in (literally) three minutes, just so I could have it to listen to and think of changes it would still need.

But that said -- I think it's got promise. Here are the lyrics:



"Classic Rock"

This means something

Or it used to mean something

Where’s Big Star?

Where’s UFO?

Where’s Hendrix?

I miss them so



Underrate them

You'd line up to fellate them





J. Geils

Blue Öyster Cult

The Yardbirds



I pledge my faith to classic rock

Won’t someone please turn back the clock?

Bring back that golden age

Those tears of rage

When the madhouse stood unlocked

Have lots of kids

See that they’re raised on classic rock



Hunky Dory

Its unparalleled glory

Still moves us

We feel it stir

The heroes

We almost were



But John Mayer?

Is there anything gayer?

Gnarls Barkley

The Raconteurs

God help us



I'll build my church on classic rock

Vampire Weekend, suck my cock!

Just put on Who Are You

Or Zeppelin II

I’m in anaphylactic shock

Just look at jazz

What might become of classic rock?



Are you confused?

Or withdrawn?

Do you ask what went wrong

When you hear the crap that kids listen to?

Is there a need

Down inside

Going unsatisfied?

I was once like you



Page & Clapton

I was there when it happened

What power

What quiet grace

What genius

Have we misplaced?



It’s not hidden

There are still songs unwritten

Let's write one

It’s not too late

We'll write one



Let us draw strength from classic rock

We can fight back or we can talk

Ours is to fill the void

Where stood Pink Floyd

And the sanctities we’ve mocked

Raise high your Bics

Light our way back to classic rock



By the way; the "You'd line up to fellate them" line is the one I'm probably going to change back to "But we all imitate them." And by the way, I don't know if it's my own tech-cluelessness, but I can't figure out how to attach MP3's here, so I'm afraid I'll have to direct you to the (virtually identical) post I just left on MOG, which can be found at http://mog.com/zarpex/blog/1212096