Righto

Episode #215: Righto (Song starts at 4:10) It struck me tonight as I recorded this episode, how grateful I am to be doing this. It is such a buzz, letting the song lead the way as I look at the creative process of how a song comes together. Don’t worry, you don’t need to have any musical theory up your sleeve to enjoy the show. I believe the creative domain is an inclusive one. The more the merrier. Ok Righto, song #262 was written in 1993. The recording you’ll hear on this episode became the title track for the album Righto. You can find it here www.petepascoe.bandcamp.com We wrote it in a beautiful place called the Bay of Islands - we being Paul Dredge and myself. We had a van, we were on the road, on holiday - and we were making some music, as usual. Paul had an old ovation guitar. It had a broken neck from memory. Someone had glued back together. He picked up for next to nothing so it became his ‘on the road’ knock about instrument. I’d written the words first. There’s a very up sort of vibe about this song. Before I’d finished saying to Paul “I have in mind, a some sort of Dave Dobbyn ish ‘up’ song”, away he went, strumming away with serious energy on his guitar. Going with moment - when energy flows like this, you go with it - I opened my mouth an winged the melody. And very quickly we had another new song. Being Grateful became a bit of theme on this episode. I’m extremely for grateful for the longevity of the song writing relationship and friendship I have with Paul dredge. We are putting the finishing touches to our next album right now, in 2024. Righto was written 30 odd years ago. That amazes me. What amazes me about this demo is the very up, fresh energy. Much like the country I wrote the lyrics about : New Zealand. The lyrics are a series of observations about what made the country I was born and raised in a great place to be. This song is not a piano vocal ballad. It wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Paul. But then it wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t sung it …or written the lyrics in the first place. It’s great thing to write songs with someone. Well, in my experience, it is. Paul and I have a very easy going manner when it comes to creating a song together. It comes from, I think, perhaps, hours and hours of flying hours, spent gigging.Thousands of gigs. Which we loved. So we’ve carried on writing songs and recording them together after all these years. It’s something we both love. Arranging songs is such fun. And we mage it, even though we are in different countries. Righto is an interesting one. You wouldn’t put much piano on it. So in the studio, I played sparsely, the odd sort of a piano lick, around Paul’s harmonica and a few chords in the choruses. So it’s good to be aware of what to leave out. It’s the same with sing writing: often, less is more. This song doesn’t have a bridge. It didn’t need one. It would have just got in the way of the straight forward presentation. Ok , hope you enjoy hearing about how Righto came together. Very grateful to have you reading this, and having a listen . Enjoy. You can find the lyrics here www.petepascoe.wordpress.com search for righto. Pete

Om Podcasten

Be entertained with a song and an extended chat, ranging from off the cuff banter/humour to life observations and song analysis. Welcome to Song and a Chat. This is the podcast where you'll have the pleasure of listening to a new song each week - plus, you'll get to step into the shoes of a songwriter : You'll hear about the background of the song, the inspiration, how/ why the song came into being.  After the song finishes, I'll go over the lyrics and finish each episode by looking at the song from a songwriting point of view. If you just want the song and no talk, the time where the song kicks in will be in the title of each episode. Hi, my name is Pete Pascoe. I am a performer and composer - I love lyrics and I love a melody. I play piano and sing. I have a number of albums to my name.  I have written over 800 songs. Of course, not all of these songs I written will make it onto an album. As a songwriter, the first step for a new song is ( or was ) to record a demo. Often you catch something unique in this demo - something that is often not replicated in the studio cut....a certain feeling.  If you're looking to be entertained, like listening to new songs and live recordings, I hope you'll enjoy what's on offer here. I have a stack of demos from which I'm sharing one on a weekly basis. Plus I relate anecdotes about my life as a piano man, from around the time each song was written. I treat each show as a mini intimate concert - with extended chat, which ranges from off the cuff banter/humour to life observations and analysis. The idea is : the song can be listened to for pleasure in its own right, or the listener may choose to also be entertained and informed by the story around the song.  I'm really enjoying recording these podcasts. Each week I look forward to getting behind the mic, setting aside my current musical and artistic projects and casting my mind back in time by focussing on a song I've composed. It's turning out to be a satisfying - and sometimes surprising - time of reflection and discovery for me.  The lyrics and the recordings take me straight back to when the song was written. Gain an insight into songwriting and listen to a series of snapshots of life of a songwriter / performer / artist.  It's a great way for me to archive a song and it's 'back story'. Music is to be shared. What point is there In having five songbooks and piles of demos gathering dust?  I welcome feedback - whether you're tuning in to enjoy music for music's sake, you enjoy finding out about the origins of songs, you're looking for tips on songwriting or perhaps you've got tips for me. Either way, I'll be learning plenty as I go along. Thanks for a having a read. Come on and join me for a listen.