Inspired, or shamed, by my copper chalice with my Lichtenbergian coals here in front of my monitor, where it catches my eye like a flame on the edge of my consciousness, I spent yesterday looking over “Dream Land,” the young couple’s song from Day in the Moonlight. My goal was to finish it and make great strides with Fedallini’s “Catalog,” but all Lichtenbergians know how that went.
This morning I tightened up some harmonies, cut a few measures, squeezed in a few new lyrics, and I think it’s done now other than the constant second guessing.
The verses are cute and the chorus is very good. The bridge will serve. Hey, Mike, I’m assuming that we’re relying on the talent to make these songs work, right?
Here’s the PDF piano/vocal score, and here’s the mp3. Will it serve, do you think?
Not bad! But you’ve tackled the easy one first (which is appropriate). Now let’s see how you do with the anarchy that will be required of Groucho. As I recall, you got off to a rousing start with the song based loosely on “Lydia.” I’ll be interested to see how that gets carried through. You’ll need to throw in an unexpected banjo solo or a slide whistle or kazoo at some point. Or perhaps something even more daring and whimsical. Brutal hilarity that peels the skin off everyone, so Groucho can throw those dried husks onto the floor and dance on them.
Looks good on the first sight reading, but I’ll have to play it on the piano and sing along to really get the feel of it. My computer is running slow so I couldn’t download the mp3.
Great little ditty. I actually know someone with “Friends by the bucket, a yacht in Nantucket, Facing life unafraid, with dozens of maids”. I love it!
When I wrote the script, there is a disclaimer that says you can add or subtract anything as long as it’s funny. I’m sure we can carry that over into the songs.
For a second I could actually hear it coming out of a gramophone. Nicely done.
I like it a lot! I do feel like it may need an extra note or two, but my music theory isn’t good enough to elaborate. On first listen, I felt like there needed to be an extra beat in the line “Peaches and cream” (though I’m not advocating making it rhyme directly and doing something like “peaches and cream-land”- that just seems cheap, somehow), especially at the tempo on the MP3. It’s growing on me as-is, though, so maybe not. It really seems to fit the characters, and the overall feel of the song is dead on. Well done, sir.