Lionel Tender
Tips on Song Writing – Creating the Theme
CREATING THE THEME
written by Apple Beam London Recording Studio
Songwriters have always wanted to write lyrics that connect with people. As a result, the most widely used theme’s have been done over and over. Love, poverty, romance etc are subjects that most people know about, so we get to hear these told in many different ways, so how do you give people what they can identify with, yet not get them what they’ve heard before?
Saying something that’s been said before in a new or original way is the answer, but it’s also hard to do! Instead of saying, "I want you back", Toni Braxton said, "Unbreak My Heart". Instead of saying, "I love you", Ne-Yo's song "When You're Mad" explains how he loves her even when she's mad.
Approaching a subject in this way can mean the difference between a tired subject or a fresh angle on a common theme.
Theme's that usually work best are those that engage the emotion of the listener, the reason "love and relationships" is so popular in music is because most people think about those subjects a lot, and understandably like to listen to music that communicates their inner fears/hope/experiences.
CHOOSING A TITLE
A good title should be instantly memorable, it should put a picture in your mind of an event or situation and it should lend itself to a catchy melody, or one that's suitable for your music style.
A good title will naturally lend itself to a catchy hook, finding that title can be hard, especially when so many songs have been released over the decades ... how can you find a new one?!
One way is to keep your "antenna up", as Lionel Richie puts it. Be aware of what people are saying around you, and if you’re writing for a teen market, take a look at teen magazines, if it's urban you want, then check out urban mags. Words and phrases are everywhere ... you just need to pick up on them when they come!
Finding a title that paints a picture all on it's own is also very important because it will create a deeper connection with the listener. The best songs create images in the listeners mind or evoke an emotion, your title will help achieve this.
Elton John's "Sorry seems to be the hardest word" instantly evokes an emotion that can be identified by all of us ... a time where we have experienced how hard it can be to say sorry even though we know we should!
The opening line of a song can be very important too. In fact, the first line can tell the whole story if crafted well. Take the “ The Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Loving Feeling”. The opening line is:
“You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.”
Right away we can see the picture. We know she is still with him but doesn’t feel what she once did. We also know he is sad about it and perhaps hasn’t wanted to bring the subject up, assuming he is a sensitive person who craves ‘tenderness’. The ‘scene’ that is created with that one line is so clear it could be a movie scene you once saw. That is a powerful lyric!
A few other operners of note:
"Hello, Darkness, my old friend"
Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence
"I was dreaming when I wrote this"
Prince's "1999
"There must be some kind of way out of here, said the joker to the thief"
Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower"
"Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine"
Patti Smith's "Gloria
Don't call it a comeback"
LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR : This article is written by Apple Beam London Recording Studio
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About the Author
Full time producer for http://www.applebeam.co.uk/brightonrecordingstudio.htm
Lionel Tender
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Lionel #681 Locomotive 6-8-6; what is the CORRECT tender number?
Hmmmmmmmm
Well, expressed as 6-8-6, this is the common notation for wheel arrangement, although I've never seen or heard of a 6-8-6. The 'Allegheny' class of steam engines had a six wheel trailing truck under the firebox, however.
As far as any engine numbers are concerned it is dependent on which railroad the engine is modeled after, and even then the numbers can vary as many locomotives were renumbered from time to time.
But, if the locomotive is numbered 681, as in your case. the tender would carry the same number. Many engines carried the number under the cab windows, and/or on the tender, or on the tender alone.
So, which railroad are we talking about? If you have that info and can pass it along a better answer to your question can be had.
By way of example, the IC ran a '600' series of locos, including #638, which was assigned at one time to one J. L. Jones, aka 'Casey'. This was not the engine he was killed on, although it was the last number in this class on the Water Valley district, a 2-8-0, with this wheel arrangement commonly known as a 'consolidation'.