Far Away Country
During the last years so many people became refugees as they have been bombed out of their villages and cities. Others left their countries because chances to find jobs and to feed families are minimal. They all hope to find peace, safety and a chance to have a good life mainly in Western societies. I was shocked by images of so much suffering. Even more so by xenophobia and racism shown by many in those wealthy countries. Since long foresighted people (scientists, philosophers, wise politicians) have warned of migration waves from underprivileged countries and cultural wars. No way, I could not write a song about this. I was too much moved. My race is part of the problem. We need to recognize and understand our part in this disaster. We need to show more empathy.
Yarmouk
Aeham Ahmad, a classical pianist from Syria, wanted to give his people little moments of joy and hope when he pushed his piano onto the streets of war stricken Yarmouk – a suburb of Damaskus. When the shelling stopped for a while he played music to the children and adults who came out of the ruins and rubble to listen. Ahmad was threatened by IS and his piano destroyed. He was rescued and brought to Germany, now hoping his family can follow. This story has to be told.
Leaf Blower Anthem
Who isn’t annoyed by the early morning noise of leaf blowers? This is probably one of the most needless tools mankind has ever invented. It is loud, it stinks, it wastes petrol, it turns men into idiots blowing leaves from left to right. As I very much like satire I needed to write this song. Everyone I have introduced this song to just with my acoustic guitar suggested that this needed to be recorded and send around. So here it is.
Sammy So-What
Oh, how I dislike irresponsible and ignorant people! There are lots of them around. It is all about them. They litter, park in front of your drive way so you can’t get out, leave their motors running while going shopping etc. For them it is always someone else’s fault and they get grumpy when you tell them. They don’t think and don’t care. This cries for another bit of musical satire. My protagonist is called Sammy. He might even sit on a train track to read his newspaper just because…The song takes a cheeky path to tell his story.
Fear
We are driven by fear at some stage. We often worry and fear. Fear is the base for many decisions. Fear is a tool to make us behave in a certain way. It is used widely by family members, partners, friends, colleagues, politicians and the church. We strive for happiness but we are busy to fight fear. I studied psychology and I coach. We need to create awareness of this limiting emotion. Hence this song.
From time to time my good friend Tom McPartland sends me one of his poems to see whether I can use it for a song. I then see whether I hear a song when reading the poem. The result is a number of bluesy, black humor songs. The conclusion is about a man’s finding that his love rather wants to get rid of him. Not suitable for children under 18.
The Dripper
I never understood why men’s toilets have to have yucky floors around the urinals. It doesn’t matter where man goes – simple toilets in public, pubs, shopping centers and even in 5-star hotels and resorts – everywhere representatives of my species seem not to be able to score well. This is so embarrassing. No wonder I felt the need to process my astonishment in satirical song style.
The Blues walked out on me
This is the 2nd piece of the black humor song series. I don’t really like pop style love songs. So I thought it is time to write an anti-love song. Perfect for a songwriter with a liking for satire and black humor. Sing along the chorus with me.
The Politician
Politicians are a funny species. They seem to annoy us, the People a lot. It seems difficult to figure out what is it exactly they do. This is another perfect topic for a satirical song. We placed the story into Mediterranean scenery.
I wish you time
This song is based on a German poem from Petra Glaeser which one of my sisters emailed to me in 2014. I started to work on it but it took a while until I liked the build-up of the song and the way I played it on guitar. My swinging finger-picking style did first not suit the theme. I had to slow down. In times of increasing stress, pressure and uncertainty, growing demand in wellness products this theme hits the nail on its head. Listen and forward it to all those you think could do with a bit of time to relax and reflect.