Song of the Week Nov 10 - Nov 16: Sets Of Two

This edition of SOTW has personal meaning for me. Why, you ask, dear reader? Well, I decided that I want to start slipping one of my own songs into the mix every once in a while, so this SOTW is special because it's the first time I've done anything on a song that was uniquely mine.

It all started back in 2001. I was a junior in high school and I had already been playing the guitar for a few years. I hadn't written anything yet and was still just trying to learn some of my favorite Collective Soul tunes. I enrolled in an intermediate guitar class, the curriculum of which ended in a songwriting unit. For a few weeks, we learned about the basics of songwriting, chord progressions, lyrics, and "hooks" (catchy parts in songs). Ultimately, our assignment was to write our own song and do the best we could to use the composition tools we had been given. I worked for a week or so and eventually came up with a song I later named "Sets Of Two." It was a simple song about a guy's declaration of love for his girl, typical of high school romance. I wrote it to complete the class requirement, but fortunately I had a very supportive teacher named Mr. Murphy who suggested that I not forget the song.

I took Mr. Murphy's advice and made sure that I saved the lyrics to the song (it was a good move, because the lyrics you write aren't always as memorable as you think they are). Years went by and I didn't think much more of "Sets Of Two." Eventually I got married and as I started looking though my old songwriting notes, I found the lyrics and chord progression for the song. Understandably, my thoughs on love had changed quite a bit since high school, especially after I got married. I married one of the sweetest, kindest, most artistic girls I've ever known; she's a person who really understands what love is and how to show it. Anyway, she helped me to take a second look at "Sets Of Two" and the more I thought about it, the more fun I was having as I rediscovered the first song I ever wrote. I've included the lyrics below:

Life can be traumatic in this world of tears
It seems we all need someone to quiet all our fears
Melodies fall short and words cannot convey
The feelings that ran through me when you ran by that day

And have you ever wondered in your heart of hearts
If love was overrated, would people play these parts?
I don't want to be alone, so what I'm telling you
Is folks should live their lives in sets of two

Well, life goes on and love is strong; we will be alright
Tribulations wither as long as you're in sight
The seed of love, once planted, will slowly learn to grow
And I'm new to this love game, but when you get hit you know

And folks can't go on living without a constant friend
And you might be surprised at the pain that love can mend
So have a little faith in me; give this thing a try
Burdens will be lifted as we begin to fly

Earlier this year, I decided that I wanted to record the song as part of an album called Shady Porch Sessions that I was working on. I wasn't quite satisfied with the original arrangement; I considered it a little slow, so I sped it up a little and added some bright backing guitars. I had also been toying around with a guitar part you would almost expect to hear in a punk song. I wasn't sure about including it, but I recorded it anyway and was happy with the result. This is the guitar you hear entering at 0:25.

The aspect of the tune I most wanted to emphasize was its celebratory nature; I wanted to really bring out the fact that true love can make us feel happier than just about anything else. I kept the guitars as bright as I could and used a metronome to maintain the tempo. I also worked hard to continually build the emotional progression of the song. Finally, I decided to end the song the way The Eagles ended the live version of "Hotel California" from their Hell Freezes Over album: with several rapid, even shots of the same chord. The end result almost had a front porch jam session feel, and I was happy to include it in the final album.

In closing, I hope you'll overlook the song's relative musical simpicity and juvenile lyrics and focus instead on its overall message. Personally, I'm happier now with my wife and baby than at any other time in my life, and I know that it's because I feel their love and I'm doing my best to make sure they feel mine, too. "Sets Of Two" for me is a meeting of the music and the people I care about most. So until next time, thanks for reading and we'll see you back at The Sonic Landscape soon.