11 songs from the last album and their topics (002)

First of all thanks a lot for the feedback on the first post in which I presented the idea of this blog. But now to the subject for today: songs and their topics.

Every once in a while I get together with Vlado Jelic, a friend of mine who writes songs, too. Usually we meet on Saturdays in the afternoon for two hours or so to play each other songs we are working on and talk about them. The first meeting of this kind was only a few months ago. I remember it well, because one of Vlado’s comments stuck in my mind. Having listened to the songs on my myspace site before, he remarked that each and every one of them was a love song. He told me he liked them, but asked me: “Don’t you ever write about other things?” “Well … never thought about that!” And as long as I tried to recall the songs I had written in the last ten years or so, it was hard to come up with anything else.

Topical diversity: Karsten 1 Joe 0
The same reality check concerning the bias of my material hit me, when I listened to the Alpha Boy School album “Perfect Situation”. If my job was to replace Karsten Riedel as a songwriter, the other band members would have to come to terms with the fact that from now the topical diversity was about to decline dramatically. Karsten wrote about the exciting adventures during the band’s trip to Japan, about having a drink, about people feeling lost, about coming home to his child etc., only 30 % of the songs were about love relationships. I like to think of myself as someone who has as much social conscience as the next man. It just doesn’t move me in a way that I sit down and start to write a song.

11 songs
What are my songs about? Let me try to paraphrase the topics of the 11 songs that are on The Braces album “With A Heart Full Of Ska” that was released in Japan in 2007 for the Alpha Boy School-tour that I joined as a guest.

1. Vitamin U -
To have you would be better than any wellness treatment.

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2. Memories -
I became famous by writing about my unrequited love for you. Now I can hardly remember (maybe ironic).

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3. Serial Lover -
I can’t get enough of you.

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4. Skanking In My Lonely Room -
I am dancing alone at home after you left me.

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5. Jealousy -
I am complaining about the fact that your jealousy is poisoning our relationship.

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6. The Designer Song -
exception no. 1: name dropping song about preferences in the realm of fashion.

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7. Heart Of Sand -
I feel that you will end our relationship more sooner than later.

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8. Supergirl vs. Rude Boy -
It would do you good to avoid me. But I sense you don’t.

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9. I Wish It Were Me -
I live one floor below you, longing for you, while you have fun with somebody else.

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10. Keep On Keepin On -
exception no. 2: this is about self-confidence.

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11. The Last Song -
I (probably drunken) want to connect to you at club shortly before closing.

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Although in my world there are a lot of fascinating aspects of love that need to be explored badly in songs, I am also convinced that I should rather not explore them all on the next album by Alpha Boys feat. Joe Scholes.

This band needs a different treatment: Choruses you can holler along to while lying drunken under the bar, songs to hop to excitedly, only some songs to hum to while getting the next round. The melancholic lyrics that constitute my comfort zone can’t play a major part in that game.

I would call it “the biggest challenge of my life”, if this was a novel and I was looking for a cliffhanger. But since it isn’t I state that I am looking forward to give it a try. And a FEW love songs won’t hurt the Alpha Boys, either.

Now it’s your say: What topics should be dealt with in the songs for the next Alpha Boys album? And for the songwriters: What do you write about?

Joe Scholes on myspace

Tagged as: Alpha Boy School, Alpha Boys, Ska, Ska Music, song lyrics, songwriting, writing songs