Loralie

Bad News

Last Goodbye

This song was written and recorded for the Song-A-Week that I feature on my blog [http://blog.michaelshoup.com] where I take user submitted ideas and write a song about one, once a week.

This week, I got to co-write and collaborate with Paul Shearer who Produced my latest record, "Learning How To Live." It was certainly nice to get back into comfortable harmonic ground, and I think you'll see [hear] the superb polish that Paul brings to a song.


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LEAVE THE GROUND

She tells herself this is the last time
Like a hundred times before
She builds a house and hides it inside
But it keeps knocking down the door

It turns her somedays into maybes
It turns her maybes into doubt
She runs away into tomorrow
But today's her only one way out

CHORUS:
So, Take one step to the edge now
Eyes closed, holding your breath
You fall, you fall
Heart pounds out of your chest but
Can't stop, can't take a rest
You fall, you fall down
Can't fly until you leave the ground

Paralyzed she keeps her feet down
Afraid to let go of her pride
She knows she's running out of time now
Just gotta spread her wings and learn to fly

CHORUS

Can't fly until you leave the ground
Gotta start out lost so you'll be found
Can't fly until you leave the ground

CHORUS x2

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Leave The Ground

This was written and recorded for a weekly blog feature I do called "Song-A-Week":

Wow, I cannot believe that this is already the 7th one of these. Sometimes, these things just fly by! 

I'm back from some time out of town and spent this week totally pumped to put this song out. It was inspired by a blog reader who recently went through a divorce after many years of marriage, and I hope a lot you can relate... I certainly related to the message she sent me. Thanks Barb. 

Big thanks to Danny Young for shooting this week. Welcome back to Nashville, bud. 

Lyrics and Tech details below!
lyrics
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HISTORY TRAIN 

Our story ends where I begin again 
I'm going it alone 
I'm fine 

Still navigating back to new and then 
Old memories come 
Crashing from behind 

Chorus: 
Now I'm back on track but it's not the same 
I'm haunted by my history train 
It's got speed and it won't leave me behind 

So somebody call an engineer 
Cause my ear's to the rail and all I hear's 
That wailing whistle blowing through my mind 
And it says 

I check the manifest for all my friends 
But I don't belong 
On this line 

And though the radio says clear ahead 
I'm firing up my engine 
For this climb 

Chorus x2 
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credits
from Song​-​A​-​Week, released 01 September 2010 
TECH SPECS 
Shot with an iPhone 4 using an Owle Bubo. Editing done in Final Cut Pro and extra audio editing in Logic. 

ABOUT SONG-A-WEEK 
Song-A-Week is a weekly video blog where I take submissions / ideas from readers of my blog and pick one [or a few] each week to write a song about. Viewers can submit ideas at the URL above, and a new song will be posted every Tuesday.

History Train

Song-A-Week. Submit Ideas! blog.michaelshoup.com/submit 

This week's song was based on a request by Gene Chaser for an upbeat, motivational song about living for the simple things in life for the future. 

When I think about going back to basics and simple joys, I think about the first instrument I ever played: Piano. So this week I stretched the ole piano muscles, and along with Danny Young co-writing and playing the drums, I think it came out great! 

Lyrics and Tech details below!
lyrics
/----------------------------------------------------------------/ 

SIMPLE THINGS 

Every day the same alarm 
But still it doesn't wake me 
A dead end job, so what's the harm 
Gotta find something to shake me around 

Never thought it'd be this hard 
When I was a child 
I miss those things I disregard 
Haven't been there for a while 

CHORUS: 
Like riding your bike down your childhood street 
And eating the things that you're not supposed to eat 
Whatever you do that makes you feel complete 
It's just the simple things 

Change my clothes, change my name 
Change my location 
But everything just felt the same 
It's a life of simulation 

Everyone's just running blind 
If only we would listen 
Take a breath and just unwind 
Find those pieces that we're missing 

CHORUS x2 
/----------------------------------------------------------------/
credits
from Song​-​A​-​Week, released 01 September 2010 
TECH SPECS 
Shot with an iPhone 4 using an Owle Bubo and a Flip Mino. Editing done in Final Cut Pro and extra audio editing in Logic. Mics: AKG C3000, Shure SM57, Shure Drum Mics... oh yeah, and a 100 year old Piano 

ABOUT SONG-A-WEEK 
Song-A-Week is a weekly video blog where I take submissions / ideas from readers of my blog and pick one [or a few] each week to write a song about. Viewers can submit ideas at the URL above, and a new song will be posted every Tuesday.

Simple Things

*** REMIX ARTISTS *** I'm releasing a number of my tracks as Creative Commons! Interested in doing a Remix? Grab them for free at http://music.michaelshoup.com and toss me a link to the remix!

Michael Shoup has been working full time in the music industry since 2004.  He has been featured as a spotlight performer at highly coveted showcase slots at SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX as well as the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. Michael has toured with The Stone Temple Pilots and has worked with artists such as Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, and Kelly Clarkson. Michael's music is genuine and melodically timeless. He has even made an impression on Steven Schwartz (composer and lyricist of the musical, Wicked) who flew Shoup to his home in Los Angeles to perform a cover of "Defying Gravity."

“Personally, I like to think of my music as one part Jackson Browne, one part Hall & Oates, two big scoops of everything I heard from my stereo in the ’90s, and a sprinkling of Sesame Street optimism,” Shoup says of his songwriting.  Whether from his own life or taken directly from a fan suggestion, few artists' songs can connect directly with their fans as much as Michael Shoup's. After releasing his debut solo album, “Learning How To Live” in November of 2010, he's launched multiple songwriting campaigns which allow readers of his blog to submit ideas that may inspire a song including lyrics, photos, videos, stories and more. Michael's music is availalbe for download from his website, iTunes, and Amazon.