These are some of the songs I helped create for the FAWM 5090 in the Summer of 2022.The challenge is to write 50 songs in 90 days.
https://fiftyninety.fawm.org/

This is the long form of the February Album Writing Month - 14 songs in 28 days.
https://fawm.org

Summer 2022 - Songs Created for FAWM 5090

overdrive

Am I Scared
Nancy Cunningham / JazzAnarchy

Oh, she musta been a mystic
I got her dissertation in my car
Used to tell me where you won't go
That's just who you are

It's been a couple years now
It's still hard to believe
I think of her at bed time
and when I'm raking leaves

I keep crawling through her phone book
Calling her old friends
The Jacksons and the Johnsons 
Then the Ks and Ls, the Ms and Ns

Am I scared, well I'm keeping it at bay
That's always been my way, that's what she would say
Tell me, am I scared?
That's what she would say
It's always been my way
Keeping it at bay
So am I scared?

It isn't like I'm done for
I shower and get dressed
It's not like I'm obsessed
It's not like I'm obsessed

Oh, she musta been a mystic
Her dissertation's in my car
Used to tell me where you won't go, that's just who you are

I keep crawling through her phone book
Calling her old friends
The Jacksons and the Johnsons 
Then the Ks and Ls, the Ms and Ns

Am I scared well I'm keeping it at bay
That's always been my way
That's what she would say
Tell me am I scared
That's what she would say
That's always been my way
Keeping it at bay

Am I scared
Well, I'm keeping it at bay
That's always been my way
That's what she would say

Tell me, am I scared?
That's what she would say
That's always been my way
Keeping it at bay
So am I scared?

Oh, oh, oh

Am I Scared? (performed by JazzAnarchy)

Sounding Out (No Dragons Allowed)

WORKING ALL THE TIME (Cunningham/Jones)
© All Rights Reserved 2022

Drilling offshore, digging in the mine
Handing out a ticket, paying down a fine
Harvesting the heartland, driving my rig
Singing at the Opry or any other gig

I’m working, working, working, working all the time
Working in the morning, working overnight
Pulling double shifts then working on the side
Ever’thing I do, it's all made with pride
I’m working all the time
to keep us working all the time

Rooting out the riffraff, a bouncer at the door
Putting it together on the factory floor
Breaking my back, Fixing what’s broke
I can kid around but work’s no joke

I’m working, working, working, working all the time
Working in the morning, working overnight
Pulling double shifts then working on the side
Ever’thing I do, it's all made with pride
Cause Hon, I’m working all the time
to keep us working all the time

You know the point of work is living,
the point of life is love
In work, in life, in love,
I give you all I’ve got

I’ll pitch nine innings, I'll sell my pint of blood
I’ll fill up a hole, I dug in the mud
I’ll predict the weather, I’ll bury the dead
I’ll box and I’ll build, I’ll deliver the bread
I’ll keep sweating and keep swearing, I’ll keep keeping us fed

I’m working, working, working, working all the time
Working in the morning, working overnight
Pulling double shifts then working on the side
Ever’thing I do, it's all made with pride
while I’m working all the time
Honey, I’m working all the time

And we're working all the time
Yes, we’re working all the time
© Nancy Cunningham 2022

Working All The Time

Workaholic Country Blues
Music - Jeff Walker
Lyrics - Nancy Cunningham and Nadine De Macedo 

I could tell the boss I'm leaving
Pay me out, we'll be even
Takin' fifty-two weeks vacation every year

I could turn in my time card
Might make my making rent hard
'less I bass fish (more) and hunt for deer

But the hard truth is
I wouldn't know just what to do
I got the Workaholic Country Blues
It's true
They' hard to lose
The Workaholic Country Blues
Got the Workaholic Country Blues

I could take this Job and Shove It
But in some way I must love it
I make just enough to cover bread and beer

I could crack my nest egg
Bingo might pay off big
But more likely I'll keep working right on here

'Cause the hard truth is
I wouldn't know just what to do
Without my Workaholic Country Blues
It's true
It's hard to lose
The Workaholic Country Blues
Got the Workaholic Country Blues

Grandma ploughs past sundown
Grandad drudges in town
That's the life they choose
My whole family's got the Country Workaholic Blues

And the hard truth is
We wouldn't know just what to do
Without our Workaholic Country Blues
It's true
It's hard to lose
The Workaholic Country Blues
Got the Workaholic Country Blues

Workaholic Country Blues

This was a lot of fun. Clever, witty lyrics from @nancy-cunningham-2 on an interesting and contemporary subject. What's not to like? In my head, I was leaning into a bit of McCartney's Three Legs, the Beatles' For You Blue and a dash of Simon and Garfunkel. Did I hit the mark? Probably not. 

Last but not least, the song needed a solo, so I reached out to Rich Joseph (@user-831068061) to add his awesome, double-stopping magic dust. Thanks man!

LYRICS © Nancy Cunningham

Feed the Algorithm
Give him what he wants
Put your best foot forward
Your profile
Your full fronts
Tell him all your secrets
What makes you grin and grunt
Feed the Algorithm
Give him what he wants

Feed the algorithm
Let him roll your dice
He knows your S.A.T. scores
Your dentist and your size
Your IQ and your credit score
He can name your price
Feed the algorithm
Let him roll your dice

Feed the algorithm
What you got to lose?
He knows what you pay in rent
How often you hit snooze
He can tell you how to live
Where to buy your shoes
Feed the algorithm
What you got to lose?

Feed the algorithm
Let him feed you back
He'll tell you if your rainbow
Needs repainting black
He'll serve you tasty morsels
Like your clicking crack
Feed the algorithm
Let him feed you back
Let him feed you back
Let him feed you back

Feed The Algorithm

Mr. Connor
You are failing to see that the answer is abundantly clear
Mr. Connor
It's a fixed guarantee 
That once you see you'll no longer stare.

All you gotta do is pluck it from the air.
All you gotta do is grab it from the stream.

Mr. Connor
It's a fixed guarantee that once you see you'll no longer stare.

All you gotta do is pluck it from the air.
All you gotta do is grab it from the stream.

Grab it from the stream...

So, what are you waiting for?
Come on!
Suits and trousers!
Come on!
With your shoes on.
Come on.
With your haircut.
Come on!
With your magic fingers, southern creepers, treasure seekers...
Do I need to say Come on?

And I could stay,  
Feel the flow as they watch me play.
Not to mention that I'm fairly uncomfortable in most situations, but I am trying.
To find meaning in the words you say.

Mr. Connor

Put your hands up.
Break that ceiling.
You're in swingtown.
Make it count.

Hey Joe, where's that gun of yours?
Martha dear, you're a frequent flier.
Don't you dare say Tommy's dumb.
Tear down that wall before you start a fire.

I hear a tune - a melody.
A refrain. Hey Hey.
Bringing back some tunes.

I offer you a tragedy, a comedy.
Hey Hey.
Taking back my words.

When will we get there?
When will we get there?
That's what I wanna know!
When will we get there?
That's what I wanna know!
You're a faker, you're a taker, you're a candlestickamaker.

Put your hands up.
Break that ceiling.
You're in swingtown.
So make it count.

I hear a tune - a melody.
A refrain. Hey Hey.
Bringing back some tunes.

I offer you a tragedy, a comedy.
Hey Hey.
Taking back my words.

You held me close and sang a song,
Take this world.  Hey Hey.
Bringing back my words.

Hey Doreen when I listent to your words.
I know the meaning isn't what I heard.
It's not a dream, I'm not here all alone.
One day I won't be able to go home.

Bringing Back Some Tunes

Stream here: https://upstairsopen.lnk.to/Chicago

'Chicago' was the first song Upstairs Open wrote together after meeting up in Daniel's South London flat for weekly sessions, revelling in the organic, restraint-free nature of working sans external pressures. Born from a mutual love of contrasts, ‘Chicago' encapsulates their own signature sound, which Indie Shuffle describes as having, 'an ethereal quality… with the melding of organic and electronic instruments contrasting the duo's gorgeous harmonies.’ ‘Chicago' is haunting and moody, and centres on loss and longing, where “although two people are together, they can see what they have very differently, and it’s about coming to terms with that”. As one of the busiest airports in the world, and an international gateway to much of the American mid-west, the track takes inspiration from the ideas of crossing lands, and the struggles that arise from physical and emotional distance.

Upstairs Open - Chicago

The 'Blinding Light' Acoustic EP - OUT NOW! song.link/album/gb/i/1378607376
Buy on iTunes here: apple.co/2IY7rHy
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2sgRKAR
Apple Music: https://apple.co/2GZ75uk

www.joehicksmusic.com
www.facebook.com/joehicksmusic
www.twitter.com/joehicksmusic
www.instagram.com/joehicksmusic

'My Favourite Game' - Music and Lyrics by Peter Svensson & Nina Persson

Produced by Sam Winfield and Joe Hicks
Recorded at Studio 91, Newbury, UK
Engineered by Sam Winfield and Tom Millar
Mixed and Mastered by Sam Winfield http://studio91.net

Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Glockenspiel and Keyboards performed by Joe Hicks
Percussion performed by Tom Millar
Cajon performed by Giles Stelfox

Artwork by Antonia Chandler https://www.instagram.com/antonia.chandler/

Blinding Light - EP

Buy on iTunes

My Favourite Game

Альбом "На Темной Планете" - Поэмы Дарвина
http://darwinspoems.com/

05. Старый Джо

01. В Конце Пути

I remember when I was your age and no one ever
Believed me when I said,
I saw magic where instead there was just regular stuff.
Oh, ordinary bits of life just had a sparkle to them.
Sometimes I think I shouldn’t worry,
When I was young I used to take long walks with him.
We used to fight the evil within the woods where magic reigned supreme.
If you had seen me you would have thought me all alone talking to myself.
But those animals they can’t really talk,
And those betta fish they can’t really walk
Into your room at night and put on a show.
It’s just make believe so don’t let it make you believe.
Comforting my son, I realize there’s no one to comfort me.
I go back downstairs to take a trip back willingly.
And the band over there they could play my tunes,
And I think I might just go back there soon.
I’ll go back in time, and put on a show.
It’s just make believe, but I think I can make me believe.

Make Believe

Dark (snakes & Rats)

I write songs with people and on my own.  I love the way a song can light a match and illuminate a story or a feeling or a character. I'm especially drawn to Americana and Country.

I spend every February writing at fawm.org (February Album Writing Month). It's a great place to hang out if you've ever wanted to sing, play, write, compose, listen, or discuss music. You can find me there as nancycunning.

 I've gotten to write with friends in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington Wisconsin, as well as Canada, France, England, Finland, Germany, and Peru.

This album is one-half of a music-text experience. The music is here; the text is at www.mikemonsoon.com. Collectively, they form a psychedelic, horror-tinged, time-traveling musical puzzle that tells the story of a man facing a reality-shattering question: If you could go back and change things, would you…or did you? The more you listen, the more you read, the more you discover. Come and explore the joy–and occasional horror–of creativity.
 
Reviews:
 
“In a cultural moment when attention spans are among the scarcest of natural resources, Mike Monsoon's Song Journal doesn't just demand your focus — it earns it … However it is that you're drawn into this storytelling matrix, the Song Journal keeps you hooked as you jump from chapter to song, year to year, clue to clue. It's an ingenious package of narrative elements ...” --Neil Janowitz, Editor, Vulture.com
 
“Captivates with sly winks and homages to classic rock operas. The songs vacillate between straight-ahead, 3-minute verse/chorus/bridge pop and more adventurous compositions that use imaginative arrangements in service of longer and more complex narratives … shades of Queen, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Phish, and The Flaming Lips ... rife with intriguing layers … the fun is putting the pieces together." -- Lorne Berman, Rolling Stone
 
“An oasis of great songwriting and unique production work woven into a concept record that is truly unforgettable.” -- Mike White, founder, MPG Music Production School

Sounding Out (No Dragons Allowed)

Mike Monsoon

Related tracks