Highly Dylan-influenced track.  Acoustic guitar, harmonica, nasal singing: it's all here.  In a way, I tried to write these lyrics to be about Bob Dylan's relationship with his fans (represented by Isabel), but I don't know if that came through.  The chord progression is OK though.

Isabel

This is an original song called "Thick and Think" and it's a Western Swing song. The second verse's lyrics are dumb but who cares, wordplay can be fun, right?

Lyrics:
My girl likes to stay out
and drink the night away
Come home when the sun come up
and sleep throughout the day (that's fine)
I don't see no problem
in drinking all night long
But I got a feeling deep inside
yeah something just feels wrong

I wanna stick with her
through thick and thin
But I think she's
steppin' out again

We don't talk much anymore
and the days feel all the same
Feels like she's given up
like she think my duck is lame
Bread crumbs wont help us now
can't lead her to my heart
Gonna have to find a new pond
gotta find a place to restart

I wanna stick with her
through thick and thin
But I think she's
steppin' out again

I packed my things and went
but I got no place to stay
No car and I'm goin' out west
gonna ride my thumb the whole way
I'll try to find me a girl
one who's sunny and warm
They ain't got no girls like her
out in Californ'

I wanted to stick with her
through thick and thin
but she was
steppin' out again

Yes I wanted to stick with her
through thick and thin
but she was
steppin' out again

Thick and Thin (Demo)

Cover of a great Squeeze (Difford/Tilbrook) song from "Argybargy."  This arrangement was inspired by an acoustic solo arrangement that I've seen Glenn Tilbrook do in a YouTube video; unfortunately, as you can tell from the vocals and the instrumental break, I'm no Glenn Tilbrook.  God, I don't even want to divulge how long I spent on trying and failing to get that guitar solo in one take...
Percussion consists of me clapping my hands a bunch of times, slapping my thigh in eighth notes, and hitting a flip-flop against a chair on the downbeat, all looped a couple hundred times.

If I Didn't Love You

Last week I was a guest speaker at my friend Nancy Apple's songwriting class at the University of Memphis. Nancy invited me to talk about the intentional use of simplicity in songwriting. I really enjoyed the class, and later I decided I should write a song using some of the elements I stressed to the students, and share it with them. 

This is what I came up with. The elements we discussed that apply to this song are: 1) the title is the first line; 2) it has the A/A/B/A structure; 3)the lyrics are as simple, clear, and direct as possible; 4) it is musically simple; 5) it contains a II-V turnaround in the bridge, and 6)the theme and the emotions expressed are (hopefully) universal and timeless. I thought I would post the tune so the class could check it out. How'd I do?

Someday Somebody's Gonna Love Me [demo]

My cover of Flo Rida's My House! I love this song so much. 

Welcome To My House! (Flo Rida Cover)

Will You Still Love Me, Tom Hanks? demo

Nick Waterhouse 'Never Twice' Out September 30.

Pre-Order now: http://smarturl.it/nevertwice

"Smooth Operator" Digital + Streaming: https://t.co/se3FUfZf4k

Smooth Operator (Sade Cover)

Nick Waterhouse - "Smooth Operator"

All ten episodes of "Something on the Side", a segment for Beale Street Caravan, hosted by John Paul Keith.

For more information:
bealestreetcaravan.com
johnpaulkeith.net

Thick and Thin (Demo)

Nick Miller

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