Fear
Time Signature 4/4 Structure Intro - 4 Bars Verse - 12 Bars Pre Chorus 8 Bars Verse - 12 Bars Pre Chorus 12 Bars Chorus 16 Bars Verse 12 Bars Pre Chorus 12 Bars Chorus - 16 Bars Outro - 24 Bars Tempo 130 bpm
Lyrics & Chords
Intro (Instrumental)
C
Verse
C C C
Em9 Em9
Em Em Em9 Em
He stands upon the stage where he was born. His face is blank. He starts to shake from head to toe. The night is young. He could win them over. Pre Chorus
F F
C C
So he carries on regardless. This is anything but harmless.
Verse
Em9
Em
She climbs the highest heights against her will.
C C
Em9 Em9 Em
Em
Shes doing it for herself and not the thrill. She questions her decision. Pre Chorus
F F F
C C FM#11
But she carries on regardless. This is anything but harmless She stops and looks at what shes done. Chorus
Dm7
No
F F F
Am
G
afraid.
need to be
Dm7 Dm7
Am
G G
Theres no need to turn away.
Am
Take a look at what youve done. Dm7 F G You might surprise yourself again again Verse (Instrumental)
C F F F
Em9
Em
x3
Pre Chorus
C C FM#11
So they carry on regardless. This is anything but harmless. They stop and look at what theyve done Chorus
Dm7
No
F F F
Am
G
afraid.
need to be
Dm7 Dm7
Am
G G
Theres no need to turn away.
Am
Take a look at what youve done. Dm7 F G You might surprise yourself again again Outro (Instrumental)
D9sus4 D9sus4
FM9
Cadd9 x 2 Cadd9 x 4
Comparative Analysis
I have written a song in the style of indie folk. I have written this song by taking influence from other indie folk songs from artists such as Bombay Bicycle Club, Dry The River, Local Natives and Villagers. The song I have written also takes influence from folk rock artists music from the 1960s and 70s. The guitar style I play in the song is similar the style played by Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Bob Dylan in their music. COMPOSITION I wrote the song by first coming up with the chords on the guitar. I then worked out a structure for the song by deciding where the verses and choruses would be. Before I had any lyrics for the song, anytime I played it, I pictured a man standing on a stage. This led to me writing the lyrics about people overcoming their fears. Finally, I managed to fit the lyrics around the song to come up with the melody of the song. INSTRUMENTATION In the recording of the song, the instruments used are similar to the instruments used in songs by indie folk artists. In a lot of indie folk music the acoustic guitar is used which gives it the folk rock sound made famous by artists such as Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Neil Young in the 1960s and 70s. The instruments used in Fear are; an acoustic guitar, drums and two vocals; one singing the lead vocal line and the other singing harmonies. Vocal harmonies are very common in indie folk music. Bands such as Dry The River and Local Natives use multiple part vocal harmonies in the majority of their songs. The harmonies give the songs a unique sound and add a different dimension to the music. LYRICS Indie rock songs lyrics can focus on a variety of subjects. They could be based on personal experiences, love, or the lyrics could include a made up stories. The title of the song I have
written is Fear. The lyrics in the verses focus on two people facing their fears. The lyrics I have written take influence from songs by the indie folk band Villagers, whose songs often include stories within the lyrics. STRUCTURE The structure I have used for the song is quite a simple structure which is used a lot in indie folk music, as well as other genres. Songs by artists such as Villagers, Bombay Bicycle Club and Jeff Buckley have similar structures in many of their songs. One song in particular which uses a similar structure is Lover, You Shouldve Come Over by Jeff Buckley which also has a pre chorus before the second verse. The tempo and feel of the song I have written is quite upbeat with positive lyrics which is similar to songs by the band Local Natives. The instrumental outro of the song takes influence from indie rock music by bands such as Foals and Bombay Bicycle Club.
