Songwriter Advisor Blog

…………………….Tune Sleuth
After receiving a confidential informant report that “I’m Still A Guy” was Brad Paisley’s seventh consecutive #1 single as a country artist, I was left with no choice but to investigate further to find out what all the hoopla was about:

My findings will be based partly on facts and a lot of objectivity and subjectivity, and those songs found in violation will be subject to the full extent of songwriting law!

As a free song reference, I can click virtually anywhere and audition either the promotional video or hear the audio file. For this song, I visited AOL music to hear and analyze the single.  Like any other consumer, If I like what I hear I will purchase his CD to support and enjoy his music.
Most artist web sites provide lyrics as a courtesy for their fans.  So grab or write down the lyrics and follow along:

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                        “Im Still A Guy”
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Writers:
Brad Paisley, Kelley Lovelace, Lee Thomas Miller

                  Here are the first few lines:

When you see a deer
You see Bambi
And I see antlers up on the wall
When you see a lake
You think picnics
And I see a largemouth up under that log……
……..

To conduct my investigation, first I’ll run the song through the song checklist found at:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/songwriting-checklist.html  I will then point out good techniques used as well as possible flaws in the song’s construction.

Most importantly, at the conclusion I’ll list all the cool techniques we can all apply to improve our songwriting.

 
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1. Song Title
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As in many country tunes it appears the title came before any of the final lyrics in this song because of its purposeful lyrical structure totally based on the theme, “I’m Still A Guy.” **Picking the song title first is the best and easiest way to structure lyrics around the theme because it is always clear from the start!
   

I guess I’ll have to ask one of the writers if the title was picked first, but until then, let’s just use that assumption for the rest of this song investigation.
   

The meaning of the song’s title becomes abundantly clear after the first verse, and this works well for this song.  But another great strategy would be to delay the payoff of “I’m Still A Guy” until somewhere in the first chorus, or even the final verse or chorus!

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2. Song Form
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The song is in Verse-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Instrumental-Chorus-Verse (AABACBA).  Wow! Talk about an interesting song form!  This song form has been used before, but you can hear how interesting this song becomes when, after the third verse, the song goes into an instrumental instead of the usual chorus.
      
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3. Hook/Chorus
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The phrasing in the chorus starts with lead-in notes before the downbeat of the chorus (And I’ll pour out my heart…..).  This is usually the 2nd most powerful way to begin vocal phrasing in a chorus (right on the downbeat is usually the strongest)–but this depends on many variables such as song tempo, lyric structure of other sections, etc.
  

Notice the hook “I’m still a Guy” is NOT contained in the chorus.  It occurs in the end of each verse and ends up making the verses more memorable than the chorus.

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4. The Verses/Pre-choruses
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The intro begins with a sweet acoustic guitar until the vocal starts in the first verse.  During the 4th bar of the first verse (And I see antlers up on that wall) an electric guitar plays an ascending riff into the third line (when you see a lake….) making the third line explode powerfully into the rest of that verse. 
   

The second verse builds even more momentum by incorporating a cool, busy, underlying electric guitar riff until the chorus strikes!  The song continues to build momentum into the first chorus and the first chorus has only slightly more intensity than the second verse. 

    ****If you were to play this song with a solo instrument, you’d start quietly for the first two lines, add intensity for the 3rd line by playing notes louder and perhaps adding more notes with your finger picking (guitar) or finger work (piano) for the rest of the two verses, and finally add even more intensity during
the chorus by playing straight chords.

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5. The Bridge
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The song doesn’t contain a bridge but it does have an instrumental part after the third verse, just as we’re expecting the second chorus, and it works well!  Let’s put this one into our neat little bag of tricks.

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 6. Point of View
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It’s hard to argue with the successful point of view used by Brad Paisley in this song, 1st person narrative. 
Paisley uses tongue-in-cheek humor about his perspective on how guys and girls have different views, something he’s already sung about before.
   

However, this song could also have been easily written in 3rd person—check this out:

{Chorus}
And he’ll pour out his heart
Hold your hand in the car
Write a love song that makes you cry…..

Also as an example, in 3rd person, the 1st verse would be:

When she sees a deer she sees Bambi
And he sees antlers up on the wall
When she sees a lake she thinks picnics
And he sees a largemouth up under that log

The point here is:
Always try your song in all three different points of view.  I actually think this song would be even funnier and more interesting if the writers would have chosen 3rd person narrative.  I’ll bet you these pros at least thought about it!

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7. Rewrite
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Like most country songs, “I’m Still A Guy” appears to be rewritten and polished to near-perfection.  There’s hardly a wasted word and the song moves logically forward. 
   

It’s hard to find country songs by major artists that are not super-polished, because the Nashville, TN music industry demands it!  There are so many great songwriters in country music and many industry pros swear the best songwriting in the world is right over there in that city called Nashville!  It’s easy for me to believe that based on the acts I’ve seen and heard performing at Music City.
   

I’m a firm believer that if you want to learn general songwriting principles these days, you should consider studying some of the best modern country songwriting and perhaps country songs that cross over into the pop arena. 

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 Verdict
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Although this is not my favorite Paisley song it’s a strong one that points out a few helpful songwriting cues for all of us.  see LESSONS LEARNED below>>> 
   

It’s easy to see why this was such a monstrous hit.  Although it’s a great song, if you’re a devout country music fan, if you could have listened to the top ten country songs as of July 15, 2008 you probably would have heard what I heard–the top ten was a little below usual standards as far as quality. 

But this happens in every genre, and usually doesn’t last very long–there are simply too many great writers and artists in this genre!  
   

There have been no detectable songwriting crimes committed in this song, so Mr. Paisley, you don’t have to worry about an officer knocking on your door and confiscating your guitars and notepads via a search warrant.  Tell your co-writers to rest easy and write another one of your monster hits for our listening pleasure!

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Lessons Learned
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It’s hard to pick out any obvious flaws in this song’s
construction.     
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Here are techniques and cool tips we’ve learned from this song to improve our songwriting:
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1. Write a song by coming up with a clear-cut, deliberate title, referring to a person’s characteristic traits, and how they affect you.  An obvious hit that used this approach was Shania Twain’s single “You’re Still The One.”

2. Put your hook/song title at the end of each verse for a change and either include or exclude it from the chorus.

3. Vary your verbs, i.e., When you see a deer you SEE Bambi
                         when you see a lake you THINK picnic

4. Instead of going into the 2nd chorus after either the 2nd or third verse; go into another section such as an instrumental or a bridge. 

5. If you’re using humor in your song, use it throughout the song or in a consistent manner such as the next-to-last line of each verse or any other section you see fit.

6. Consider adding intensity during the middle or end of the first verse instead of the usual 2nd verse or prechorus.  

7. Remember to try all “points of view” either during your songwriting or during a rewrite.

Before using a song demo service to record your original songs, be absolutely certain they are ready to be recorded by making sure you polish them with a rewrite. Also, test your songs out by singing them either  acapella or with an accompanying instrument by yourself and in front of friends, family members, etc.  Taking your gut feeling and your listener’s reactions into account, it’ll be easier to decide if and which of your songs are ready to be recorded.

A song demo is exactly that – a demo!  This is why they are and SHOULD BE far less expensive than a recording for a CD release.  Therefore, what you want to look for instead of a company promising you a “radio-ready” recording with all the bells and whistles, is a company that’ll be able to provide a clean, pro-
sounding recording to give your song the best possible chance.
 
To find a great song demo service you’ll need to start right in your own hometown!  Take the time to contact and visit studios performing these services in your area, ask to hear examples of their work, and try to establish some type of rapport or relationship with them so they can take you more seriously and
not see you as JUST ANOTHER CUSTOMER.  

There are many studios offering excellent demo services but you have to do much initial legwork to find one that works for your songwriting goals.  This involves comparing several companies before making a decision. If you don’t have any companies offering these services in your vicinity, then as a last resort
you may have to consider an online demo service, but you should proceed with caution.

Demo services are very competitively priced these days and many offer flat rates with optional costs such as background singers, extra instruments, etc.  Starting rates vary from as low as approximately $100.00 to $800.00 per song, and you generally get what you pay for!  Recording is not cheap, and if you’re not a music producer or an arranger, remember, these companies try to provide all of these services as inexpensively as possible in one package! 

Beware, there are companies out there that give legitimate ones a bad name by drawing you in and charging you extra with each visit to cover what they say are their increasing recording costs.  Songwriters and other musicians have found themselves in a bad situation where they’ve literally spent hundreds with no decent product to show for it.  Negotiate a flat fee with a demo service, get it in writing, and stick to it!

Also, when you do find a demo service you want to try,it’s wise to commit to only ONE RECORDING AT A TIME.  Remember, this is a business, and demo companies need your business, so some will try to make you commit to more than one recording because it benefits them! 

Keep total control by recording only one song at a time until its completion-this way, if for any reason you are dissatisfied with your first recording, you can pick up and go elsewhere and you will not have needlessly wasted money on other songs.

Of course, the best possible scenario when recording your songs would be to do it yourself in your own home studio.  Recording setups have become increasingly more inexpensive and if you’re planning on chasing a professional songwriting career, it would be wise to try your hand at production even if it means being able to record only a piano or guitar/vocal of your songs.  By choosing this route you can actually save yourself the $1500 or so you would have spent on a three song demo, and instead use that to build your own songwriting studio in your own home!

Many amateur and pro songwriters have their own little home studio setup with some of the equipment or similar items shown on this page:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/build-your-studio.html

The only drawback to having your own studio is it takes few months to really learn your equipment and make effective recordings.  But in the end, it can be the best investment you’ll ever make in your songwriting career-you’ll never have to pay for a song demo service ever again!