Looking for additional input on this song I've been woodshedding. Already got some good feedback to slow the tempo down a little, deliver the vocal a little more laid back and get more comfortable playing it.
Any and all other feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Brent, appreciate the feedback!
The song is about being in London on a rainy day with my girlfriend and thinking about our relationship in comparison to romantic figures of English literature and history. All of this taking place in my mind while the rain falls outside our flat in London.
The characters that say “Love is Madness” in the 1st, 3rd & 5th verses are those who had unhappy lives (King George III because of his mental illness) or unhappy ends to their romance: Romeo & Juliet (suicide) Mary Shelley & Percy Bysshe Shelley (Percy drowned at sea). They see love as a curse rather than a blessing.
I know the King George verse is a stretch, because it doesn’t mention his wife, but in my mind it was George III at the end of his life, after his wife of 57 years died and he went completely mad.
In the second verse about Dr. Watson and Mary, I establish that love is something that defies logic (e.g. “Sherlock Holmes couldn’t solve that mystery”) and can’t be explained.
In the fourth verse I sing about Miss Havisham from Great Expectations who was driven to madness by a false lover to show that love isn’t always true, which is exactly what my lover fears in our relationship.
In the sixth verse I’m saying to my lover that our love is not madness, because it is true (unlike verse 4) and it won’t end tragically (unlike verses 1, 3 & 5). It’s a song to my lover, who’s worrying that our love won’t last, to let her know that everything will be alright in the end. Our love is not madness because it will last.
Let me know if this helps connects the dots a little more and thanks again for your help!
—Todd
P.S. The sixth verse also ties in to another song I wrote called “She Draws Horses”, which includes the line:
“She’s convinced our love will end”
I see these songs as playing back to back on an album.
February 11, 2017
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Love is Madness
(Capo 1)
Verse 1
G D EM C
Old King George got out of bed
Tripped on the dog, hit his head
Love is madness, I heard he said
Love is madness
Verse 2
G D EM C
Dr Watson loved Mary
Their love was elementary
Sherlock Holmes couldn’t solve that mystery
Chorus
D EM C
Oh the rain starts falling
In London
Verse 3
G D EM C
Romeo loved Juliet
On their love, the sun never set
Love is madness, I heard they said
Love is madness
Verse 4
G D EM C
Miss Havisham missed her chance
Found herself in a solo dance
Left alone in a wedding dress
Endlessly
Chorus
D EM C
Oh the rain keeps falling
In London
Bridge
G EM C D
G EM C D
C D
G C
G D EM C
Verse 5
G D EM C
Mary loved her Shelley
Till she lost him to the sea
Love is madness, I heard she said
Love is madness
Verse 6
G D EM C
All these lovers gone before
We can choose to ignore
This love’s not madness, you and me
Chorus
D EM C
Oh the rain stops falling
In London
1
Hey, Todd! Thanks for sharing! I love love love the title! Really grabbed me. I tell you what I’m missing, though- what you mean by “madness.” What does this madness do to lovers? What’s the common chord between these stories? Also, I like that you personalized it at the end- made it about you and your lover- directly addressing her. But I feel like you’ve kinda diffused the rest of the song by saying YOUR love isn’t madness. If you’re gonna say that after all this “proof that love IS madness, I want some proof as to why it isn’t. Or you can say something like, “yeah, but I don’t care- I love you, anyway.” Just my two cents. Hope it helps!
February 11, 2017
0
Thanks Brent, appreciate the feedback!
The song is about being in London on a rainy day with my girlfriend and thinking about our relationship in comparison to romantic figures of English literature and history. All of this taking place in my mind while the rain falls outside our flat in London.
The characters that say “Love is Madness” in the 1st, 3rd & 5th verses are those who had unhappy lives (King George III because of his mental illness) or unhappy ends to their romance: Romeo & Juliet (suicide) Mary Shelley & Percy Bysshe Shelley (Percy drowned at sea). They see love as a curse rather than a blessing.
I know the King George verse is a stretch, because it doesn’t mention his wife, but in my mind it was George III at the end of his life, after his wife of 57 years died and he went completely mad.
In the second verse about Dr. Watson and Mary, I establish that love is something that defies logic (e.g. “Sherlock Holmes couldn’t solve that mystery”) and can’t be explained.
In the fourth verse I sing about Miss Havisham from Great Expectations who was driven to madness by a false lover to show that love isn’t always true, which is exactly what my lover fears in our relationship.
In the sixth verse I’m saying to my lover that our love is not madness, because it is true (unlike verse 4) and it won’t end tragically (unlike verses 1, 3 & 5). It’s a song to my lover, who’s worrying that our love won’t last, to let her know that everything will be alright in the end. Our love is not madness because it will last.
Let me know if this helps connects the dots a little more and thanks again for your help!
—Todd
P.S. The sixth verse also ties in to another song I wrote called “She Draws Horses”, which includes the line:
“She’s convinced our love will end”
I see these songs as playing back to back on an album.
February 11, 2017
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Brent Baxter
Hey, Todd! Thanks for sharing! I love love love the title! Really grabbed me. I tell you what I’m missing, though- what you mean by “madness.” What does this madness do to lovers? What’s the common chord between these stories? Also, I like that you personalized it at the end- made it about you and your lover- directly addressing her. But I feel like you’ve kinda diffused the rest of the song by saying YOUR love isn’t madness. If you’re gonna say that after all this “proof that love IS madness, I want some proof as to why it isn’t. Or you can say something like, “yeah, but I don’t care- I love you, anyway.” Just my two cents. Hope it helps!
February 11, 2017