When a song starts as a joke and you end up producing and releasing it anyway
Song Notes
Lyrics: I wrote this in response to a songwriting prompt (more on that below). As I fleshed out the lyrics I was curious to see how far I could push the metaphor, and challenged myself to include as many medicine-related words as I could without letting the lyrics verge on the ridiculous. In the end, I think I went a little too far! I was in two minds about putting this track out, but given that some lines still make me chuckle, I figured it was no bad thing to share it ;-)
The idea came about as I was playing with idioms, thinking what it means to give someone a taste of their own medicine. Inspired by the experiences of some of my friends, I then flipped it, imagining a character who relies so heavily on the other person they risk becoming dependent on them, seeing them as a drug/medicine. She ultimately breaks free, realising she’s strong enough on her own.
Music: The track melds jazz chords and classic/old-timey vocal delivery with a modern drum kit and electric guitars. While the production isn’t quite how I’d envisaged, I made the best of the cards I was dealt. Melodically, I was going for a mixture of jazz standard/American songbook style combined with modern pop/soft rock elements.
Songwriting prompt
Take a well-known phrase/proverb/idiom and turn it on its head.
For me, Can’t Taste Your Medicine came from the idiom “to give someone a taste of their own medicine”. With a few words altered, its original meaning changed, and it served as a springboard for other ideas.
If you feel like giving it a try, let me know how you get on!