Build-A-Monster Songwriting Workshop!

In Greek Mythology, Echidna is mother of all monsters, and mother of the famed “Chimera.”

I’m wondering if she was such a bad monster because she didn’t have a mother herself! She came from nowhere!

The “Echida” I made ended up on “Share The Moon,” my spooky CD, available where great music is sold! It’s a song about the great monster, one which … sort of created itself!

I recently came across a “workout” file of music, which shows how my “Echidna” rose from nowhere.

Brandon Raimondo and I were in my studio with a drum track I created in Garageband playing loud. Brandon came up with a great sound, and I said “keep doing that” and went to get some lyrics I had written. They had no music, but it sounded like they might go with what Brandon was doing. I took the lyrics and started singing. Brandon figured it out and varied things enough I could later make a very cool studio recording out of it.

This is not how I usually write; and one of the first times someone helped me finish a song!

The basic drums were loud enough we could play and sing right over it. I later isolated the original drums and added to it, then added vocal and guitar, but the “workout” file, at the time we made it, we didn’t know would be a real song at all.

It turns out … it takes two to make a good monster!

Here’s the workout audio:

Here’s the finished song from the CD,
and the lyrics are below:

Echidna (Mark Urso)

I said fa-eva (chorus)
What I meant was ne-va
I shoulda letcha suffa
You turned into a terra

Wishy washy wisha
You were a very good kissa
Why doncha treat me betta
I’ll write it in a letta

(chorus)

Or should I even botha
Don’t mess up yer mascara
They called it the last suppa
The mother of Chimera

(chorus)

So when ya gonna lissen
A woman on a mission
I shoulda letcha suffa
You turned into a terra

Why do I even botha
It’s like I neva metcha
I watch the water glisten
She didn’t even lissen

(chorus)

###

Please Comment!