FAWM: "Common"

Common

2 weeks ago by @wynia · @briansmith · @dmelbygibbons · @bearwith · @jmpoet

Common

wynia +4

00:00

Liner Notes

Lyrics inspired by current events and world stage vibes, penned originally by @jmpoet. I wrote the initial draft of the chords and the melody, with some important help from my fifth grader and seventh grader, who also read the text and told me what they thought the mood of the words could convey through music. My oldest was convinced, based on the lyrics, that it should be like Greensleeves/What Child is This, where the minor-keyed verse of uneasiness leads the way to a more hopeful mostly major-keyed chorus.

Next @bearwith bandmates @dmelbygibbons and @briansmith helped further polish and perform this demo in our living room before the kiddos needed to go to bed. Music featuring @dmelbygibbons on #guitar and #vocals, @brismith on #cello, and myself on #flugelhorn and vocals.

Some additional tags for good measure #trumpet #horns #strings #acoustic #guywithguitar #girl #singersongwriter #majorminor #collab #collaboration #acousticonetake #harmonies #folk #indiefolk #folky

Lyrics

Verse 1
Am Em/G
Walkin’ the streets these days
Am G
Feelin’ alone
Am Em/G
In a country divided
Am G
Depending which news you know

Chorus 1
C G Am F
It’s common, oh yeah, to feel this way
G Am
Like a spinning out of place
C G
1st x: Do I trust you anymore (repeat from “it’s common”)
C G
2nd x: Do you know me anymore?
F F G
But we’re [all walking this same fate] (repeat multiple x)

Verse 2
Am Em/G
It’s they against them
Am G
Until it’s been
Am Em/G
decided there’s only
Am G
he or she
C G
As if a proclamation
Am F
could change people’s souls

Chorus 2
C G Am F
It’s common, oh yeah, to feel this way
G Am
Like a spinning out of place
C G
1st x: Do I trust you anymore (repeat from “it’s common”)
C G
2nd x: Do you trust me anymore?
F F G
We’re [all walking same fate] (repeat x 4)

Verse 3
Am Em/G
To change the hearts
Am G
of all in this land
Am Em/G
Seems too big
Am G
a feat to charge
C G
My friend, someone
Am F
Must lead the way

Chorus 3
C G Am F
At the end of the day, it’s a common way
G Am
Such a spinning out of place
C G
1st x: Do I trust you anymore (repeat from “at the end of the day”)
C G
2nd x: Do you know me anymore?

F G
[We have to try, to make it] (repeat x 8)

Comments

@jmpoet 9h

I feel like being a part of this as my very first FAWM lyrics writing experience has changed my life. I listen to this often and feel that it’s going to be my Song of 2025 and beyond!

@randomparade 12h

Dude! Flugelhorn! So cool! Love that your kids were part of this one.

@jmpoet 12h

@robinkirby thanks for pointing out the lyrics you did. I struggled with “we’re all walking the same fate” and if that would track or not. Happy to hear it did for you!

@tcelliott 16h

I love the repetition in the chorus, what a great touch. The flugelhorn and cello are tasty touches. There's a lovely dynamic build in the chorus that works very well.

@mardeycranbleson 18h

What a lovely performance, really enjoyed the understated harmonies and the horn lines. That cello is awesome it really drives the whole thing forward.

@robinkirby 1d

Great song 🎵 we all are walking the same fate … great line …we do all feel like we are spinning out of place … and the country 🇺🇸 is definitely divided so it’s relatable to what is happening now good job 👏 also I love the horn

@jmpoet 2d

@jeremykazoo wow what a compliment! Thank you!

@russkeys 2d

Love the flugelhorn. Nice harmonies.

@williamjames 2d

Melancholic and topical. The instrumentation is absolutely great here. Love the rhythm creted without percussion. Great all around.

@jeremykazoo 2d

I live how this song seems to just flow between genres and scenes. Love this song so much, I'd love to put this on my daily driver playlist.

@ultima2876 2d

Sounds great. The part starting at 1:06 is my favourite - the bass/cello coming in, the whole vibe with the guitar picking there, and then the horn. Beautiful!

The vocals remind me of The Flaming Lips!

@gregscheer 3d

Super cool! I love the flugelhorn (#ChuckMangione). The ascending cello lines are killer (#YoMaMa). And the vibe is spot on. Great work!

@arkka 3d

I think the slight contrast in feel between the parts works great in this, it's a big part of creating the atmosphere along with the nice arrangement of all the instruments. Love the flugelhorn bits, very effective. The lyrics are great too. As a non-American, I can't know what it's like but I feel like the mood was captured here well. Well done everyone!

@quadrivium 3d

I love everything about this message, all the instruments, the harmonies, and the 60’s folk rock feeling of this. That trumpet is GORGEOUS. I also really love that you put so many tags in your liner notes to make the genres and instruments easier to find.

@mikeb 3d

Unusual and memorable combination of instruments! A very modern take on 60s folk protest songs. Really hits to the current times.

@jmpoet 3d

@greengrassgirl Thanks for the shout outs to those two lines! I love what my collaborators did with the music, it’s haunting and enchanting all at the same time. They excelled! Yes, I love how FAWM works too! I’m a new FAWM participant and am learning the ropes myself!

@greengrassgirl 3d

Perfect line: "Depending on the news you know." Great collab that captures the cacophony of messages out there today. Love the cello--I don't hear those much these days, and it's just the perfect touch. I arrived here because of your comment on Almost Feels Like Love, my joint collab with @musend and @hbusse. I like how this works! 😀 PS I also really liked "As if a proclamation/could change people's souls."

@max 4d

What a sad but entertaining collab this is. Great arrangement where all instruments and vocals have their importance. Amazing how they carry the lyrics! Wonderful performance, it enters the heart.

@mikedebenham 4d

This is great. Very timely lyric, lovely arrangement and performance. Excellent horn part too.

@billwhite51 4d

my favorite part is the flugelhorn, it rings out like a cry for unity.

@jmpoet 5d

@kerriwinter thank you for the call out, I just listened to some of your song and live your style and your gorgeous singing voice! Would you be interested in collaborating with me? Please check out my profile. I’ve just posted three songs…I think one especially would suit you: This Moment. I would be so honored!!!

@kerriwinter 5d

what a great creation story this song has, and with a great final result. live group recording is such a vibe! just echoing the other comments... great harmonies, love the horn!, love the minor/major swap for the chorus, gives a timeless feel to the timeless but also timely topic of the lyrics.

@audreyrussell 5d

I really enjoyed this! Has a folksy retro vibe, yet sounds fresh and relevant! The lyrics certainly are! The harmonies are super --- nothing better, in my opinion, than singing live harmonies with friends! Love the cello and the flug!

@franniezest 5d

great overall effect with the layers working really well together! and nice 'turn' of phrase on 'spinning out of place'

@richaux 6d

That is a steadfast, um, resoluteness as that minor-major shift happens: kudos to your musical director for that! 👊 Really like the overall fluid style ... and the way the cello digs in.

@jmpoet 6d

@frenchcricket Thanks for the props! Especially on the “they against them”! I’m going to check out that album now!

@jmpoet 6d

@jackketch Wow! Thank you for your comment! That means a lot to us as a group!

@jackketch 6d

Hearing this does make me think ‘Blimey id better up my game’ as it’s so accomplished sounding. I loved all of it, those first few notes from the plaintive trumpet (sorry just read it was a flugel horn) to the excellent lyrics (think you’ve captured how many of us feel), to when the harmonies kicked in - this was great.

@racheleve 1w

Love the communal feel of this and that flugel horn is so good! Catchy and timely lyrics.

@frenchcricket 1w

This has such a timeless feel. It sounds like something from 'Forever Changes' and that is one of my all-time favourite albums. I love that rhythmic cello, and the trumpet line is so evocative. The Verse 2 lyrics are so powerful in particular (how has nobody used 'it's they against them' before). Superb work, all.

@jmpoet 1w

@raspberry33 gotta write the protest songs! Check out my lyrics for Times of Swords Raised on my profile, I think you’d enjoy them!

@raspberry33 1w

You hit the nail on the head with "depending which news you know" and we do have a crisis of trust. Nice production; nice mix, great vocals and harmonies. And the flugelhorn is an unusual touch - is there a hashtag for that on FAWM?

Fellow scientist and horn-player here, also dealing with sudden funding issues! And writing protest songs.

@jmpoet 1w

@abudabard12514 thanks! That’s an amazing compliment!!!

@abudabard12514 1w

Woooo!!! I got nothin constructive to say I just really vibed with this

@johnnywallflower 1w

Great interplay of instruments and voices. Interesting chord progressions too.

@erbaer 1w

Wonderful interplay between musical passages and lyrics. I really enjoyed this.

@richardmasters 1w

What a great atmosphere and performance - I like how it moves from folk to alt -pop, the groove is entrancing and support the words so well!

@musicsongwriter 1w

Wonderful song and collaboration. Every contributor gave a valuable piece to make the whole song sound awesome. Enjoyed my listen very much. Love your song.

@paul_pedersen 1w

There's lots to like about this song. To mention only a few, the rhythmic cello, the vocal harmony, and the extended call and answer at the end of each chorus. And how often do we get to hear a fluegelhorn in a pop song? Should be more, I think.

@briggs 1w

Love the combination of trumpet, guitar, cello in a folky vibe. The cello does an amazing job of providing both bass and percussion. Really, really nice.

@arcane 1w

Outstanding piece: it's catchy, it's complex, and it's wonderfully performed... Kudos to everyone, really. I enjoyed my listen very much.
(And the vocal work, wow!!!)

@jmpoet 1w

@cts thanks so much for the props! I like how you stated it: not visceral but telling with humility (restrained strength).

@cts 1w

Y'all have definitely captured the overall climate of the times. What I appreciate is the rather stately expression. Not visceral but telling with humility (restrained strength). Of course that flugel horn is gorgeous to hear. Well done, all.

@berni1954 1w

Fine song and arrangement!
I am so glad to see so many FAWMERS writing songs in response to the current political climate. I feel that anyone with empathy is horrified at the rise of the lunatic right (or should that be the Neo Nazis?) .

As one of my songs put it:
"At putting folk in boxes, these people are the champs.
But we’ve been down that road before; it leads straight to the camps."

@gm7 1w

A great choice of intruntmemts that have created a wonderful song and .that trumpet.....love it's melancholy tone.
A very relatable topic!

@wondertruly 1w

WOW, a supercollab! This is incredible! The cello adds so much. I really love the line "In a country divided, depending which news you know."

@wizardofarc 1w

Definitely feeling these lyrics. The horn lines remind me the other Mangioni. I love the group vocals. ❤️
"We have to try to make it" 😿

@chris_buono 1w

Interesting anthem-like write and depth in play, @wynia . Dug the "spinning out of place" usage and haunting retro-sounding vocals and mix.

@riverman 1w

Very nice lyrics and vocals. The flugelhorn and cello really add another dimension to the feel overall; love this instrumentation.

@jmpoet 1w

@jinx thanks for the props on that proclamation line. I’ve got so much fury inside over the current state of things that it’s all just flowing out creatively.

@jinx 1w

This is so, so cool! First the flugelhorn – what a gorgeous sound – and then those overlapping vocals... I love it.

"As if a proclamation could change people's souls" is such a powerful line, I got chills.

@ambroise 1w

Love your trumpet sound : it's full of sweetness and dignity, wich is a good response to the lyrics.
Also nice deep thoughtfull lyrics.
Good idea to work on your songs with your kids. If I could find a way to get mine onboard this year, I could use their trumpet and clarinet mhohahahaha !

@timfatchenMod 1w

Thanks all for the enlargement on the way this excellent offering was constructed.

@pendroppoet 2w

Brass always gets bonus points from me, definitely on theme with the turbulence in current society. I really love the overlapping vocals.

@jmpoet 2w

@timfatchen it took me thirty minutes to write the lyrics, they just kinda poured out!

@wynia 2w

@timfatchen To answer your question about how long it took to put together... @jmpoet could answer how long she spent on lyrics, which were first. Then I spent a couple hours writing the music/chords. I sent it over to my bandmate @dmelbygibbons on Weds morning for him to look over as we were getting together that evening. He'd have to comment on how much time he spent with it; I originally wrote on piano but he translated it to guitar. Then Weds evening, @dmelbygibbons came over to mine and @briansmith house for @bearwith band practice...I think we started working on it together at 8:00 pm to come up with cello, harmonies, and flugelhorn... then recorded it at 9:15? Sorry it's long winded haha, but when so many players are involved I'm trying to find all the threads of the timeline!

@wynia 2w

@newukenewyork @hbusse @mariekevink @katestantonsings @tcelliott @val @lindsaymachine @disarming @timfatchen Thank you all for stopping by and for your kind words!

@timfatchenMod 2w

This is so good. Serious lyric, great backing and that flugelhorn sends shivers...arrangement excellent. Interested: how long did it take to put together? That chorus just floors me, and the multiple repeats...applause. I'm just going to sit quietly and listen, okay? Applause!!!

@disarming 2w

This rules. Great job everyone. I love this so much. The dual vocals! Cello? Trumpet. So so so good. Y'all should collab again. Check out my page if any of you might want to collab I'd be down.

@lindsaymachine 2w

wow - came to say thanks for checking out my track and was blown away by this! I love it, especially the canon singing on the last line of the chorus!

@val 2w

What a great folk vibe. Love the instrumentation. And the minor key definitely evokes that brooding feeling you were going for. The back and forth at the end is also really cool. I think a lot of people are feeling uneasy, to say the least, in these days and times. Very topical.

@tcelliott 2w

I like this very much. It sounds great and I really, really like the music. What a great arrangement (I saw the blurb on the band, it looks cool.) I make it to Madison every year or so but never to Milwaukee (assuming that's closer to where you're at) but maybe I should make the extra effort at some point.

@katestantonsings 2w

Wow! This is an incredible acoustic one take full of raw talent. The horns are magnificent.

@mariekevink 2w

I LOVE the fact that this was all recorded in one take with everyone around the mics. It really fits the feel of the song. It has a complete Ye Olde World protest song feel to it, both lyrically and musically. A gorgeous ensemble piece.

@newukenewyork 2w

I especially like the chorus, but all these layers come together in an epic way. What a cool, full sound!

@hbusse 2w

Love the living room folksy vibes of this one! Such a pleasure to hear the Smiths playing music again 🙂 Glad you are able to partially process difficult experiences through creating within a community.

@wynia 2w

@burr I think the reason I came back parallels precisely why you might not find it in you to do it this year. I have so much pent-up bubbling up uneasiness and angst about the world at large and after long breaks of not doing much intentional music, this past year I've really invested in it more and more. Writing this stuff is taking the edge off of the ache in my chest. A sabbatical/break might do the same for you as returning is doing for me. Thanks for listening and for the kind comment!

@burrMod 2w

sarah, it's really exciting to see you and brian here and active this fawm! beautiful arrangement and sentiments. i don't know if i have it in me this year to write songs to process these sorts of feelings... but i'm glad it's working out that way for so many others, including you... 🤘

@billwhite51 2w

good-hearted song that doesnt play the hate game, just tells lit like it is no matter which side you are on. i lobe the production and all the different voices and harmonies, but especially the flugelhorn

@wynia 2w

@aeye Yes! We were all circled around two mics in my living room. Switching off between flugelhorn and vocals was sometimes a challenge! Thanks for the kind words - PP+M are legends!