Week 4 - SAC Songwriting Challenge - Rock the Cliche

Week 4 - SAC Songwriting Challenge - Rock the Cliche

Well we're just over the half-way mark.This week's assignment was to choose ten cliches, and think of how they could be used in a song in a fresh way, or a different perspective. Then choose one of the cliches and work a song with it.

1.   Muddy the waters
2.   Sink or swim
3.   Wake up and smell the coffee
4.   Stop and smell the roses
5.   Go with the flow
6.   Take it like a man
7.   Thank my lucky stars
8.   A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
9.   Actions speak louder than words
10.  A shot in the dark

Mark and I started this song, before the challenge started. It fit in so well with this week's theme of working with a cliche, that I decided to go with it. We worked on improving the lyric to the song, and Mark put together an enhanced work-tape. The cliche "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do"....was changed to a question "What's a man to do?" as the hook and title of the song. The lyric is about a married man who feels that he needs to be the strong alpha male type, but is also working on being the sensitive type. Also, in the lyric we worked with the cliche 'thank my lucky stars', but changed it to 'the stars have all lined up'.

Here's the link to the song:

https://soundcloud.com/midnight-mama-music/whats-a-man-to-do-1

What’s a Man to Do?

© 2014 Lucy LeBlanc, Mark Dolin

Baby here I am

I’m right here by your side

I can see you’re hurting

Won’t you tell me why

I’d do anything for you

I can’t stand to see your tears

Baby I’m a man

And Sometimes I make mistakes

I feel a little helpless

Am I the one to blame?

Tell me what you’re feeling

I’m listening…..I’m right here.

Chorus:

What’s a man to do?

I try to be Superman

But I outta be Clark Kent too

What’s a man to do?

I try to understand you when you’re down and feeling blue

How can I show you

What you mean to me

What’s a man to do?

Since the day I met you

The stars have all lined up

And waking up beside you

Is more than enough

When you cry it kills me

Can you help me understand?...can you help me out here?

Chorus:

What’s a man to do?

I try to be Superman

But I outta be Clark Kent too

What’s a man to do?

I try to understand you when you’re down and feeling blue

How can I show you

What you mean to me

What’s a man to do?

Bridge:

I wanna see you smile again

I wanna feel your love again

I’ll do anything, anything for you

 Chorus:

What’s a man to do?

I try to be Superman

But I outta be Clark Kent too

What’s a man to do?

I try to understand you when you’re down and feeling blue

How can I show you

What you mean to me

What’s a man to do?