Collaboration: the Caper

One song frame so splendid that books could be and I’m sure have been written about it, is the good old fashioned collaboration.

My invitation to you: is there a songwriter or other artist you want to collaborate with, just for fun, to see what happens when you mash up? Ask them if they want to. Agree on some restrictions that sound interesting to you - what will you do to make the experience foreign to you, to give you unexpected input? Sometimes the premise of interacting with another is enough but sometimes it’s also nice to have restrictions. This can be around anything and here are some I’ve tried.

-restrict the timeframe (eg, make the song in 1 session)

-restrict the interactions (eg, I get 1 pass, then I pass it back to you, as in collaborative 7X7s)

-restrict roles (I am in charge of this aspect completely, you are completely in charge of that aspect)

-restrict the content (this song has to use 3 words randomly chosen from the dictionary, or be about such and such a theme, or will be given as a gift to so and so)

-restrict the style (this song has to mimic so-and-so’s style, or mashes up this artist with this artist)

the list is infinite, and coming up with the restrictions itself is super fun. You know you’ve found a good one when you’re excited to just try it and see what happens.

Here’s one example. There is a songwriter based out of Hamburg, a lovely guy named Florian Jakob, who reminds me of Fry from Futurama in the best possible way that statement could ever be understood.

After being placed on the same team at a 1 day pop songwriting jam in Berlin, we were mutually delighted and decided to collaborate some more.

We came up with several tracks together. The restriction was, Florian did all of the music, playing all of the instruments, all of the recording (cuz he’s one of those guys, that can do that!). I was responsible for lyrics and melody.

Created over a series of trips back and forth between Berlin and Hamburg, we made 6 scratch recordings, which he then re-recorded later with his band the Caper.

Here is one that I especially love listening back to, first the scratch version and then his professionally recorded version, from his album Compendium of Games.

Coincidentally (I think), the song contains a reference to Rumpelstiskin.

Didn’t I Follow the Plan by Caper

Lyrics:

Water under the bridge is still water, and I’m so thirsty. Didn’t I do everything we agreed? Didn’t I sort the wheat from the seed? I sorted the black eyed peas from the green.

I worked my fingers to the raw. I did my best, I gave my all.

Every cartwheel rolls away from me. I’d pull the reins, but they’ve slipped out of my hands. I tamed this horse, but now this horse is driving me. But tell me - didn’t I follow the plan? Didn’t I follow the plan?

Water run downstream is still water, and I’m still searching for something I need. I’m still searching.

I tried to spin that heap of straw. I guessed your name, I did it all.

~~

Thumbnail image lovingly appropriated from Paul O. Zelinsky’s illustrated retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ retelling of Rumpelstilskin.