ALWAYS WRITE REALITY
One of the essential elements on any song that I have anything to do with are Three characteristics:
#1. REALITY
#2. CONVERSATIONAL
#3. REINFORCING MELODIC HOOK.
I try to do this in everything and stress it in my teaching/mentoring. This is very much a part of a song thst has been recently posted,
“IM THE LIVING PROOF.”
The song, written with Mark Munroe
Wayne Norton
and Tony Milazzo
Tony and Wayne, are two people I’ve become very close to over the past couple of years and have really enjoyed getting to know.
And that brings me to how we wrote this song.
Tony, who is legally blind, since birth and has over come many difficulties that would sideline most of us, particularly me.
Growing up in New York, he knew he’d have to be tough. He was a “BLIND BALLROOM DANCER” he sang with rock bands, he did stand up comedy.
He moved to Calidoenia where he became a boat captain, (Commodore), was in the COAST GUARD, was a producer, writer, director and ACTOR AND STUNTMAN.
Among his many other things, he was a stuntman on the movie
“TITANIC” where he worked for three years on James Cameron’s monster film.
He had many parts on that, but the most notable was in the shot as the ship is going down and a guy bounces all the way down the deck, banging off of deck barriers, and spins like a top into the freezing ocean.
That was TONY.
He and Wayne, (another very notable history) moved about 3 years to Nashville to write and perform songs, record, do a podcast, “OVERBOARD” and be a part of this community.
So when we started writing this song, I just really took lines from his life that he spoke out loud while the four of us sat around talking about… our lives.
“Sometimes I feel like the guy in the movie Titanic,
who hits the prop on the long way down.
Hit every obstacle
in full body slam
ending up at the bottom,
down and out.
Been at the top of the mountain, to the bottom of the pit
sometimes it make me crazy, lookibg back at it,
Only thing I can control
is the next step that I take
chorus
ONE FOOT IN FRONT
OF THE OTHER
BOUT THE ONLY THING I CAN DO
IF YOU WANT A DEMONSTRATION
FROM THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
IM THE LIVING PROOF
EARNED EVERY SCAR
THE HARD WAY
BUT NOW I ONLY DEAL
IN THE TRUTH
ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER,
AND IM THE LIVING PROOF
That’s Tony. And that is the approach that I have to song writing.
As we get more and more besieged by ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, and more and more cloudy on what is real and what is fake, I strongly suggest writers keep in mind that only YOU can write the TRUTH
Only YOU can have those MEMORIES and EXPERIENCES, that make us different and unique.
It’s easy to get blinded by the latest technology and toys. But the HUMAN experience is really the ONLY thing that matters in ART.
I’m coming to an end to my involvement in songwriting. But I’m proud of the things I’ve done and what I leave behind. Thanks to all who have allowed me to share in their lives.
Been a good time.
Just remember
You don't choose music
music chooses you.
Make sure it chose wisely.

Marc Allen Barnette