Eric Makes Music

It’s true. Sometimes I’ll love a song when i start working on it. But by the time it’s written and recorded, it just doesn’t move me and I can’t figure out why. Usually I’ll just move on to another song. Then I can come back to that song months later and just love it again. I think stepping away from it is what helps clear my perspective. But, literally, it can take months sometimes.

That’s the case with this song I did for New York artist B. Michael L. I wrote the lyrics and produced the track. B came in and dropped the vocals like it was easy. He was really good in the studio. But when it done I felt like… eh… it’s okay. He just recently sent me an updated version of the song and I love it.

That’s the weirdest thing to me and it happens all the time!

Take a listen for yourself.

I wrote this for a female artist. I can hear someone like Monica or even Jennifer Hudson singing.

The singer who demoed it for me is a Atlanta singer/songwriter named The D.O.T. She’s great in the studio. Almost required no work from me at all. You can contact The D.O.T. on her myspace page.

A&R’s / Artist reps, this song is available, contact me if you’d like your artist to reference it.

Do you like it?  What singer can you hear singing it?

I’ll be honest. Usually, I’m my favorite songwriter. But today, my hat goes off to Neyo I just heard a cut off his new project (Year of the Gentleman) called Mad.

Don’t know what to say. it’s just a great song. The chorus has like 3 different hooks and they’re all catchy as hell. He makes a cool reference to J Holiday’s hit song “Put You To Bed” that is subtle but incredibly effective. Little things like that which make people want to sing your song. Neyo is a master at not just the art.. but the science of making hit records.

If the above player doesn’t show up in your rss reader, come to EricMakesMusic.com to hear the song in full.

This song has been out for a bit but I LOVE this song. I love the track and I love the way he sings over the track. The melody is just where i would put it.

I definitely could see myself doing some songs like this. I might try and work on some.

Well, here we are.  This is my new home (on the web)

Take a look around.  Make your self at home.

Here you’ll be able to check out all the songs that I’m working on.  There may be songs that I write for myself or songs that I create for others (clients, producers). I’ll post put up cool things that I find on the web (which is pretty much where I live), new music, videos or books that I discover.  If something inspires me, I’ll share it and pass it along.

Listen, Download, Share… as much as you like

Most of the songs will be free to download (unless it was created for someone else).  So feel free to take them, put them on your mp3 player, pass them around.

Please leave me comments

I live for comments.  Even negative ones.  There’s nothing better than knowing what someone thinks of a songs I created.  So, if you comment on the songs I’ve posted, I promise I’ll post more.  Go ahead, be brutally honest.  Trust me, I have really thick skin. Seriously, I’ve had it measured… it’s like 2 inches or something.

Is Life unfair?

Do you find life to be a struggle sometimes?  Does it sometimes seem like you got dealt a bad hand?  For some people, everything seems to be handed to them on a silver platter.  Meanwhile, the rest of us have to figure out how to make do with all the chips stacked against us.

Is God to blame?

Why do some people have so much while others have so little?  Did God design the world this way?

And what if He did?  Can we do anything about it?  Isn’t it a sin to question God and His ultimate wisdom?

If you’ve ever asked these questions then this song is for you.

I think holding a grudge inside and never talking about it is one of the surest ways to stress and depression.  Some people get mad at someone and hold it in because they just want to.  Some people do it because they feel they have no choice.

I know children who are angry with their parents but are too intimidated by their authority to ever confront them. In fact, I know a 30 year old man who has been holding grudge with his dad for over 20 years. And he has never ever spoken to his father about it!

I don’t blame him.  For some people, parents can be very intimidating.

And for many more people, God is the most intimidating figure of all.  Have you ever been taught that it’s a sin to question God?  Have you ever felt like you would be struck by lightning if you said “the wrong thing” or spoke about God “the wrong way”?

You are not the only one!

One way or another, we’ve all been taught to be very “careful” when it comes to the way we speak to God.  We have learned it in church, or we received the message from parents or friends or television. Even though we call Him Father, most of us do not feel comfortable approaching him like a dad… especially if we are angry or confused or feel that we have been treated unfairly.

Seriously, this makes me sad.

I hate to see people get a bum rap.  Even God.  And, it bothers me that so many people think of God as unapproachable when, for me, he’s been always accessible, always gentle, and always willing to accept me for who I am… flaws and all.

So, I wrote this song.  Hoping it would help someone.

If anything in this post has touched you in some way.  Or if you can relate at all, then please listen to the song.  If you find it helpful then download it (it’s free).  Just click on “Download” in the player. You can go here to read the lyrics.

If you know someone else who’s been having a hard time of things and may be having a hard time praying about it, please share the song by passing this blog along to them. Click on the “Share/Send” button below to email or post this blog to your Facebook page or any other site you’re on.

So, once again…

Listen, Download (for free), and pass it along.

And please, be sure to comment.  I live for comments! I need to know what you think. Just click on the ‘Comments’ button below the post.

Again, Lyrics are at this post.

Speak Your Mind

Written & Produced by Eric Campbell

Verse 1
Talk to me
Tell me how you feel
Don’t hold it in
With me you can be real
I’m your Father
You can say it
Even if it seems unkind
With me you can
Freely speak your mind

Verse 2
Let it out
You won’t make me mad
And truthfully, it’s your silence
That makes me sad
You’re my child, my heart, my love
For you endures throughout all time
So with me you can
Freely speak your mind
Yes with me you can
Freely speak your mind

Bridge
Tell me if you’re angry
Or confused
If you don’t understand my plans for you
If you think that I’m being much too cruel or unfair
I’d rather that you scream and shout at me
That’s better than not saying a thing
At all, Oh No

Verse 3
Talk to me
My love won’t go away
No matter what
you do or what you say
I have called you by my name
And gave my light for you to shine
So with me you can
Freely speak your mind
Yes with me you can
Freely speak your mind

Vamp
If its bottling up and you’re bout to explode
And you feel like your cross is too heavy to hold
If you feel like the wicked are winning the war
And you wonder what all of the suffering is for
If it feels like heaven has closed its eyes
You can say what you feel don’t ya hold it inside
If you’re carrying more than you think you can bear
And you’re starting to wonder if I’m even there
Cuz lately it’s looking like I’ve left you alone
And you no longer feel that you know that you know
(You can speak your mind)

I used to be totally against platonic friendships.

I never thought they worked. I mean you can’t deny chemistry, can you? Put a man and a woman in a room and if there’s any attraction there at all, somethings going to happen. I mean, it’s unavoidable right?

But then I got some cool female friends.

Never thought that would happen but it did. And they were great. And a couple of them became closer than my male friends were.

And then things got weird.

I don’t know how to explain it exactly. Each case is different but in every case, the vibe just started changing at some point. And we’re all still friends but it’s not really the same.

What makes it hard with women specifically is…

You can never ever be sure what a woman is really thinking

• Do they really like you and are just acting like friends to get close to you?
• Or, maybe they suspect you’re the one acting like a friend and think you might really like them so they decide to back away.
• Or maybe they’re just crazy!!!

Two guys would never have this problem.

You know why? Because we do this thing called Talking! When we have a problem with someone or suspect an issue, we actually open up our mouths and express it (Ladies you should try it sometime, it actually works).

So anyway, I’m back to being not so sure if platonic relationships work.

But, I wrote a song about how I feel. And since my lady friends have left me totally clueless as to what happened between us, I, like any guy, have to make the assumption that I did something wrong. And, as every guy has done at some point, I’m apologizing even though I’m not really sure what happened.

Ladies, maybe you can help me…

Listen to the song and tell what you think I should do. Or do you agree that we should all stay away from platonic relationships? If you need to listen to it a few times to understand what’s going on, you can click the “Download” link in the player to download a copy for your hard drive or mp3 player (the download is free).

Maybe you can pass this on to some of your other relationship gurus to see if they can help solve this dilemma. Just click the “Share/Send” button below to forward the post or add it to your own profile. You can also pass the song along. Really, the more help I get the better

Just click the “Comment” button below to add a comment. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Oh yeah… here are the lyrics.

the simple foolishness of ignorance
written & produced by Eric Campbell

key - G Major; 67 bpm

verse 1

If I ever made you cry I’m truly sorry
Sometimes tears are something I don’t understand
And it wasn’t till the time
I saw them filling up your eyes.
That I realized I’d hurt my closest friend

I’m not really sure just what you were expecting
But I think it might be more than I can give
All those words you never say
I think I hear them anyway
But its a language I don’t really understand

chorus
They say love overcomes a multitude of sins (flaws, offenses)
So I hope that you can forgive me once again

For the cluelessness of men
for the lack of common sense
And for the simple foolishness of ignorance

verse 2

Didn’t we silently agree to keep our friendship
and never ever speak about this chemistry we feel
And now I’m really not sure
when you decided you wanted more
but now we’ve got this awkwardness between us
that refuses to yield

chorus
(repeat 2nd half)

bridge
And maybe it’s true, these friendships never work
And maybe it’s true, someday someone will be hurt
And if I knew this all back then
Would I still let us begin along this road
I don’t know

But they say (chorus)

Haven’t you always been attracted to thugs?

I know.  There’s just something about them, right?  You can’t help yourself.  DMX, 50, Lil Wayne, it doesn’t matter. A muscled up brother walks up in a wife beater covered in tats and you just lose it. Right?

So then you start dating some.

And, oh what an adventure right?  He’s fun, spontaneous.  He’s a rebel. He just don’t give a ….

Very sexy right?

But then, you start seeing the other side.

• Mr. Thug ain’t got no job
• Mr. Thug always needs to borrow some money.
• Mr. Thug’s car broke down and he needs to borrow yours
• Mr. Thug got three baby mama’s and they all wanna cut You!
• Mr. Thug loses his temper sometime and you wonder where that’s gonna lead.

Hmm… maybe it’s time for a change

Maybe it’s time to leave 50 and Lil Wayne on youtube and find you a real responsible brother who knows how to treat a woman.

If you’ve ever wondered, where are the good brothers?  This song is for you!

Download it (it’s free).  Put it in your mp3 player.  And the next time that dude beeps at you while he’s driving by, turn up the volume and rock out.

Remixes anyone?

This is just a demo mix.  I still may make some changes to it. I might have it mixed by some higher end studios to see what it brings out. I’m also up for having some remixes done so if you feel you have something to add to it, let me know.

Warning.. Explicit Lyrics

It’s a fairly positive song but there’s still a couple of grown up words so parents keep that in mind. If you want to see the lyrics, they’re at this post