In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

Along with each posted song, I'll include a little story of the writing and recording process. If you're the kind of person who doesn't like to know what's behind a song, feel free to skip all the content below the track.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Letting Go

This afternoon I had lunch with my friend Vince Romanelli. Vince is a good drummer, great friend and a whiz with all things recording and producing. We were talking about the 30 Day Project and we decided to try and make something together. I've had the musical and lyrical idea for "Letting Go" in my head for a couple of weeks but it turned out quite different (and better) with Vince at the helm.

The whole thing centers around this open string pull-off guitar lick that I never actually play on this recording. Once Vince added the cool marimba and loop stuff, it just didn't need to be there anymore. One of the challenges I'm trying to get into with this project is to be able to step away from my guitar a little more with song ideas. It's not that I don't want guitar in my songs or anything, but I want to stretch myself a little and step out of the comfort zone. This song is kind of like a mid-way point towards that.

Vince and I knocked out most of the song in a couple of hours this afternoon. Which stands in stark contrast to the hard time I had once I took it home to finish it off. I'm pretty happy with the result, but it was an arduous journey. Without going into too much detail of my temper tantrum, let me just remind you all to save, save, save. You never know when your program is going to crash and take away your last couple of hours of work. Lesson learned. Again.

Lyrically, this was a tough one. A friend passed away a little over a year ago and basically the song is just about trying to remember but to also let go. Whenever I think about his death, I always think of his wife and how she's doing and how silly I am for feeling so sad. Not because the feelings are disingenuous, but because others are suffering so much more over the same loss. I'm not sure if anyone can relate, but hopefully the melody is catchy enough that it doesn't matter too much! I was trying to break out of my usual rhyme scheme ideas too. I'm not sure if these exact words will stay, but maybe the same rhyme scheme with better lyrics.

Letting Go

I know it's hard to believe That there will ever be A sense of relief You don't believe what you read Your heart just bleeds and bleeds and bleeds

It never seems to redeem It only claims defeat It won't wash clean You can't believe what you see Your heart just needs and needs and needs

Oh, she's so alone But oh, she's letting go Oh, she's so alone But oh, she's letting go

I bare it all in a song But it feels like a con I feel like a fraud It comes out wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong

I'm in places I don't belong But we just go one Until our number's drawn And we're gone, we're gone, we're gone

Oh, we're so alone But oh, we're letting go Oh, we're so alone But oh, we're letting go

We're just an inch or two away We're just an inch or two away

Oh, we're so alone But oh, we're letting go Oh, we're so alone But oh, we're letting go