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.

Smart Enough to Know

This may well be the weirdest song I've ever written. I wanted to try to write and record something without touching a guitar at all and this is what came out. I also didn't have time to refine lyrics and hooks and parts so whatever was off the top of my head came to fruition.

I created all the parts loops except for the big drum loop that comes in on the second verse which was just imported in as a regular drum loop.

Lyrically, I'm not really even sure what I'm talking about. I was volunteering yesterday and this newscaster (who shall remain nameless) was filming a segment while we tried to help flood victims figure out what to do, where to go, where they could stay, etc. The guy just kept trying to film himself walking through the crowd and talking about the flood but people kept walking in front of him while he was talking. It was hilarious. When I popped off some lyrics I was just thinking of that self-important blowhard mentality and how we just have to shut it out.

Does it make sense? Not really. But I'm thinking of this one more as a "process" song. These less appealing in-between songs will be important in the long run of exercising my writing and recording muscles, I'm hoping.

Mostly this song was a breeze to record but when I went to "bounce" the song- meaning export it to listen to as a single track (as opposed to the multiple tracks within the recording file-- drums, bass, etc.) it kept starting about 30 seconds into the song. I couldn't figure out why. Especially infuriating when I'm late for other things and not especially into the song!

I'll still post this one for sale at Bandcamp if anybody wants to buy a weird song to help Nashville!

Smart Enough to Know

Just a little bit to wash it down Just a little bit to keep it down Just a little bit to wash it down

Just a little bit to wash it down Just a little bit to keep it down Just a little bit to wash it down

Hey, you're smart enough to know When they are far enough to gloat

Just a little bit to flush it down Just a little bit to keep it down Just a little bit to flush it down

Just a little bit to flush it down Just a little bit to keep it down Just a little bit to flush it down

Hey, you're old enough to know When they are far enough to gloat

Hey, you're smart enough to know When they are old enough to go