tournament Golden Hit: Season 4 📀 Congrats to Kylie Jenner! 🌸

[fountain]

 

While judging for Round 1 is ongoing, and again a big thank you again to everybody who submitted for the first round, we bring you the new challenge for Round 2!

 

Round 2: Samples & Sequels

 

For this challenge, we are focusing on two popular songwriting devices and asking you to implement them in your entry and giving you the choice between them: sampling, and sequels. You can choose between either and the challenge is to write a song that either samples another song, or acts as a sequel to another song, depending on your choice. If you choose samples, your song should sample an already existing song of your choice and directly quote lyrics from this song and utilise them in your new song. You can choose any song, and you can choose any part of the song to sample. If you choose sequels, we are asking you to submit a song that acts as a sequel to an already existing song. Again, this can be any song of your choosing, and you can choose how to interpret the sequel component in any way you wish, for example if you want the song to directly continue from the original, or if you want the song to come from a different perspective but still utilise the same themes, story, or characters. For those feeling extra adventurous you could even attempt to combine both a sample and a sequel in one song, but ultimately only one choice is required for this challenge. 

 

You can choose to incorporate inspiration from the original song to whatever extent you desire, but note that entries will be judged based on your original songwriting. As such, we’d discourage sampling entire verses or choruses or writing a sequel with the exact same meter and structure as the original song. Instead, use the original song as inspiration to take the story in a new direction or provide a unique take on the same theme! Additionally, you may also use one of your own songs as the reference song you are choosing to sample or write a sequel to, but if you do so please also include the original song in your submission so both can be read.

 

Entries are due via Google Form submission by June 29th, midnight eastern time.

 

@PoKiTaurus @GentleDance @8thPrince @Hug @Gavin. @worldwide angel @OreGuy @Invisibility @vinster13 @XO_Life @xBoySelenatorx @FireMotif16 @Tropical @Julianna Calm Down @Better Mistakes @Courtney Love @Prisoner @Kylie Jenner

 

If you have any questions, feel free to tag any of our judges ( @Jackson, @JoeAg and @Legend E), and if you want any specific feedback on anything you have written or are in need of some more in depth advice, then feel free to message this season’s mentor ( @fountain). 

 

As a reminder, sign-ups are open all season long and anybody is free to join – just submit your song to sign up.

 

Have fun and good luck!

 

🌸

Edited June 24, 2023 by fountain

[Hug]

33 minutes ago, Jackson said:

what are we playing king? 

Skul: the Hero Slayer lately!

 

 

--

 

Aw **** not this. Every time we get the option to be inspired by other artists I BLOW IT. Thinking I'm gonna have to do samples but even then all my ideas for samples boil down to "this chorus would make a good bridge in another pop song!" and that's more of something that's more effective when you can hear the song

[Galah]

Oh, this challenge would have been my jam. Let me bop to "Anna Ou" in a show of support.

[Hug]

Doom and gloom era over saw we can reference (or not reference) ourselves. Guess I'm making a sequel to one of my plethora of brilliant masterpieces....

[poki]

Cool I have an idea. 

[fountain]

31 minutes ago, Hug said:

Doom and gloom era over saw we can reference (or not reference) ourselves. Guess I'm making a sequel to one of my plethora of brilliant masterpieces....

Yesss you are free to use your own songs or other songs as the inspiration this round  I think there’s a lot of potential with both so it’ll be good to see what people go for

[Jackson]

In case anyone was curious what the spread of type choices was this round - 

 

[fountain]

Just now, Jackson said:

In case anyone was curious what the spread of type choices was this round - 

 

Psychic type it’s power  I did mention it was my favourite so idk if that had anything to do with, but yes psychic yes talent 

[Hug]

Okay so I realized I have enough Pokemon/types/abilities songs I wrote in various songwriting games to make an EP out of them 😍so here it is!

 

Yozakura (PH 9: Pokemon Types) (Type: Grass)

Candle (  ) (PH 10.5: Pokemon Types) (Type: Fire)

Unburdened (SOTS 1: Pokemon Abilities) [Ability: Unburden]

Divine Quintessence (SOTS 1: Pokemon Abilities) [Ability: Power of Alchemy]

Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring (SOTS 3: Pokemon) [Pokemon: Sawsbuck]

Heaven only exists in the dark (GH4: Pokemon types) [Type: Dark]

 

[Hug]

Bonus Track: RAVAGED from SOTS1 wasn't a Pokemon type challenge, but it was from Elemental challenge and I chose Fire which is also a Pokemon type so it could be included !!

[Jackson]

If anyone is feeling risky and wants to sample a judge's song, all my PH/SOTS/GH lyrics are here

[poki]

31 minutes ago, Jackson said:

In case anyone was curious what the spread of type choices was this round - 

 

Grass type stays a loser 

[fountain]

6 minutes ago, Jackson said:

If anyone is feeling risky and wants to sample a judge's song, all my PH/SOTS/GH lyrics are here

perhaps I will 

[Galah]

10 minutes ago, Jackson said:

If anyone is feeling risky and wants to sample a judge's song, all my PH/SOTS/GH lyrics are here

Streaming AOTD (2010s) 'Make Myself At Home' as I type this.

[Galah]

6 minutes ago, PoKiTaurus said:

Grass type stays a loser 

The way if I wasn't on hiatus I would have done Grass x Fairy smh.

[Legend E]

 

As I did these reviews from 2 to 4 AM please excuse any mistakes there might appear, even though I criticized a few of you on this  Good job everyone and please feel free to correct me or discuss with me any concepts I have gotten wrongly from your entries. As Jackson mentioned, also feel free to ignore any suggestions you do not agree with. Good luck everyone and I look forward to your submissions for the second round! I might edit this tomorrow a bit vdf;

 

@worldwide angel– Grace

I definitely like this approach to the theme, especially as you didn’t go for the standard fantasy approach. I also appreciate the intentions of making the entry more inclusive and more representative of the community as a whole, while also dragging its haters. My highlights are definitely the first verse and the bridge, loving lines such as “got a ton of heart/that doesn’t just go away” or “girls who gift us/extraordinary taste”. I just wish the song felt a bit more engaging in certain places. What I mean is that it often feels like a reiteration of the same idea in every part of the song, whereas I would have liked a few more ideas sprinkled here and there. Also, I’d suggest rereading the entry before sending it to avoid small mistakes like “no man could every steal”. Overall, I think it’s a pretty engaging and anthemic entry.

 

@XO_Life – Is the…?

Can I ask you a Question…? Why is this so short? It does feel slightly unfinished…however, on a positive note, I do like the approach you took for this round, and the topic of the song is something a lot of us relate to unfortunately. You did a great job at painting the dark scene where the main action of the song happens. Slay a bit Satanic king! Lines I liked were “Spit on your grave,/Dressed in all black,” and “Bathing in the darkest of skies/I finally give in”. I do wish the song felt a bit more complete and not like an interlude though.

 

@GentleDance – DNA

An entry that is definitely vague and thought-provoking, in the best way possible. I love the slight criticism this has on humanity in general and how we have to do so many things because we have to rather than because we desire to do it. My favourite part of the song is the last stanza, especially the part “Past the stats-focused romantics […] drown in coffee”. Likewise, I think the song also showcases a bit of longing for positivity with lyrics such as “I’ll change the puddles back to clouds”. One small criticism is that at parts, while it does add to the dreaminess of the song, some parts were a bit confusing to me. For instance, the ‘carbon body’ part, I assumed it refers to pollution and how it coexists with us and ruins the quality of our lives, but I am not sure if I am getting this right or if I am stretching it a lot. Otherwise, I like this entry a lot, a very good job!

 

@Tropical – Read Your Mind

I like this song, and for the first time you wrote a song, you definitely did a great job. I especially like the use of elements from Pokemon in the entry to make it more fitting for this challenge. I just think that I would have preferred a more analytical approach to a Psychic entry. Like, I would have rather had you be able to read the other person’s mind than not being able to do that. My favourite part is the bridge, where you are hinting towards what I would have liked from this entry (“Telekinesis into your mind if I was able”). But it is overall a very nice entry and congratulations for debuting in GH with this!

 

@Hug – Heaven only exists in the dark

Is that photo based on Heartflopper? apparently not!

Honestly, this was so enticing to read, I have absolutely no comments. I hope you take it as a compliment (though I don’t think you are a fan of hers dsvfvf) but at places, your writing reminded me of Mariah’s so much (“With my hand clutching yours to calm our beating hearts”/”The colored glass that coats the floor starts glittering in the moonlight”).  My favourite part might be the chorus though, it is so powerful in its relative simplicity and I just love this almost toxic dedication the narrator has for their lover. As I pointed out in a previous entry, just a small care to the small spelling mistakes, otherwise, this is absolutely stunning.

 

@Julianna Calm Down – Silver Skin

I believe this is the first time you have sent an entry for GH and I am absolutely floored, also because this entry hit home, but especially because it is an absolutely incredible debut entry. Love the build-up of this entry, with the lyrics in the first verse “Drowned me in your seas/So I conceal my powerful” and the first chorus “So I stay here to spare them all/Clip my wings and silence my bird call”. I feel it’s such a showcase of how any strong emotions that are uncontrolled can lead to something so impressive, yet dangerous or disastrous. I love how you took inspiration from Lugia’s story and created this masterpiece. I look forward to seeing more from you.

 

StormPulse – Exodus

I do like this entry in the sense of its allusion to the biblical story of Exodus: “He let us flee into the night”, “The death of the innocent hearts” while also being an extremely personal entry. The last stanza is probably the most emotional one, as a plea to God. I do, however, feel that the entry could have been more specific to the theme of the first round, while also, with the song being this long I feel a lot of good ideas are lost there for me.  I wish the song was more focused on one Pokemon type and/or perhaps more information was shared about it. But it is not all bad, the entry definitely showcases your songwriting talent and I look forward to reading more from you.

 

@OreGuy – Sunshine At Sea

Glad to see that someone approached the classic Water theme. Again, I think this is a very emotional entry. I like how the first verse sets the tone and explains why the narrator is suffering, only then leading us into the water imagery. I love the “I’m a vessel of failure and worry/while chained to the ground of eternal misery” part. The bridge is also a highlight in this song, as I feel it clarifies the need for freedom and relief of the narrator which seems impossible to get. In the outro, I found the comparison with the Titanic a bit unnecessary, I feel this same idea could have been portrayed better, but the rest of the outro remains a lyrical highlight. Overall, I think you did a great job!

 

@PoKiTaurus – Victory Tune

Great imagery for this one, I feel it’s a really sweet concept that there is always someone there guiding someone, be it the light or the dark. While I do love the first three lines of the song, it feels to me like they are slightly disconnected. I do understand you wanted to highlight the day imagery, but the transition to the moon guiding the narrator could have been done a bit better in my opinion. However, probably one of my favourite lines in the song is “The birds congregate on a lonely tree to keep it company”. I think overall it is a really strong entry!

 

@8thPrince – Hurricane

I absolutely adore the usage of various types of superstitions and fighting for love against all odds. I love how the lover is caught up in finding these signs that this love story may not end up well, while the narrator is just caught up in the “hurricane” and enjoying the present moment of this love. My favourite lines are “Searching for signs in the oolong leaves/At the bottom of your chipped teacup”, hinting to tea leaf reading. Then we have lines like “I’m gonna be the last leaf hanging onto the branch” or “I’ll be picking up the pieces when we land”…beautiful. An absolutely stunning entry!

 

@xBoySelenatorx – Ghost and Maniac

I love the twist on Romeo and Juliet that this entry brings. I love the lines in the second verse that go “He looked at her and felt at peace,/His soul, at last, free of pain”. I think the “crazy woman” part in the chorus also hints at her being in love with a ghost, which is found to be weird by the normal conventions of love. While I do feel this is a good entry, I feel the bridge and outro could have had more to offer lyrically, but I do like that there is a conclusion to the song, with Juliet being locked up “in her white padded room”. I wish you a lot of success in the rest of the competition, as this was a great first entry!

 

@Prisoner – Sky Children

Oh God, I think I loved this a lot…are the sky children all the people who are now in heaven though and enjoying the beauty of the life up there? That’s what I am getting from this. This is so beautifully poetic and ethereal, with the mentions of “dandelions”, “white pillows”, etc. To me this almost feels like a sort of lullaby or story you would tell a child while beautifully hiding the sadness behind someone’s death. If I am overreading this let me know, but otherwise it’s a sublime entry. A small mention about the minor grammar details, try rereading the entry again next time.

 

@Kylie Jenner – Lost in the Rays (working title)

First of all, thank you for sending an audio, that sounded great and I feel it encompassed the summer feeling so nicely. Lyrically, I do like how sweet the song is, absolutely capturing summer love in the best way possible. My favourite lyrics are: “When the gold light that you love wasn’t stone cold, man made/’cause the sun shone from above, and we got lost in the rays”. Lovely carefree song and I am looking forward to more!

 

 

 

 

[fountain]

We moved  thank you @Legend E great first reviews

[poki]

These are the best reviews I've ever had 

 

[poki]

Sorry for the wall of text I just sent 

[fountain]

22 minutes ago, PoKiTaurus said:

Sorry for the wall of text I just sent 

You can send me all the walls of text that you desire at any time, otherwise I serve no purpose here 

[Better Mistakes]

@fountain Can my song just follow the melody of the existing song?

[Better Mistakes]

For my entry I will be sampling a song from Lover 
 

[Hug]

9 hours ago, Legend E said:

@Hug – Heaven only exists in the dark

Not Heartflopper!!! CHARTTOPPER IS AMAZING ACTUALLY !!

 

Anyway, I'm not a Mariah stan but I'm not a hater either! I also know Mariah is very revered for her lyricism so I'll take it for the compliment it is.

 

The chorus being your favorite part is great to hear for me since I've always been someone that felt like the chorus was the most important part of any song that has one.

 

Thank you for your comments !!

[fountain]

5 hours ago, Better Mistakes said:

@fountain Can my song just follow the melody of the existing song?

Discussed this with Jackson, it’s fine to do this but if you could keep at least a line or two of the original lyrics then that would be best. You can also edit the lyrics slightly, changing the tenses or switching words around or replacing some, but just for the sake of the game the sample should still clearly reference at least part of the original song. We decided this based on the game consisting predominantly on reading lyrics rather than hearing songs, it’s easier to recognise a sample when you can actually hear it but since we are dealing in most cases solely with lyrics here it’s harder for the sample to be evident, so if a line or two that directly comes from the original song could remain then that would be for the best probably. Thank you! 

[Better Mistakes]

submitted xoxo