Galah Posted April 1 Author Posted April 1 Just now, stupidjock said: Hi! I'm currently in the process of moving out to a new place and it's Easter so it's a whole mess over here. Had no time to write sadly Maybe another time! Out of curiosity, what seasonal event would you have written about if you did submit a song?
Galah Posted April 1 Author Posted April 1 10 hours ago, Aurora said: Hey, hitmakers! The judges have your entries, and reviews are likely to be posted soon. Let's celebrate that! While we await this event's conclusion, it's time to go back to our roots, and share some stories with one another. Without further ado, let me introduce you all to the third round of Season 6... In honor of Beyoncé's highly anticipated and acclaimed new album 'COWBOY CARTER', Golden Hit is having its very first dedicated country music inspired round! Outside of Beyoncé's surprising and successful decision to delve into the genre, country music on the whole has had somewhat of a renaissance in recent years. While this season's first two challenges focused on taking inspiration from a particular source, this challenge focuses more on writing technique and storytelling ability. You may take inspiration from any source of your choosing, so long as your song has a set of lyrics we'd be likely to hear on a country music playlist. Not sure where to start? Taylor Swift (pre-'1989'), Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves, and Maren Morris have plenty of great modern country records that are suited to listeners of pop music, but feel free to do your own research. If you want to incorporate some country music stereotypes to reinforce the theme, try not to be too cliché. There's also this handy article that might explain more or less what we will be looking for in your country creations: https://bettersongs.com/how-to-write-country-music/. Bring us a great story, lots of emotion, and a unique theme that will set you apart from the rest of the submissions. Now get your yeehaw on! Songs due via Google Form submission by Fri. Apr 5, 11:59PM EST This challenge will hopefully help everyone think outside of the box and challenge themselves, just like Beyoncé did! The top three submissions will earn their writers a Hit Token, so make sure to submit for your chance at one of those. If you have not yet signed up for Golden Hit: Season 6, that's fine! Just submit an entry and we'll add you to the sign-ups list. Reveal hidden contents @Legend E@Jack!@beatinglikeadrum@punisher@Jackson@AccioMiley@Rotunda@worldwide angel@helpthomas@stupidjock@Nashe@Julia Fox@blastoisebaby@Armani?@fountain@Lana Banana@Lorenzo22@JonginBey@Invisibility@Weld_E@Forestboy@OreGuy@Prisoner@djcalpal@Kylie Jenner Repost for new page (1).
Galah Posted April 1 Author Posted April 1 3 minutes ago, Aurora said: Hi all, here are my reviews for your entries for the "Reason for the Season" round. Apologies they're a little on the later side, I've had a lot going on personally since Thursday. Another very strong batch of entries, and I loved how many different seasonal events you explored, with very little overlap. Eight unique events were explored! Reveal hidden contents 1. hurricane326 - "Twenty-three" (Birthday) Firstly, happy birthday for the other day! I actually did wonder if someone may opt for a more personal event that's not specifically tied to the March-May timeframe, but rather just happens to fall into that range. I think it's okay, albeit a little risky. When taking a risk with the interpretation of the theme such as this, it helps to do all you can to reinforce the theme's connection to the challenge prompt, whereas here I feel you've opted for a rather subjective theme tangential to the prompt, and a rather subjective narrative tangential to your chosen theme. You're a fantastic writer, as evidenced by your nine Hit Tokens and top five final placement in four out of five Golden Hit seasons to date, but showcasing the challenge prompts is a big part of this tournament. It's sometimes difficult, but my suggestion for the remaining rounds in this season would be to ask yourself if somebody could read your work and guess the challenge prompt without knowing it prior. If not, you always have time to revise. If you can strike that balance of your unconventional themes and brilliant lyricism, while still retaining the core essence of what these challenges are asking for… you'll be consistently delivering in the 9-10 territory. I did appreciate the message you wanted to convey with this piece however, and found many parts relatable due to recent events in my own life. There were a few phrases that stuck out, such as "hot mess" and "horniness" that didn't match the tone of the rest of the piece for me. The closing verse definitely felt the most on-theme, and I actually wish this part of the song had an equal (or greater) representation in the song than the first section. As a standalone body of work this is another stellar offering from you, perhaps just more suited to a Self Portrait challenge than a challenge embracing seasonal events. 2. @Armani? - "Mother Earth" (Earth Day) Your "Earth Song" era. I was hoping somebody would go down this path as I feel it had the opportunity to create a real statement piece, and that's exactly what you've delivered here. You captured my attention from the first verse with the lyric, "Ducats and graft for Exonn,” which I presume is calling out the oil industry? Similarly, the lyric, "Two hands of life strike zero hours,” was a powerful way to end the bridge section and lead into the final chorus. Regarding the chorus, it was solid, but I felt it could be a little stronger. It was repetitive (in a catchy/good way) the first time, however in subsequent repetitions I feel you missed an opportunity to highlight other examples of what is being ignored. That said, I'd still consider this a step up from your submission last round, and I look forward to seeing your country side! 3. @Kylie Jenner - "I Went To A Party" (St. Patrick's Day) It's so good to see you back! We love a winner's return… Jackson in R1, you in R2… I wonder if R3 has any more surprises in store? As always with your entries I read the lyrics in full first before listening to the demo, but honestly it only strengthened my opinions of the different sections in this song. Firstly, but wow, what a chorus! There was something so satisfying about the rhyming here, as well as the mundane nature of being bored at a house party and how you described the observations that may otherwise be missed by the other partygoers. Although I loved this chorus, I find the bridge to be the highlight of your song here. "I've got a point to prove, my heart's tapping like a riverdance,” was such a brilliant lyric central to your concept that also superbly connected to the St. Patrick's Day theme. Once again, brilliant rhyme placement and storytelling. I will say, I found the verses to be a little slapdash while reading them, and that came through in the demo—the meter was loose and the rhyming was oddly inconsistent at times. The pre-chorus quickly snapped back to excellence though, and calling back to the bus stop lyric was a cute moment. Safe to safe I'll be bopping to this for the rest of the week, hopefully you're able to submit for a few more rounds yet! 4. @helpthomas - "Hey Mom" (Mother's Day) This was a very beautiful ode from a unique perspective. I can't imagine you intended it as such, and it doesn't apply in its current form, but I couldn't help but get Eminem vibes at times due to him addressing similar themes in many of his songs. I could see him sampling this with rapped verses for example. That is to say this is very lyrical and I can see it translating to song very easily. The, "i am not angry anymore,” refrain was a nice addition, and the internal rhyming in the bridge-like couplet, "got my two left feet for life but i still want to dance / as much you felt the need to fix me with your own hands,” was the highlight of this song for me. There's a real sense of delicateness that is consistent throughout, which makes every section flow into the next seamlessly. I loved your first entry, and I believe this is on par with that in terms of quality. I would have liked this even more if there were a few more specific details (references to specific comments that were made during an argument, or objects that were thrown, specific dates or times etc.) as this is what really draws you in and builds that immersion and makes you feel like you are there and can really envision the characters in these scenarios. That'd be my recommendation to get you right at the top of the pack. Otherwise, amazing work, you're two for two for me, and I can't wait to see what you do next. 5. @OreGuy - "A Regretful Son" (Eastertide) I love that you're giving concept queen this season, you're two for two in terms of unique themes and I'm living. A song written from the perspective of Jesus himself was not on my bingo card for this round, but I'm here for it! Right off the bat you started this song strongly with the double entendres, and the "red coming / red herring" slant rhyme was cute and effective. I think you tackled the themes of second guessing one's own sacrifices tastefully and artistically in the chorus. Your second verse doesn't feel as strong as your first, namely because it doesn't have the wordplay that started off the other verse so strongly, and I struggle to envision God telling Jesus to, "trust the process,” in a serious manner. The bridge was fantastic, and really summarized the events of Holy Week in a concise yet catchy manner. I think all this song is missing is perhaps a few specific examples of why Jesus is having these second thoughts. You had an opportunity in the second verse to almost take a sociopolitical protest anthem approach and really call some problematic behaviors out. That's just what I would have loved to see. Even still, this is another abstract offering from you and I am loving your unique stamp on this tournament thus far! 6. @Weld_E - "April's Fool" (April Fool's Day) This was such a slay to me. I was instantly gagged by your opening lyric of, "I first met April at the end of March,” because it established that April was in fact a person, but also referenced the month of April coming after the end of March… genius. I was so entertained by this narrative, and the rhyme scheme you selected definitely kept a good sense of movement and tied everything up in a neat little bow. Then we get to the bridge… the plot twist, and a change in rhyme scheme to boot? I love when lyrical and rhythmic changes are synchronized like that. This song almost felt like a response to "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry, it was very fun and poppy. The hero here is absolutely your narrative and commitment to the story, and how you set up for the plot twist revelation in the bridge. It would be remiss of me not to admit that some of the rhymes throughout do feel a little clumsy, as if the lyrics were contorted just to end on a rhyme. For example, using, "out of this life,” instead of, "out of this world,” to force a rhyme with "wife.” Similarly in the next line your word choice of "affinity" would make much more sense as "affection,” however that obviously doesn't rhyme with "vicinity". Poetic license is definitely a thing, but within reason. That aside, I loved this! It made me smile and eliciting a genuine emotional response from just lyrics is not an easy thing to do. Excited for your next offering! 7. @Legend E - "Baby Cherry" (Hanami) This was beautiful. Such a sweet song with a sweet message. When we were conceptualizing this challenge, Hug suggested Hanami and I was so excited at the prospect of someone writing a song inspired by this because seeing Japan during Hanami is probably at the top of my bucket list. While you listed only Hanami as your seasonal event, there is definitely an overlap with Mother's Day and even Earth Day which I don't know if you intended and just forgot to mention specifically, but I found that really brilliant. While your first round offering still earned you a Hit Token, I was actually your lowest scorer that round—but I'm pleased to say I enjoyed this song so much more than your last, and can't really think of much (if anything) I would change. I could suggest a refrain, but the, "Baby Cherry,” beginning every other section kind of already accomplishes this. Stunning submission, one of my all-time favorites of yours! 8. @Rotunda - "Heavenly Father" (Eastertide) I'll refrain from referring to specifics as per request, but damn this was good. Why have you been hiding from this tournament all of this time? There's such an honesty and depth to even the simplest of lines in your lyrics. There are a couple of instances where the bluntness is perhaps a shade too much, such as in the second line of the second verse, but those times are few and far between. Similarly, I understand the significance of the word choice in the final line of the bridge is to emphasize a strained paternal bond as opposed to a sign of respect for a spiritual leader, but that particular synonym has other connotations that may warrant a better way to achieve this. Nitpicking aside, this is another thought-provoking piece that addresses some difficult themes well. You're certainly one to watch, and I will be watching! 9. @AccioMiley - "Best friends" (Spring Break) This was very cute and fun! It's nice to have a light-hearted entry every now and then, and a spring season-themed challenge is definitely a fitting time for something like this. It honestly kind of gave me "Malibu" by Miley vibes and I could picture this being a really chill vibe. There's a few familiar tropes here, like "Bonnie to my Clyde,”—I preferred the more comparatively unique, "gin to my tonic,” and the adjacent rhyming, "You're Tails and I'll be Sonic.” I feel there's sort of a ceiling with how far you can take a song as simple in concept and pure in intention as this, and you're just about there. It doesn't necessarily push the envelope, but it doesn't have to. Thanks for submitting, and I look forward to your next offering. 10. @Prisoner - "Mount of Calvary" (Eastertide) Thank you for submitting, despite being inebriated! This was definitely more evidently on theme than your previous offering, so that's already good to see in my opinion. As a nonreligious person it's hard for me to truly appreciate and understand what it might feel like to be able to call on a God in one's darkest moments, so it's nice to have you represent that viewpoint, even if it is difficult to relate to personally at times. The inclusion of water imagery in the bridge (“And when the world goes wrong like a faulty compass / Lost in the sea with no one to rely on,”) felt a little out of place, but since I'm partial to water imagery and this was actually my favorite couplet in the song, I'll let it slide. I'm unsure if this song is purely fictional or inspired by personal events, and if it's the latter I hope you're doing okay! 11. @Invisibility - "Flavors of Life" (Mother's Day) …aaand you just made it! I'm glad you were able to scrape together something for this challenge as although it's handy to have a free week, you never know what challenges may be around the corner. I think this was a really interesting concept, I liked that it doubled as both a literal reference to your mother's recipes and also an allegory for her rearing, and how you occasionally ventured from the "recipe" in either case. At times it did almost give witch-brewing-a-potion-in-a-Disney-movie vibes, which provided an interesting dynamic, and the, "If you do the cooking by the book,” lyric made me think of that one Lazy Town song which was a bit of a scream, but ultimately this was a submission full of heart and soul, and I really liked it and hope to see more from you in this tournament still. Repost for new page (2).
Kern Posted April 1 Posted April 1 1 minute ago, Aurora said: Maybe another time! Out of curiosity, what seasonal event would you have written about if you did submit a song? I wanted to write a song about first days of Spring and it would be something about changing jeans to shorts and I was hoping it would slide as an seasonal event sksksk 1
Galah Posted April 1 Author Posted April 1 14 minutes ago, stupidjock said: I wanted to write a song about first days of Spring and it would be something about changing jeans to shorts and I was hoping it would slide as an seasonal event sksksk Good to know! Keep in mind that Golden Hit challenges simply aim to provide inspo, and should you ever wish to return to this concept, the Songwriter's Studio is always there between seasons. I often think about going back through the past Golden Hit seasons and seeing what I might write for each of the challenges. Perhaps one of these days I'll embark on that journey! 1
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted April 1 ATRL Moderator Posted April 1 How nice to see that review! Thank you so much! I absolutely did not intend the Mother's Day/Earth Day crossover but wow, you're right, it would've fit very nicely for those holidays too. I am also happy with how the song ended up, in spite of writing it so quickly. Once again, thanks (to Hug) for the Hanami inspiration, I was completely stuck. 1
Invisibility Posted April 1 Posted April 1 2 hours ago, Aurora said: and the, "If you do the cooking by the book,” lyric made me think of that one Lazy Town song which was a bit of a scream It was definitely intentional! Had to pay respects to one of my childhood greats Ty judge Aurora! 1
AccioMiley Posted April 1 Posted April 1 Thank you Aurora! I wrote it about my best friend (obviously) lol and he's a total nerd like me so he loved the sonic lyric 1
Invisibility Posted April 2 Posted April 2 8 hours ago, Hey Dude said: Did someone say... I would like to read it
Galah Posted April 2 Author Posted April 2 Just finalized my scores. My average score from R1 to R2 jumped by almost a full point... in short, y'all snapped!
Galah Posted April 2 Author Posted April 2 🔎 Aurora's Hints 🔍 While you're all busily working on your country classics and patiently awaiting Round 2's results, I thought it would be fun to share some hints as to my rankings. This is something judges used to do back in the ATRL writing tournaments of yesteryear, and I remember the fun of desperately trying to "crack the code". Please feel free to collaborate in the thread if you want, and remember—your rank from me doesn't necessarily indicate your overall placement or final score! 👍📥🛏️ 💔🙋♀️❤️ 🕴️ 🫂 🥺🙏 😎 🔮💭 🙅🏼♀️🏁👇 🤼♂️📜🐝🤼♂️ 🥰🔁 😵💫
Rotunda Posted April 2 Posted April 2 I think I see mine . Starting this round earlier cause I definitely didn't give myself enough time to think last time. @Aurora appreciate the feedback ! I don't anticipate blocking sharing my lyrics for any of the other rounds. I think my song kinda draws on a view of my past I no longer have so once I finished it I was like "let me pretend I never wrote this"
helpthomas Posted April 2 Posted April 2 i'm lowkey nervous/anxious about the country song submission because i uprooted some real trauma
Hug Posted April 2 Posted April 2 My Round 2 Reviews are here! We had 11 lovely reasons to celebrate this week, and I gave my thoughts on them. Thank you to everyone for giving a reason for the season <3 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UVIcSoLz1p82CenLPhD1OrC2mPxAIqvPyNPNs-G1nn4/edit?usp=sharing hurricane326 @Armani? @Kylie Jenner @helpthomas @OreGuy @Weld_E @Legend E @Ya Ya @AccioMiley @Prisoner @Invisibility (also tysm for the patience everyone. These last few days kicked my ass fr ) 3 2
Armani? Posted April 2 Posted April 2 16 minutes ago, Hug said: My Round 2 Reviews are here! We had 11 lovely reasons to celebrate this week, and I gave my thoughts on them. Thank you to everyone for giving a reason for the season <3 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UVIcSoLz1p82CenLPhD1OrC2mPxAIqvPyNPNs-G1nn4/edit?usp=sharing hurricane326 @Armani? @Kylie Jenner @helpthomas @OreGuy @Weld_E @Legend E @Ya Ya @AccioMiley @Prisoner @Invisibility (also tysm for the patience everyone. These last few days kicked my ass fr ) Thanks The short length likely came from me listening to Inner City Blues by Marvin Gaye as a inspiration which has short verses. So I tried more clever bars & flow with the short length.
Prisoner Posted April 2 Posted April 2 Quote Sometimes it felt out of place, (“My days are like the summers of the gothic genre" being what stands out the most to me.) This was supposed to be a reference to the "moors" mentioned in verse 1, which itself is supposed to be a reference to the moors found in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, a classic example of the gothic novel. But the entry was stitched together last minute so yeah that did seem out of place
Armani? Posted April 2 Posted April 2 On 4/1/2024 at 6:37 AM, Aurora said: Hi all, here are my reviews for your entries for the "Reason for the Season" round. Apologies they're a little on the later side, I've had a lot going on personally since Thursday. Another very strong batch of entries, and I loved how many different seasonal events you explored, with very little overlap. Eight unique events were explored! Hide contents 2. @Armani? - "Mother Earth" (Earth Day) You captured my attention from the first verse with the lyric, "Ducats and graft for Exonn,” which I presume is calling out the oil industry? Yes, although maybe it would be better for me to have flipped it as "Graft & ducats for Exonn" instead. Just a nitpick, but I used the slang definition of graft meaning corruption practices to gain a advantage. And Ducats is a old European currency. It might make sense more written that way or it might not matter. But yes, that line is calling Exonn out & also the "puppets" & Fossils(which I wanted to be seen as double meaning) in government in the following line. 1
Weld_E Posted April 2 Posted April 2 Thank you for the feedback @Aurora and @Hug. @Hug, I tried adding subtleties throughout the song, such as "her opulence was beyond compare" and "her loaded hips..." (double entendre) to show that the narrator was interested in April in her in part because of her wealth. The last line of the 3rd verse was also supposed to signal a power shift: "so she let me have some control." I didn't add any more hints because I was worried it might spoil the twist. 1
Invisibility Posted April 3 Posted April 3 19 hours ago, Aurora said: 🔎 Aurora's Hints 🔍 While you're all busily working on your country classics and patiently awaiting Round 2's results, I thought it would be fun to share some hints as to my rankings. This is something judges used to do back in the ATRL writing tournaments of yesteryear, and I remember the fun of desperately trying to "crack the code". Please feel free to collaborate in the thread if you want, and remember—your rank from me doesn't necessarily indicate your overall placement or final score! 👍📥🛏️ 💔🙋♀️❤️ 🕴️ 🫂 🥺🙏 😎 🔮💭 🙅🏼♀️🏁👇 🤼♂️📜🐝🤼♂️ 🥰🔁 😵💫 Spoiler Thinking I'm #4 or #6
Hug Posted April 3 Posted April 3 Surprise results coming in a few so like not really surprise but kinda surprise.
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