[NigeQ]

**** See post #3 for results ***

Just a heads up for the April song comp - dates are:

Apr: 9 - 13 (enter) 14 - 17 (scorecards)

This is an open format competition which means you can have as much instrumentation/production as you like.
If you are thinking of entering please check the Rules first
Full schedule for the year and 2012 results so far can be found here

I will open this thread on or shortly before Apr 9

Post:

• song title
  
• writer credits (If it’s a collab with another muser please make that clear by including their muser id)
  
• audio link

You may include lyrics, but any other text may be removed by the mod.

Note, if you have joined the Muse since 1st Mar 2012 you are ineligible to enter or vote in this particular competition

You have until Apr 13 to get your entry in

[NigeQ]

Closed for entries - Scoring begins:

We have 14 entries this month

8 of the songs can be heard here at Musesmuse Apr 2012 Station - use links in the thread for any songs not on the station

To be eligible to score you must have been a member of Musesmuse prior to 1st Mar 2012 and have a minimum of 25 posts.

Please send your scores to me via PM and put ‘Song Comp Votes’ in the subject. You should receive confirmation within 24 hours or at least by the time scoring closes.

Please score each song from 1 to 10 (cut and paste the song list from below and use as a template for your scores – please do not change the order as this makes more work for me )

You rate each song from 1 - 10 (where 1 is low and 10 is high)
Note that only one 10 and one 9 score can be awarded per voter, or the scorecard will be invalid

Scoring guidelines:
You are encouraged to rate the songs against each other within the context of the contest. A score of 1 wouldn’t necessarily mean a poor song just the least best in that particular contest. Note that this method is just a guideline and not compulsory

Contestants do not score their own song, they will receive an average of the score they award other songs (see rule 13a)

The songs are:

Gun Laws - Thinman
Hang On ! - SoddyBottoms
Come The Hour - AndyLeF
Love's Dangerous - ScenesFromPalacio
Dragon Fly - Scotto
Turn It Down - porcupine
Beauty and Her Beast - daddio/Wendy D
Fly, Fly, Fly - jonie
Taj Mahal - HoldenTheFuries
Love is a Prayer - Neal K
One Day, Two Hearts - Ironknee
WARISTAN - Jason Kalman
50 Goin' On Life - Zeek
All That I Want - Paddy O'Furniture

You have until Tue 17th Apr to get your scores in. I will post the results the next day

[NigeQ]

Here is the result of the April Comp:

1st - Love's Dangerous - ScenesFromPalacio

2nd - Fly, Fly, Fly - jonie

27 scorecards. 13 non-contestant voters were:
NigeQ, Dottie, graybeard, Alistair S, spanishbuddha, kimberlyinnc, Randy P. Gendron, Simple Simon, bernabby, DonnaMarilyn, doinker, Gordon & scubed

Please note that 6 scorers used the ranking system so don’t be shocked by seeing some ‘1’ scores (or 10s for that matter). These scores will be preceded by 'r' e.g. 'r3'.


Full result
Love's Dangerous - ScenesFromPalacio 7.81av
8 9 6 r8 7 7 7 7 8 r10 6 7 8 8 5 8 7 r10 10 9 7 7 r5 10 r10 8 r9
Fly, Fly, Fly - jonie 7.74av
9 8 8 r6 10 8 8 6 9 r7 9 7 8 6 8 10 7 r8 7 8 7 6 r10 9 r5 9 r6
One Day, Two Hearts - Ironknee 7.56av
6 8 6 r7 9 8 10 8 4 r6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 r9 9 7 8 8 r7 8 r8 8 r8
50 Goin' On Life - Zeek 6.96av
7 7 8 r8 8 10 8 6 7 r7 7 6 6 7 5 7 9 r3 8 8 6 6 r6 7 r4 7 r10
Beauty and Her Beast - daddio/Wendy D 6.78av
10 8 9 r5 7 8 5 7 5 r6 4 7 7 7 7 9 10 r4 7 7 4 7 r5 8 r7 8 r5
WARISTAN - Jason Kalman 6.56av
7 7 6 r10 7 8 8 7 3 r5 7 10 6 6 6 7 7 r7 6 8 6 6 r9 7 r3 7 r1
Turn It Down - porcupine 6.48av
7 7 7 r9 6 8 6 5 8 r8 7 5 5 5 9 8 8 r2 5 10 6 5 r4 7 r4 10 r4
Hang On ! - SoddyBottoms 6.00av
7 6 8 r5 7 9 5 5 2 r4 6 8 4 5 8 7 5 r6 7 7 5 6 r4 8 r2 8 r8
Love is a Prayer - Neal K 5.85av
7 7 6 r3 6 7 7 3 6 r5 5 7 6 7 6 6 7 r2 6 5 5 5 r8 6 r6 7 r7
Taj Mahal - HoldenTheFuries 5.74av
6 7 7 r4 8 7 9 5 5 r3 8 8 5 4 8 7 6 r1 8 7 5 4 r4 6 r3 8 r2
All That I Want - Paddy O'Furniture 5.41av
5 6 6 r2 6 7 7 5 5 r2 5 9 6 6 5 6 8 r3 7 6 4 4 r5 6 r3 7 r5
Dragon Fly - Scotto 5.22av
7 6 6 r1 6 7 6 6 5 r1 5 6 4 4 6 7 6 r1 5 7 3 4 r3 6 r9 8 r6
Gun Laws - Thinman 5.11av
4 7 7 r6 6 8 5 4 3 r2 5 5 5 5 6 7 4 r4 6 7 4 4 r1 8 r1 7 r7
Come The Hour - AndyLeF 4.89av
4 7 5 r3 6 7 5 6 6 r5 4 5 4 4 5 6 4 r5 6 5 3 4 r2 8 r3 7 r3

Love's Dangerous and Fly, Fly, Fly qualify for the year-end final. Congratulations!! Get ready to post in the 2012 - Song Competitions thread which is pinned on this board.

Thanks to all who took part either by entering or voting. Especially the non-contestants.

Our next comp will be the May 1+1

Nige

[Thinman]

http://thenastyangel...rack/gun-laws-2

Gun Laws
© ANeckenderMusic 2010

I shot every man in Reno
But I got bored watching them die
Then I shot every woman so
They didn’t keep askin why

Well we all need to defend ourselves
And this world is full of pricks
It’s better to be tried by twelve
Than carried by six

I kept saying to myself
It makes no sense
Attack is the
best form of defence
And I got this right to bear arms
Like my ancestors before
It never did nobody no harm
Gun Laws
Gun Laws we don’t need - Gun Laws

I got a 45, 22 - 9 millimetre
If you’re a criminal – I can’t wait to meet yer

I’ll put an end to knife crime
You can try and stab my bullets
I’m serious this time
I got a zero tolerance

I keep saying to myself
It makes no sense
Attack is the
best form of defence
Did we kill too many ?
Well what the **** are guns for ?
And we don’t want any more
Gun Laws
Gun Laws we don’t need - Gun Laws

[SoddyBottoms]

Hang On !

As the world spins round and I hang on

I'd like some good times before I'm gone



Theres some sure fine things in this old world

I like a good meal and a pretty girl

I like fishin Trips and mountain streams

I like Jack Daniels and I love Jim Beam



I like older women that are pleasingly plump

Given a shot Im a hound in the hunt

Alot of folks can't see it my way

it's all on me at the end of the day



As the world spins round and I hang on

I'd like some good times before I'm gone



Break


Everybody's searchin for a little truth

make mine vodka and hold the vermuth

Alot of folks can't see it my way

it's all on me at the end of the day



As the world spins round and I hang on

I'd like some good times before I'm gone


copyright 2012

all rights reserved

[AndyLeF]

Finally put this song from the April 2011 lyric contest together…

Come The Hour
© 2011 Andy Le Fevre, music and lyrics

Come the hour
I’ll call say sorry and turn over a new leaf
Pack bags and stay over share your sorrow and your grief
Come the hour
I'll ring the bells in the old church tower
Come when they toll for your tearful tribute hours

But I don't have any super powers
No cape to wear and breach your fortress towers
No x-ray vision no hands of steel
to tunnel though to you, find out how you feel
But come the hour, I’ll try

Come the hour
I’ll be waiting here do whatever you need
Kneel and pray with you, lay flowers helplessly while you grieve
Come the hour
I’ll give it all up, crawl down from my ivory tower
Slow down from living life, a hundred miles an hour

But I don't have any super powers
No cape to wear and breach your fortress towers
No x-ray vision no hands of steel
to tunnel though to you, find out how you feel
But come the hour, I’ll try

So easy to put the phone down
Forget what you’re going through
A familiar voice a listening ear
Was that the best I could do for you?

But I don't have any super powers
No cape to wear and breach your fortress towers
No x-ray vision no hands of steel
to tunnel though to you, find out how you feel
But come the hour, I’ll try

Come the hour, I’ll try
Come the hour, I’ll try

[ScenesFromPalacio]

Love's Dangerous

All Music...Steve Ison
Lyrics....Steve April and Steve Ison

Lookin' for the perfect stranger for your fantasy ?
Are you feelin' the obsession for a touch of kinky D ?
if you like extremes,wanna take it to the limit
Like smokin' in bed your house burns down in minutes.

If you want the Hilton sisters on your quayside boat,
Knight in white satin the virgin's in the moat.
Screaming about her father,
stands with axes in your dreams..
One to chop off your head,
the other for your seams.

Love's dangerous,Love's Dangerous..
It lures you like a bait yeh Love is dangerous...
Love's Dangerous,Love's Dangerous..
and you found out too late that Love is dangerous..

Las Vegas Goddess lures you while her mans away
Showers you with roses,but you're the one to pay ..
You wake up in a cold sweat surrounded by the sharks
Screamin' for air and shooting in the dark..

Lalalala hey etc

Love's dangerous,Love's Dangerous..
It lures you like a bait yeh Love is dangerous...
Love's Dangerous,Love's Dangerous..
and you found out too late that Love is dangerous..

[Scotto]

Dragon Fly

Dragonfly on SoundCloud

All Music and Lyrics by Scott Palmer

Pack the car and go put on your fancy summer hat
Heading out we'll have our lunch on the go
Up the hill we go and the kids are off they're on a roll
Wonder what they'll have in store for me
Oh I wonder what's in store for me

Oh as time floats by there's a dragon fly
Not sure what she sees in me
All I know is the summer skies and their lullabies
Hey dragonfly come float with me
Come on baby won't you float with me

Talk about the world and sigh as your life goes by
Sip of beer it matters nothing to me
Throw a ball make a splash as the time slips by
Throw the kids into the water with me
Come on baby in the water with me

Oh as time floats by there's a dragon fly
Not sure what she sees in me
All I know is the summer skies and their lullabies
Hey dragonfly come float with me
Come on baby won't you float with me

Oh as time floats by there's a dragon fly
Not sure what she sees in me
All I know is the summer skies and their lullabies
Hey dragonfly come float with me
Come on baby won't you float with me

[porcupine]

Turn It Down
Charlie Eschbach, BMI 2012

My link

I was sailing in my head
And the music was shaking my bed
There came a knocking on my door
See, Mr. waters couldn't take anymore

He said, "Son, could you turn it down?
My wife is ticked and my dog wears a frown
But you know, I was young once too
My wife screams at me so i scream at you"

Turn it down, Turn it down
Just when the music hits me why must they scream
Turn it down Turn it down
Come on Mr. Waters, It ain't as bad as it seems

i said, "Listen, I know where you're coming from
but listen to the bass line and the driving drums
so, Mr. Waters, why dont you come on in?
Sit down in that chair and I'll pour you a gin
and in an hour, it'll be easier to
listen to your wife as she screams at you

Turn it down Turn it down
Just when the music hits me why must they scream?
Turn it down Turn it down
Come on Mr Waters, it ain't as bad as it seems

Why can't they understand my point of view?
I guess when you're old you got nothing better to do

Turn it down Turn it down
Just when the music hits me why must they scream?
Turn it down Turn it down
Come on Mr Waters, it ain't as bad as it seems

[daddio]

Beauty and Her Beast
© Wendy Dumond/Don Sechelski 2012
WendyD and Daddio

Beauty lives in a one horse town
Goes around reading Ezra Pound
She don't understand what it means
The Beast lives in a cheap motel
Got a tattoo of the gates of hell
And a scar that says LOVE on his right hand.
Love has found it's way to the least of the least
Love has found Beauty and her Beast

The Beast works at the filling station
Until he gets a probation violation
Got a strong appetite for smoking weed.
Beauty works right next door
She's a clerk at the convenience store
Making change and hanging chickens on the rotisserrie
Love finds it's way to the least of the least
Love has found Beauty and her Beast.

Late at night when no one can see
They hold one another so tenderly
Love is right in this world gone wrong
For just a little while they both belong.

The Beast went back to jail
Life ain't no fairy tale
It's just one big moveable feast
Beauty goes back to the store
Dropping chickens on the floor
The slide right through her hands like they've been greased.
Love flies away like a bird released
Love had flown for Beauty and her Beast.

Love flies away like a bird released
Love had flown for Beauty and her Beast.

[jonie]

Fly, Fly, Fly

Music & Vocals: Tony Nybeek/Lyrics: Jonie Hajduk © 2012

Fly, Fly, Fly

You got an ugly streak in you
And a vicious bite
Nothing that I say or do
Ever suits you right
You hate my job, my friends, my plans
You can't stand the man I am
Used to tear me up
When I gave a damn

I'm gonna fly, fly, fly
Watch me disappear
I'm gonna fly, fly, fly
Fly away from here
Away from here

Sweatin' 'bout your precious stuff
Well don't worry none
I don't need reminding of
How you ain't much fun
Take a chill on the front porch swing
I won't be taking anything
But a breath of air
And a pair of wings

I'm gonna fly, fly, fly
Watch me disappear
I'm gonna fly, fly, fly
Fly away from here
Away from here

[HoldenTheFuries]

http://soundcloud.co...lture/taj-mahal

Taj Mahal -
Lyrics By: Sean Halls, Theresa DeOliveira
Song written by: Mick Johnson & Sean Halls
Genre: Rock & Soul
Copyright 2012

I am the last tear drops
of a broken stranger,
a poem frozen by stone,
a love entombed in labor...

Mantras and last words
hold their weight in gold,
still, you will outlive
the sun you weren't shown...

I'll seal you in,
My marble-maiden,
Mahal, your asylum,
My undying profession...

Time remains suspended
In this mausoleum,
And when parting comes,
We'll unify as one...

Sorrow streams down
Inside of this vault,
Absence drowns my mind
In rivers of salt...

I'll seal you in,
My marble-maiden,
Mahal, your asylum,
My dying profession...

Reflection of sunlight -
Concealed behind night,
Bring my eyes to tide,
Upon the new sun's rise...

I'll seal you in,
My marble-maiden,
Mahal, your asylum,
My dying possession...


Song Performed by:
Mick Johnson (Rhythm Guitar),
Sean Halls (Lead Guitar & Vocals),
Eric Stoye (Drums),
Dave Mcintyre (Bass).

Our band is named BraveStarr. Thanks for the listen. :-)

[Neal K]

Love is a Prayer
Words & Music: Neal Klassen © 2012
Performed by Barbara Samuel & Neal Klassen

Link to song

Love is a prayer
Love is a prayer
Love is a prayer
And I pray for you

[Ironknee]

“One Day, Two Hearts”
By Tom Tognaci
©2011
http://soundclick.co...cfm?id=10624668


One look,
One breath,
It’s how it all had begun
One heart,
One love,
No number as lonely as one
One wish,
One day,
Two hearts will beat as one

Be still,
Take care,
Spring smells sweet in the air
Your time,
Will come,
Enjoy the time taking you there
One wish,
One day,
Two hearts will beat as one

Be still my child…you’ve awoken
The green still colors your eyes
Your heart’s unbridled, nor broken
‘Till now it’s all been dreams and butterflies

One moon,
One sun,
A million stars hum along
One chorus,
One verse,
Heaven has now heard your song
One wish,
One day,
Two hearts will beat as one

[Jason Kalman]

WARISTAN
Words/music/performance: Jason Kalman
Lead Guitar: Lance Duncan

I’m on my way to Waristan

I’m on my way to sunny Waristan
To a resort where you can be the man
I hear it’s sunny and the people nice
A package deal so cheap I named my price

Whoa hold up, hold up, are those gun shots?
Hey no joke, I want my money back

Chorus
I got shot in the streets of Waristan
I didn’t get very far in Waristan
I thought I’d find true love in Waristan
I thought I’d buy beachfront in Waristan

Ok, so things didn’t quite work out as planned
Not really, no not at all
Luckily it was just a flesh wound
No running water and no roof at this hotel
I’m getting outta here right now or raising HELL!!!!

Oh wait no not again
GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!!!….

Chorus
I got shot in the streets of Waristan
I didn’t get very far in Waristan
I thought I’d find true love in Waristan
I thought I’d buy beachfront in Waristan

Solo

I guess the trip wasn’t that bad after all
You know, looking back
I learned a few things about myself
I found out I can run real fast after getting shot….

Chorus
I got shot in the streets of Waristan
I didn’t get very far in Waristan
I thought I’d find true love in Waristan
I thought I’d buy beachfront in Waristan

Whew, I made it out alive

[Zeek]

http://soundclick.co....cfm?id=8722923

Words/Music/Vocal by Zeek
Drums by Jason Gervasini

50 Goin' On Life

Verse 1
I was on the mountaintop
A few years ain't a lot
Now I'm on the other side looking down
Trying hard to make it stop

Verse 2
Thirty, I was all of that
Forty, things were fightin' back
Why's everybody always telling me
You're as old as you feel

Chorus
When I play ball with my grandkid
The next day I hurt a bit
That's all part of the ride
And when I have more than a few drinks
It ain't no big thing
I'll be sleeping by nine
That's just 50--goin' on life

Verse 3
I don't have all my hair
But I have a loving wife who cares about
Me & my hopes & my dreams & my faults
When I go on and on she don't mind it at all

Verse 4
I talk to God every now and then
A little more now than then
Funny how I hear Him a little bit louder
With each passing year

Chorus
When I play my air guitar too loud
My kids think I've gone too far
That's all part of the ride
And when I have more than a few drinks
It ain't no big thing
I'll be sleeping by nine
That's just 50--goin' on life...

Bridge
(life)...it's full of trials and tribulations
And a thousand little wondrous destinations

Chorus
When I play ball with my grandkid
The next day I hurt a bit
That's all part of the ride
And when I have more than a few drinks
It ain't no big thing
I'll be sleeping by nine
That's just 50--goin' on life

[Paddy O'Furniture]

All That I Want

By Patrick Burke 2012



All that I want
Is to see you happy
That’s all that I want

I see you’re feeling low
And I really just don’t know
What to do
Or what to say
So take me by the hand
And lean your weary head
So close you’ll hear
These simple words

All that I want
Is to see you happy
That’s all that I want

I see you’ve fallen on some hard times lately Baby
And I need you to know
That your smile
Is beautiful to me
Your smile
Is beautiful to me

All that I want
Is to see you happy
That’s all that I want

Now you’re smiling Glory…

[Thinman]

Rock on The Thinman - normal service is resumed ! .

Gun Laws is definitely one of my best songs too ! I'm gonna blame this on the violin player - might even fire his ass.

otherwise, I would have to say I liked Beauty And Her Beast best.


kOFR
the Thinman
Xx

[Neal K]

I had "One Day, Two Hearts" as my number 1 pick and "Taj Mahal" as my #2. I thought Taj Mahal would do better.

"Love's Dangerous" is a good tune - like a mixture of the Kinks and George Harrison.

Neal

[Simple Simon]

The overall standard just keeps getting better!

Congratulations to all the entrants, but I have to say that the two winner songs were my picks in terms of overall craftsmanship.

[bernabby]

Probably the best group of songs I've heard. I especially loved 1 day 2 hearts. It's the type of tune that stays with you. Beauty, Fly, Love's and 50 were also close. Listened 3 times to some of these songs.

[Zeek]

Fly almost sounded like Steve (Scenes) was singing it...but Steve's unexpected twists and layered production with a modern-day 60's feel still is #1 on this site and unless we rasie the bar to that level then he'll be #1 for a long time. Well deserved.

Really liked Thinman's tune as well as Daddio's...thought those would be higher and in no way did I expect 4th for 50 Goin on Life--must be some baby boomers got my back out there!

Still not happy with the smatterings of 1's and 2's (even 3's & 4's still bother me)--and not for my own scores because I've won a few of these--just that the effort it takes to make sure everything sounds great and you want your best in the contest deserves at least a 4 just for that. Talent levels are different. Maybe we should listen closer to the effort behind each level of talent...maybe I'm just a blowhard and should mind my own business

Good job people.

Zeek

[daddio]

Congrats to the winners. I had Fly as my first choice but all the songs were so close, I'd have to go back to my scorecard to know who I picked after that. This was easily the best group of comp songs I've ever heard on the muse.

A note about the scoring, I used Nige's suggestion of ranking from top to bottom which necessitated the use of 1, 2, and 3 as scores. I think any scores that you're seeing in that range are probably the result of others using a ranking system too, not a comment on the song quality. There was nothing here that I would have scored lower than 6 if I had used the older scoring system

[Zeek]

Quote

16. How do you score/rate/grade songs?

You rate each song from 1 - 10 (where 1 is low and 10 is high)
Note that only one 10 and one 9 score can be awarded per voter or the scorecard will be invalid.
If a scorecard contains a score not a whole number in the range of 1 to 10 it will be deemed invalid.

Scoring guidelines:
You are encouraged to rate the songs against each other within the context of the contest. e.g. if there are 10 songs you could use the full range of scores (1 to 10). If there are more than 10 songs the scores of 1 to 8 may be used more than once. A score of 1 wouldn’t necessarily mean a poor song just the least best in that particular contest.

So how can you do both and tally scores correctly? Shouldn't it be one or the other?

Zeek

[porcupine]

Zeek, on 19 April 2012 - 10:05 AM, said:

Quote

16. How do you score/rate/grade songs?

You rate each song from 1 - 10 (where 1 is low and 10 is high)
Note that only one 10 and one 9 score can be awarded per voter or the scorecard will be invalid.
If a scorecard contains a score not a whole number in the range of 1 to 10 it will be deemed invalid.

Scoring guidelines:
You are encouraged to rate the songs against each other within the context of the contest. e.g. if there are 10 songs you could use the full range of scores (1 to 10). If there are more than 10 songs the scores of 1 to 8 may be used more than once. A score of 1 wouldn’t necessarily mean a poor song just the least best in that particular contest.

So how can you do both and tally scores correctly? Shouldn't it be one or the other?

Zeek

This issue I see is that the scoring would be much tighter given a lower range of scoring to choose from. The choice being 1-10 or 6-10

By using "1's" instead of a minimum number like say "6", it allows the totals of each person to be incredibly varied.

so the points "spead" is greater, not allowing alot of "catching up"

personally I like the 6-10 scale.

Congrats to Jonie and Steve, I ranked it exactly that way!
Porcupine

[NigeQ]

Zeek, on 19 April 2012 - 04:05 PM, said:

Quote

16. How do you score/rate/grade songs?

You rate each song from 1 - 10 (where 1 is low and 10 is high)
Note that only one 10 and one 9 score can be awarded per voter or the scorecard will be invalid.
If a scorecard contains a score not a whole number in the range of 1 to 10 it will be deemed invalid.

Scoring guidelines:
You are encouraged to rate the songs against each other within the context of the contest. e.g. if there are 10 songs you could use the full range of scores (1 to 10). If there are more than 10 songs the scores of 1 to 8 may be used more than once. A score of 1 wouldn’t necessarily mean a poor song just the least best in that particular contest.

So how can you do both and tally scores correctly? Shouldn't it be one or the other?

Zeek

Nope, it doesn’t matter. All it means is that someone who uses the full range is making a more worthwhile vote. Another person whose scores only cover a narrow band (e.g. 6 to 9 or 5 to 8) is effectively submitting something very close to a null-vote. However, I understand that some are uncomfortable using the ranking system so both are allowed.

[NigeQ]

3 or 4 years ago the scoring system was '1 to 5', then I came under pressure to make it '1 to 10'. So maybe I should go back to the '1 to 5' system but call it '6 to 10' as per porcupine's suggestion

[Scotto]

Fly Fly Fly was a clear winner for me. I'd buy it right now. It was produced very well I thought. After that Loves dangerous and Turn it down were way up there on my list. I had entered fairly early and thought the rough quality of my entry would still be OK but after all the entries came in I realized I was WAY out of my league in this one. I really don't see me entering these unless I think I really have something completely finished and polished up to its best sheen. I should have posted Dragonfly for reviews and worked on it and polished it up some more before entering it in something like this I think.

For the one's it does sting. I think if you had only 1 - 5 or 6 - 10 you might have some ties though. It is what it is. I entered this because I had something and thought my rougher quality track would still be considered and for the most part it was. That being said I won't be entering these much in the future unless I have something really tightened up and complete. Just based on the absolute strength of these entries I've slapped my forehead with a "what was I thinking smack" already.

[Alistair S]

Congratulations, winners!

This came out close to the way I scored it. I had the top 3 tied. I couldn't separate them.

I have to admit that I'm a bit uncomfortable with the mixed scoring too. It does favour the voters who rank and I'm not at all clear whether the average is meaningful any more, for the entrant's self-vote or as a result. Mostly, I think it's difficult to adapt to mixed scoring and seeing the low scores next to higher ones.

[daddio]

Scotto, on 19 April 2012 - 01:05 PM, said:

Fly Fly Fly was a clear winner for me. I'd buy it right now. It was produced very well I thought. After that Loves dangerous and Turn it down were way up there on my list. I had entered fairly early and thought the rough quality of my entry would still be OK but after all the entries came in I realized I was WAY out of my league in this one. I really don't see me entering these unless I think I really have something completely finished and polished up to its best sheen. I should have posted Dragonfly for reviews and worked on it and polished it up some more before entering it in something like this I think.

For the one's it does sting. I think if you had only 1 - 5 or 6 - 10 you might have some ties though. It is what it is. I entered this because I had something and thought my rougher quality track would still be considered and for the most part it was. That being said I won't be entering these much in the future unless I have something really tightened up and complete. Just based on the absolute strength of these entries I've slapped my forehead with a "what was I thinking smack" already.

Scotto, this is something I've long argued on the muse without much success. Is production really part of the song? To me, it's not but I recognize that it's difficult for many voters to separate the production quality and just vote on the song itself. For the most part, I think the best song usually wins these comps but I also believe that a highly polished turd is still a piece of $hit while a diamond in the rough is still a diamond. I don't think there's any doubt that this comp usually favors those with better production skills. Again, I'm not knocking any of the winners. My first two choices finished as the top two, I think, but I can see that this comp would be discouraging for anyone with good songwriting skills and poor production skills.

As to the voting, I think we should decide to make it one way or the other and not allow both types of voting. I have no problem with a ranking system but feel that all voters should use the same system no matter what it is. In the end, the results would probably be the same but there would be more a sense of fairness.

[Dottie]

This month was by far the best bunch of songs I’ve heard in a contest here!!!

Steve congrats on 1st place, your win is no surprise!

Jonie, WOW I LOVE your song!! You had my top vote. I gave you a 10 and I think that’s the 1st 10 I’ve ever given in a song contest.

I had One day Two Hearts in 2nd place with a 9, I love that song too Tom.

After that I had Zeek and HoldenThe Fury tied for 3rd place.

I had a hard time scoring this month; there were so many good songs!!

Dottie

[SoddyBottoms]

I agree with this being the best entire lot of songs. It's definitely the best I have witnessed so far.. Mr Ison has raised the bar very high !

Turn It Down by porcupine was my favorite followed by Love is Dangerous .. Zeek's song was hittin real close to home lyrically, I also really liked Jason's and Jonie's , all great in their own right .. I scored them all 3 equal..

I used the ranking system last month and felt guilty as I ran out of decent #'s for good songs and decided to use the old method ...

Congratulations to the winners !

[kimberlyinnc]

Congrats to Steve for his first place win. He has taken over the song contests lately, that is for certain
Also congrats to Jonie for her 2nd place. It is cool to hear her terrific lyrics being put to music. Always a treat

My favorites out of the bunch, though not easy to score were:

Beauty and Her Beast--- I gave this one a 10. I don't give out many 10's... I found the story touching, the treatment of it lyrically, and musically, with the awesome combination of Daddio and Wendy to be top notch...loved it.

My 2nd place choice was

50 Goin' On Life--by ZeekI have heard this one before a while back and always found it to be one I could hear on the radio. Loads of fun!


I had a few ties for 3rd place. I hate to have so many ties, but I am still stuck on the old way of voting. I like to give people a score on their song itself and not ranking it a 1 cause to me and it seems to be a complaint ny some others too, to give someone a one, and there are two ways of scoring you don't know if that means the song sucked or was just last in the bunch... If scored the old way... they get the benefit of knowing how the song by itself stands. PLUS I wonder, though I am not good at math, if one set of people who have entered their own songs, vote the old way, with using maybe 6's as the median score for lower ones, it doesn't cut down their own song scores average as much as if they used the 1-10 ranking instead. I am like Daddio on this..but it seems this will never be resolved. It is brought up over and over.
I have lots of wishes for the contest scorings and rules, and it seems that others do, but it is something that seems to be unable to please everyone type of thing..makes it hard but I still feel one way should be decided once and for all. But its not anything I Have not voiced before..

Daddio said

Quote

As to the voting, I think we should decide to make it one way or the other and not allow both types of voting. I have no problem with a ranking system but feel that all voters should use the same system no matter what it is. In the end, the results would probably be the same but there would be more a sense of fairness.

anyways, on to the ties for 3rd place
Turn It Down- Porcupine
One Day, Two Hearts-Iron Knee
All That I Want- Paddy

But most of the others still scored very high. As said before, a great bunch of songs here.

Thanks Nigel for doing the contest and it is appreciated, though we are not always happy with the scoring/rules, we are happy with you. And the time, effort you put into this monthly!! I don't want any of the people that run these contests to think we are complaining agains't them. That is NOT the case. We just want clarity and one way to vote for everyone. Or I know I do.


Kim

[jonie]

I'm really happy that Tony and I did so well with Fly, Fly, Fly, for Tony's sake more than mine and I make no bones about the fact that this is his song. I was knocked out when I heard it and floored by the fact that it didn't sound anywhere near the way I imagined it would when I wrote the lyric. Pleasantly floored. I'm grateful he whisked it out of certain oblivion.

He'll be thrilled.

I agree with everyone about the quality of songs. Scoring them was a real effort.

I had Steve's "Dangerous" and Ironknee's "One Day, Two Hearts" tied for 1st place. Both so great in their own very different ways, I couldn't separate them.

I had a 3 way tie for 2nd
Beauty and her Beast
50 Goin' on life
Love is a Prayer

and 3rd
Waristan
All That I Want

I used the standard scoring method and I'm still out on whether or not it makes a difference if the 2 methods are blended. I can't seem to wrap my head around it, really.

Again, such great songs. I'm so grateful to be a member of this board. It's a real privilege.

[Ironknee]

Hi all! Congrats to the winners!!
I had Jonie's, "Fly, Fly, Fly" as the supreme front runner.....if I were betting on the outcome of this song contest, I would have bet the farm on this placing 1st.

I had Holdenthefuries, "Taj Mahal" as 2nd place.

There was a lot of really good writing in this competition...as well as, some really, really, really, really, really, rediculously fantastic productions!! I'm not at any such level....To win we better start trying to write a better song.

TTFN.............. -Tom

Oh...and special thanks for the 10 I received....and all the 8's & 9's everyone.

I also want to thank everyone who participated in this nail-biter of a contest.

And a big thanks goes to Nige who graceously runs this

[ScenesFromPalacio]

Many thanx for voting 'Love's Dangerous' the winner here -much appreciated -i genuinelly didn't expect it..Congrats to Jonie too -well deserved.Thought it was a really classy adult-contemporary kinda song,beautifully produced..
Woh...The top 3 were really close !!
I agree that this is definitely the strongest group of songs i've heard in a competition since i've joined..Really cool
There were 4 songs that shone as personal favourites..Jasons Waristan was the top choice for me tho..Its just a crackin' song n agreat track.So distinct with bags of individual personality n character.Thought it was a brave move for Jason to enter it here too when the (more ) abrasive nature of it was prob gonna split votes..
Just behind him were HoldenTheFuries Taj Mahal (very quirky n cool - with really neat melodies/ progressions) Soddybottoms Hang On(so atmospheric freeway-driving sunshine vibe -this is def my kinda country) and Paddys 'All That I want' which is wonderfully life affirming n charming.I don't understand why Paddy dosn't do better in these competitions.His songs have such a heartfelt quality and genuine sense of musical joy n freedom..

Thanx for the kind words Zeek..Appreciated

Cheers Nige for running another great comp and all the non-contestant voters too

[NigeQ]

I would like to congratulate Steve and Jonie on two fine songs. The melody in Fly, Fly, Fly reminded me strongly of Hazard by Richard Marx (check it out if you’ve not heard it).

As it has been said a really good batch of songs this month. My personal favourite was Waristan, I liked the uncomfortable rhythm and edginess of it, perfect for the subject matter. It was a hard thing to pull off i.e. the humour/serious balance but Jason did a great job.

[NigeQ]

Just a word on the scoring, for those of you that do not like the ranking system please go to the scoring discussion thread and tell me what you would like to see instead. Please bear in mind that even if I don’t recommend the ranking system there is nothing to stop (and never has been) anyone from using it.

[AndyLeF]

Proud to be propping up such a fine group of songs!

My favs:
One Day, Two Hearts – Ironknee – echoes of Simon and Garfunkel with those lovely harmonies.

Love’s Dangerous – ScenesFromPalacio. This has shades of Mika with those quirky lyrics and vocal delivery – sounds modern and fresh to my ear.

Fly, Fly, Fly – Jonie and Tony – fantastic production sound and great lyrics and vocals.

Beauty and Her Beast – Wendy and Don. It’s always refreshing to find a new take on an old theme.

On the scoring side – I’d have been pretty demoralized with mainly “1”s if the 1-10 relative system had mostly used; seems to me it gives no clue as to the merits of the particular song in question. At least I can see that my song appealed well to some folk and although I knew the subject matter/mood of the song was never going to be a popular ‘hit’ – it was from the heart and I write what I feel.

Brilliant that there were so many non-contestant scorers well done guys and also, to NigeQ for all the organizing!

Looking forward to the next one!

Andy

[Paddy O'Furniture]

I'm definitely proud to be part of this competition. You're all are amazing, inspirational songwriters. I appreciate the honorable mentions of my song.

I had One Day, Two Hearts and Love's Dangerous tied for first up until I submitted my scores. Next were Taj Mahal and Fifty Going On Life. In my third place slot were Hang On; Fly, Fly, Fly; and Beauty and the Beast.

Many thanks to Nige and all involved in the contest.

Paddy

[Jason Kalman]

Another great group of songs. I had:
1. Steve
2. Porcupine
3. Zeek and Jonie

Thanks Steve and Nige for the kind words!
cheers,
Jason

[NigeQ]

I have just annotated the ranking votes by placing 'r' in from of the score - see example below, but I have applied it to all the scores above.

Love's Dangerous - ScenesFromPalacio 7.81av
8 9 6 r8 7 7 7 7 8 r10 6 7 8 8 5 8 7 r10 10 9 7 7 r5 10 r10 8 r9
Dragon Fly - Scotto 5.22av
7 6 6 r1 6 7 6 6 5 r1 5 6 4 4 6 7 6 r1 5 7 3 4 r3 6 r9 8 r6

You will notice that although Dragon Fly received three scores of 1, they were all ranking scores.

[Ironknee]

NigeQ, on 23 April 2012 - 01:29 AM, said:

I have just annotated the ranking votes by placing 'r' in from of the score - see example below, but I have applied it to all the scores above.

Love's Dangerous - ScenesFromPalacio 7.81av
8 9 6 r8 7 7 7 7 8 r10 6 7 8 8 5 8 7 r10 10 9 7 7 r5 10 r10 8 r9
Dragon Fly - Scotto 5.22av
7 6 6 r1 6 7 6 6 5 r1 5 6 4 4 6 7 6 r1 5 7 3 4 r3 6 r9 8 r6

You will notice that although Dragon Fly received three scores of 1, they were all ranking scores.

Hey there Nige....for what it's worth....you have a good idea here with distinguishing the scoring method. -Tom