This song started life as a r’n'b song for a teenage girl… no kidding! Let me rewind a few months.

Last summer (’08), I decided to try my hand at writing songs for others, as a way to push my songwriting and also because I was dissatisfied with my own voice. I freqented a few songwriting forums and websites and on one of them, I saw an ad for a r’n'b song for a teenage girl. Nothing like a challenge to spur on ideas so I decided to give it a go…

I never actually went as far as sending the song in but I did record a rough demo. It wasn’t r’n'b at all, but it was different from my usual songs, and the lyrics were written from a teenager perspective (remembering my own life as a teenager).

Last month, I came across the demo while going through old files and I decided to sing the song myself.

I went through a few drafts for the lyrics, as shown below.

In the process of recording the demo, I had transposed the song down 4 semitones, mostly because I was unable to sing it in the original key, and I considered transposing it further down but in the end, I didn’t.

The melody below is actually 4 semitones higher than what I really sing.

I based the recording on the demo, replacing the original drum sounds with new ones, re-recording the bass and guitar, adding a few synths and re-recording the vocals. This is a fairly sparse music arrangement which I think fits the song.

However, while messing around with keyboards, I came up with a new melody for the chorus. For days, I couldn’t decide which one to use, until the solution hit me on the head. I could use both! So the chorus has 2 different melodies going around at the same time, singing the same lyrics. I don’t think of them as main and backing vocals but as dual vocals.

Lyrics
(Intro)
It was 20 years ago when

(Verse 1)
Cyndi told us girls just want to have fun
But all my friends say they are having none
They get worried about school
About a strange boy
They try so hard to be cool
Care to much to enjoy.

(Chorus)
Friends today, friends next year
We’ll be friends a lifetime
We will laugh, smile and cheer
We’ll be partners in fun
Friends fo dreams, talk and play
Our friendship is full time
No to dull, no to grey
We are partners in fun for life

(Verse 2)
As we grow up, our future gets so so bleak
Pass your exams, get a job then work and sleep
Don’t want to be old and bored
Walking on a straight road
Don’t want my life to become war
And my mind to explode

(Chorus)
Friends today, friends next year
We’ll be friends a lifetime
We will laugh, smile and cheer
We’ll be partners in fun
Friends fo dreams, talk and play
Our friendship is full time
No to dull, no to grey
We are partners in fun for life

(Bridge)
One day we might cry
Deep into the night
(But) Friendship will not die
(It’s) Stronger than a fight
repeat
Friends forever, friends forever

(Chorus)
Friends today, friends next year
We’ll be friends a lifetime
We will laugh, smile and cheer
We’ll be partners in fun
Friends fo dreams, talk and play
Our friendship is full time
No to dull, no to grey
We are partners in fun for life

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