During last year's FAWM, I wrote 6 songs for my planned rock-opera album, hoping to get at least that many this year.
The premise of this rock opera is a dystopia where rock and roll has been banned. The main characters will be teens whose parents were taken away by the 'authorities' for playing rock, and the kids were taken to a 'home for abandoned children'.
This song will be the first song after the overture (which won't get written until all the other songs are finished).
Never Too Young (to Rock and Roll)
Little David was banging on pots and pans
Boxes and tables when he was four
Jane played on a tiny toy piano
And soon she asked for something more
William had a plastic ukulele
He could shred like nothing heard before
Riley sang along with every radio song
Like her microphone hairbrush was a Shure
Never too young to rock and roll
Never too young to play from your soul
How can it be wrong
To feel something so strong
Never too young to rock and roll
Random rules and regulations
Aimed to control lives
All everyone really wants
Is to try to survive
Teachers, police, politicians, judges
Say you can’t do that or this
Everything seems to fight freedom
Becomes too hard to resist
Never too young to rock and roll
Never too young to play from your soul
How can it be wrong
To feel something so strong
Never too young to rock and roll
You’re not allowed to rock and roll
That music will steal your soul
You know that it’s wrong
No more rock and roll songs
You’re not allowed to rock and roll
@ajna1960 Feb 2022
The whole concept of a rock opera about rock, or the lack of it, in quite interesting.
I agree re the chorus being quite catchy and memorable.
@leka Feb 2022
Yeah! Chorus is a total earworm. The ending is wonderful too. Looks like a great concept.
@yewnorker Feb 2022
Great playing throughout, Mike!
@andrea Feb 2022
I love this idea. I want to hear the whole masterpiece when completed! This song is a great set up. I can visualize the different scenes in my head as I listen. The end is dramatic. Super good!
@jeff9 Feb 2022
What a great concept for a rock opera--a long forgotten format in today's short attention span world. Maybe this will bring it back! Well played, Mike.
@karlsburg25 Feb 2022
ooo i want to see this rock opera. This is right up my street. Love the guitar interjections on this one and the story works a treat and wow those harmonies on the chorus are huge. Brilliant
@jessicagraae Feb 2022
The song is great. Wow- the production: back up vocals, drums, guitar-is so good. I feel envious. I love the imagery of kids playing music and creating instruments.
Thanks for your kind words about Daddy, I'm in love!
@daveyboy103 Feb 2022
Fab stuff. Love the narrative
@ferry0123 Feb 2022
That chorus is soooooo good. The melodies, the harmonies. It's like the Who meets Neil Young. Great ending too, which sounds bummer-ish, in a cool way of course.
@wobbiewobbit Feb 2022
great coherent sound all round. love the backing vocals. this rocks along nicely and i can really imagine a musical theatre setting for it. love the end bit
@scubed Feb 2022
I’m so glad you’re continuing with the rock opera this FAWM! I really enjoyed the songs you posted last year, and this one is great - just listening conjures up images of a huge production number. The mood shift at the end, with all those gorgeous major 7th chords, is lovely - and obviously leading the story somewhere. :)
@toms Feb 2022
Man, what a great premise! I have nothing but admiration for your ambition, too. Anyway, this sounds totally spot on, and the chorus is simply genius, both melodically and lyrically. Bet that chorus could be used in a reprise at the end in some way, especially with the change to half time or whatever it is at the end, That's just great. First FAWM listen of the day for me, and it is splendid.