Here's my entry for the last FAWM skirmish of 2022, a couple minutes late and a quart low.
The very first band that I played in
was a wedding band
My father in law needed keys and bass
and I was glad to oblige
I was an old man in band years
already twenty-two
Sooner or later I was going to
have to try
The experience was invaluable
and the money was pretty great (back then)
and lord knows we could use the cash
But little did I know that
playing in a wedding band
would generate such a bad backlash
Oh, “Proud Mary” is a pretty great song
and I hate it
“Free Bird” is much, oh, much less great
and I can’t stand to hear the title
And don’t get me started on “Wipe Out”
though the drummer hates it more
If you’re thinking “wedding band,” well,
this is what you have in store
I learned to learn songs I’d never heard of
on the fly
Rhythm and lead in my right hand
and bass in my left
Soon I had my own P.A.
Doing gigs on the fly
With guys that I had never met
Let alone that I would play with
The experience was invaluable
and the money was pretty great (back then)
and lord knows we could use the cash
But little did I know that
playing in a wedding band
would generate such a bad backlash
Oh, “Proud Mary” is a pretty great song
and I hate it
“Aura Lee” was a marvel of a folk song
but Elvis ruined it for me
And don’t get me started on disco
‘cause I hated it from the start
I perfected the skills and wore polyester
Crooned love songs and played the jester
And all the while inside I festered
Oh man I played the part
Until my wedding band days were through
I really mean it
Until my wedding band days were through
@jwhanberry Feb 2022
I hear ya! We all have to make a sometimes daily choice to be an entertainer or a musician. Well told in your happy tune.
@vegansongs Feb 2022
Oh the memories come flooding back. My first gig was singing back up in an Elvis impersonator's revue. Great skirmish work here.
@misterdemp Feb 2022
Fun nostalgic treatment of the wedding band from the musician viewpoint. Gets me tappin' and smilin'
@wylddandelyon Feb 2022
All my skirmish tracks are rough! Don't worry about it, it's expected.
This is fun. And I hear you so much!
@seemanski Feb 2022
This is such a great song. What a skirmish! Loved the little dog pant at the end to end it off. Had me smiling from ear to ear.
@sheilerk Feb 2022
OhMyGosh that was Fun!! I loved the bouncy tune, and your extremely descriptive and funny adventure as a member of the band. You really nailed it!
@andygriff Feb 2022
This great, so many fine elements in such a short time. Funny AND clever lyrics. Such fun! :)
@hamiltonpoolhall Feb 2022
Haha! This is hilarious, and I love the stride piano delivery. Great vocals and a cool chord progression. A brilliant cautionary tale, and I laughed with every "...and I hate it." And of COURSE, the whole polyester/jester/fester set of lines...
@whispermouse Feb 2022
Ugh, I've been there.
This was not what I expected when I saw the title "wedding band" :D
The triple threat: lovely piano, great vocal melody, and the lyrics are clever! Nice skirmish.