» Lockdown, Emergency

We went on a family vacation in the summer of 2010 to Myrtle Beach (taking along with us my father-in-law).  One day out in the water, I was thinking about the song "Renegade" by Styx and thought I'd like to write a song in that style.  Almost instantly I came up with the chorus melody.  I swam over to Michael and sang it to him, "ba-da'ing" the words.  I asked him to come up with a hook, and later on he swam to me and said, "ba-da, emergency".  Later on he came up with the whole hook, "Lockdown, Emergency".

I then wrote two verses for the song including the second verse as it now stands.  My first verse, though, was:

• The bank sign's on the front lawn
• The curtains all are drawn
• Mailbox overflowing
• The power's not been on
• But in the basement there's a man
• And he's been working on a plan
• Oh yeah, he's got a plan

For some strange reason Michael didn't like that verse.  (He's just so critical!  Wonder where he got that from?)  He wrote his own verse about a Mr. Kenny, although its structure didn't match at all what I had done with the second verse.  MY initial reaction was negative, but I couldn't get Mr. Kenny out of my head.  He just sounded so...normal, and friendly.

The next day, I modified Micheal's verse into a version close to what it is now.  I then wrote the bridge.  Michael and I then spent weeks going back over the lyric, modifying it, rewriting the chorus, and so on.  After 8 distinct versions, we had a final lyric.

Meanwhile, Bryce Gullett - the leader of Michael's band and a very good songwriter himself - had fallen in love with the song and was arranging it for their band, later to be called Crosley Court.  "Lockdown" was one of the first two songs Crosly Court recorded, and their version is what I've posted here in my studio.  I was thrilled to death with the quality of their recording!

I should add that at this time, a student of mine at Mound Street is working on a rap version of the song.  He'll use this recording but will substitute his rap for the two verses.  If he comes through, we'll have something in the style of "Walk this Way" by Run DMC/Aerosmith.  I hope it happens!