Suzi Barnes // Blog

Hey Indabaites,

So I'm spending the next four months in Europe (mainly in France, attempting to learn French). But I'll also be traveling around, broadening my horizons and all that crap. anyone know of some good music venues that would perhaps let an American girl play her guitar?

Also, how friendly is France/UK to buskers? it's going to be pretty much my only source of income...

Thanks a billion,

Suz

So I originally intended this song to be one of those annoying feminist rants in a very general sense... it kind of took a life of its own. Now it's only a mildly annoying feminist rant about marriage and love and what is expected of me as a woman in Western society... or at least American society... or at least the Barnes' family society. Anyway, the words have a lot of meanings, but here are the two "main ideas" when I look at it: my struggle with the idea of marriage as the only suitable lifestyle for a woman and the need to be accepted as I am.

I was told this week one of my brothers is filing for a divorce after only a year of marriage to a woman he has known since grade school. Situations like this make me wonder if marriage is the best choice in a world that's so uncertain, and if I don't get married, that somehow undermines my value and worth as a woman. Seriously- if I don't get married or at least have children, I have failing in my role as a woman. On a side note, if I am not married when I have kids, I'm promiscuous, but still better than barren.

The song is titled "Pretty Dresses" which I meant to mean wedding dresses or something, but keeping it general includes the idea that wearing pretty dresses is meant to further define women as materialistic drama queens radiating sex appeal. Which I hope I am not. And contrary to popular belief, I have a wonderful boyfriend who loves me anyway, and encourages me all the time to be myself and screw everyone else.

Ok. Sorry for the rant. Thoughts are longing to escape my skull, and Indaba is getting the full brunt of it all. Feel free to comment, I love that.

PRETTY DRESSES

They say get a life

It's time for the real world

And be someone's wife

It's no good being alone girl

So if you're feeling love

Better change your name

Keep eyes wide open

And mouth shut tight

Say what I'm feeling

As long as it feels right

But if I'm not careful

I might be just what you say

I have no pretty dresses

I am only flesh and bone

And if I wore the pretty dresses

I'm still naked underneath the clothes

No pretty dresses

No pretty dresses, no

Take your time

But don't move too slow

A graceful dance

That no one seems to know

And I can't keep my step

You caught me falling

Pretty maids

Lined all in a row

Had no room for me

And I know

All I lack is surrender and silence

And all those pretty dresses

But I am only flesh and bone

But if I wore pretty dresses

I'm still naked underneath the clothes

No pretty dresses

No pretty dresses, no

And maybe I'm just crazy

Thinking I'm the girl he wants

Without the pretty dresses

Could I be the girl he'd love?

You know I'm scared either way

Cause if I'm not careful

he's gonna change my name

I just got finished watching Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels so I have that sexy British accent stuck in my head. But anyway. I just got a new macbook and my recording rig set up, so I am finally ready for some collaboration with my fellow indabans... indabites... indabers...

This is my shameless plug.

Let me sing for you! I'm going to France in a month to study abroad for a semester, and I would really love some projects to work on to keep my head in music mode while I'm there. I can do lead or a killer backup; check out my profile, I've got credentials! I can do just about any genre. So hit me up. Now's the time- I don't charge or anything (ha).

Ok. Shameless plug over.

Anyone been to France? Or better yet, anyone IN France? We could hang. Play some guitar. You know, collaborate.

It's now 6:09 am and I haven't slept a wink. What better time to record my latest attempt at songwriting? Actually it's not my latest - I actually wrote this one back in March, but decided I have nothing better to do than to record it on my brand spanking new Macbook (woot) and get reactions from my lovely Indaba peers.

Caution: this song comes with a story, mainly because I have lots of time to waste before everyone else wakes up and the day really gets started. So if you aren't interested in what inspired this stroke of musical brilliance, you can just scroll down for the lyrics!

The story, however, is short.

So I met this guy at an open mic in a big city near my little town and we pretty much hit it off right away. I hung out with him for a few days, then sadly had to return home since I had classes and crap. But I wrote this song the first day I was away from him - our towns are only an hour apart - the whole thing is pretty pathetic. But it was love at first sight and we are still going strong, four months later. This song is obviously a favorite of his, so here's to you, D, and all your awesomeness.

As far as the song goes, nothing too spectacular. Simple melody, simple lyrics, but I know for a fact that there's worse out there...

YESTERDAY (c) Suzi Barnes 2008

I miss you more than I did yesterday

and I love you more than I did yesterday

I would call you on the telephone

but it's already so damn late

but I miss you more than I did yesterday

Yesterday, it may not seem that far away to you

but it's been miles and hours since I watched you look me through

when I said I had to go and you told me to stay

I miss you more than I did yesterday

I want you to look at me like you did yesterday

I want to hold your hand like I did yesterday

and I keep on looking back 

when all I got's today

but I miss you more than I did yesterday

chorus

and it's ok cause I know you feel the same way...

chorus

any feedback would be most welcome.

-suzi

When I was getting my Commercial Music degree, an instructer there looked at me and said "I bet you're a songwriter. You look like a songwriter." It's always confused me, cause I've never written a decent song in my life. I still wonder if it was something about my ratty pink chuck taylors, cause all great songwriters wear chucks, or at least they should.

But anyway. There are people in this town who know a lot about music and making great songs, and they are all telling me I need to create something original and stop singing that Such Great Heights cover already.

So I'm trying my hand at songwriting here... This is just a dorky little song I've been working on. It's funny, cause there are lines I absolutely love and lines I absolutely hate... but the song's kind of got a life of it's own at the moment. So right now it's something really simple and cheezey, but you've got to start somewhere, right?  Recording a raw track, look out for it in the next few days. Think Ben Folds. Any feedback would be *wonderful*, as I don't really know what I'm doing.