Drop (listen on MySpace)
It's just a drop in the ocean you say
It wouldn't make any difference anyway
But the ocean's nothing more
Than a whole lot of drops like yours
Your one drop (*!*) could make a splash
Make a ripple, make a wave
That'll roll non-stop
And ride a rising tide of resonating thoughts
Provoke a commotion
Requiring a voice, promote locomotion
Movement of the feet to deplete that defeated feeling
Stamp out your doubts out loud
Imagine your drop up high in a thunder cloud
Raining down on the arm of a farmer or maybe
It could be a tear on the cheek of a baby
Or the dew on a spider's web at dawn
Is it a spit drip flipping from the lip of a glib politician?
Is it the final critical addition to a magic potion?
An unending blending harmonizing emotion
Mix right through
Til you are the ocean and the ocean is you
Let a metaphor be a matter for discussion
Don't underestimate the repercussions
Your ways could well
Strike a chord or ring a bell
Infinity stretches large and little
Which leaves you right in the middle
Despite the big bill
Your amount can still count
©Mal Webb 2006
There's a type of reggae groove called a One Drop, where the kick drum (bass drum) is on the 2 and 4 (where the snare usually is) and there's nothing on the one... hence the name. Bob Marley has a beautiful song called "Feel it in the one drop" you might have heard. My song is, typically for me, a big gang of word plays and metaphors linking the one drop groove with the "drop in the ocean" phrase, which has always annoyed me when people use it as an excuse for political, environmental and social apathy. Although, if you don't use it like that, then please excuse my use of the second person in the song... I was trying to be direct without being too preachy.
Now, as for the chord changes, you'll probably find it familiar, as many songs use this progression of chords (see below). "Drop" swings between 5641 and 4156, but more typically these chords start on the 1 chord (6 being a minor chord):
1564:
Let It Be (Beatles), With or Without You (U2), So Lonely (Police), Africa (Toto), No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley), Reckless (Reyne), Down Under (Men at Work), Scar (Missy Higgins), Forever Young (Alphaville/Youth Group), Captain (Kasey Chambers), Pretty Enough (Kasey Chambers), Torn (Natalie Imbruglia), Skater Boy (Avril Lavigne), Under The Bridge (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Stop and Stare (One Republic), 20 Good Reasons (Thirsty Merc), Push and How Far We've Come (Match Box 20), When I Come Around and 21 Guns (Green Day), No One (Alicia Keyes), I'm Yours (Jason Mraz), Sun Will Set (Linkin Park), She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5), Tomorrow Wendy (Concrete Blonde), Wherever You Will Go (The Calling), Pictures of You (The Last Goodnight), You're Beautiful (James Blunt), Right Here Waiting (Richard Marx), Fall at Your Feet (Crowded House), Take On Me (Aha), High/Forever You and Me (Lighthouse Family), Butterfly Ball (Ronny James Dio), You were Amazing (Alex Lloyd), Can you Feel the Love Tonight (Elton John), Don't Stop Believing (Journey), Lovesong (Amiel), Where is the Love (Black Eyed Peas), Happy Ending (Mika), Paparazzi (Lady Gaga), On The Radio (Regina Spektor), Here Without You (3 Doors Down), Superman (Five for Fighting), According to You (Orianthi)
5641:
Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye), Pure Shores (All Saints)
6415:
You and Your Hand (Pink), Say Tonight (Eagle Eye Cherry), Too Late To Apologise (One Republic), If I were a Boy (Beyonce), Canvas Bags (Tim Minchin)
4156:
Stacey's Mom (Fountains of Wayne), Umbrella (Rihanna), Live Your Life (Rihanna feat. T.I.), Break Even (The Script)
Below is latest version of my vertical medley of snippets of these 55 songs. But beware, it will change!
No Woman No Cry / Mother Mary comes to me / With or Without You / So Lonely / I felt the Rain down in Af / Everybody's got to live together / Don't be So Reckless / When I get that feeling, I want Sexual Healing / I come from a land Down Under / Would you leave me with a Scar / You were Amazing / I wanna be forever young / You're the captain / Am I not pretty enough? / I'm not here for your enter... / I'm more than a bird / I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel / Could not make it any more obvious / Under The Bridge downtown / But it's Too Late To Apologise / No happy ending / Stop and Stare I think I / Say Tonight and we'll fight the break of dawn / Give me 20 Good Reasons / to Push you around / Let's see how far we've / I'm more than a bird / No One, No One / I'm Yours / And the shadow of the day / And she will be loved / Can you feel the love tonight? / On the radio / Tomorrow Wendy's going to die / Stacey's Mom has got it goin on / I'll go Wherever You Will Go / I'm moving I'm coming, Can you hear, what I hear, It's calling you my dear / Pictures of You, pictures of me / You can come under my umbrella You can come under my umbrella ella ella eh eh eh / My life is brilliant / If I were a Boy / I will be right here waiting for you / We are gonna be, forever you and me / When a heart breaks no it don't break even / Instead of chasing that paper, just live Your Life / Where is the love? / Don't Stop Believing / Now I'm more lonely than before, that's OK / Say you'll stay, don't come and go / Take your canvas bags, take your canvas bags / I'm here without you baby / Paparazzi / When I Come Around / Fall at your feet / Take on me / According to You
And here's a video of an early version of it (only 38 songs):
It's just a drop in the ocean you say
It wouldn't make any difference anyway
But the ocean's nothing more
Than a whole lot of drops like yours
Your one drop (*!*) could make a splash
Make a ripple, make a wave
That'll roll non-stop
And ride a rising tide of resonating thoughts
Provoke a commotion
Requiring a voice, promote locomotion
Movement of the feet to deplete that defeated feeling
Stamp out your doubts out loud
Imagine your drop up high in a thunder cloud
Raining down on the arm of a farmer or maybe
It could be a tear on the cheek of a baby
Or the dew on a spider's web at dawn
Is it a spit drip flipping from the lip of a glib politician?
Is it the final critical addition to a magic potion?
An unending blending harmonizing emotion
Mix right through
Til you are the ocean and the ocean is you
Let a metaphor be a matter for discussion
Don't underestimate the repercussions
Your ways could well
Strike a chord or ring a bell
Infinity stretches large and little
Which leaves you right in the middle
Despite the big bill
Your amount can still count
©Mal Webb 2006
There's a type of reggae groove called a One Drop, where the kick drum (bass drum) is on the 2 and 4 (where the snare usually is) and there's nothing on the one... hence the name. Bob Marley has a beautiful song called "Feel it in the one drop" you might have heard. My song is, typically for me, a big gang of word plays and metaphors linking the one drop groove with the "drop in the ocean" phrase, which has always annoyed me when people use it as an excuse for political, environmental and social apathy. Although, if you don't use it like that, then please excuse my use of the second person in the song... I was trying to be direct without being too preachy.
Now, as for the chord changes, you'll probably find it familiar, as many songs use this progression of chords (see below). "Drop" swings between 5641 and 4156, but more typically these chords start on the 1 chord (6 being a minor chord):
1564:
Let It Be (Beatles), With or Without You (U2), So Lonely (Police), Africa (Toto), No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley), Reckless (Reyne), Down Under (Men at Work), Scar (Missy Higgins), Forever Young (Alphaville/Youth Group), Captain (Kasey Chambers), Pretty Enough (Kasey Chambers), Torn (Natalie Imbruglia), Skater Boy (Avril Lavigne), Under The Bridge (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Stop and Stare (One Republic), 20 Good Reasons (Thirsty Merc), Push and How Far We've Come (Match Box 20), When I Come Around and 21 Guns (Green Day), No One (Alicia Keyes), I'm Yours (Jason Mraz), Sun Will Set (Linkin Park), She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5), Tomorrow Wendy (Concrete Blonde), Wherever You Will Go (The Calling), Pictures of You (The Last Goodnight), You're Beautiful (James Blunt), Right Here Waiting (Richard Marx), Fall at Your Feet (Crowded House), Take On Me (Aha), High/Forever You and Me (Lighthouse Family), Butterfly Ball (Ronny James Dio), You were Amazing (Alex Lloyd), Can you Feel the Love Tonight (Elton John), Don't Stop Believing (Journey), Lovesong (Amiel), Where is the Love (Black Eyed Peas), Happy Ending (Mika), Paparazzi (Lady Gaga), On The Radio (Regina Spektor), Here Without You (3 Doors Down), Superman (Five for Fighting), According to You (Orianthi)
5641:
Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye), Pure Shores (All Saints)
6415:
You and Your Hand (Pink), Say Tonight (Eagle Eye Cherry), Too Late To Apologise (One Republic), If I were a Boy (Beyonce), Canvas Bags (Tim Minchin)
4156:
Stacey's Mom (Fountains of Wayne), Umbrella (Rihanna), Live Your Life (Rihanna feat. T.I.), Break Even (The Script)
Below is latest version of my vertical medley of snippets of these 55 songs. But beware, it will change!
No Woman No Cry / Mother Mary comes to me / With or Without You / So Lonely / I felt the Rain down in Af / Everybody's got to live together / Don't be So Reckless / When I get that feeling, I want Sexual Healing / I come from a land Down Under / Would you leave me with a Scar / You were Amazing / I wanna be forever young / You're the captain / Am I not pretty enough? / I'm not here for your enter... / I'm more than a bird / I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel / Could not make it any more obvious / Under The Bridge downtown / But it's Too Late To Apologise / No happy ending / Stop and Stare I think I / Say Tonight and we'll fight the break of dawn / Give me 20 Good Reasons / to Push you around / Let's see how far we've / I'm more than a bird / No One, No One / I'm Yours / And the shadow of the day / And she will be loved / Can you feel the love tonight? / On the radio / Tomorrow Wendy's going to die / Stacey's Mom has got it goin on / I'll go Wherever You Will Go / I'm moving I'm coming, Can you hear, what I hear, It's calling you my dear / Pictures of You, pictures of me / You can come under my umbrella You can come under my umbrella ella ella eh eh eh / My life is brilliant / If I were a Boy / I will be right here waiting for you / We are gonna be, forever you and me / When a heart breaks no it don't break even / Instead of chasing that paper, just live Your Life / Where is the love? / Don't Stop Believing / Now I'm more lonely than before, that's OK / Say you'll stay, don't come and go / Take your canvas bags, take your canvas bags / I'm here without you baby / Paparazzi / When I Come Around / Fall at your feet / Take on me / According to You
And here's a video of an early version of it (only 38 songs):