Briyan Frederick – Art Bomb (Recording, 2019)

No.5175

This started as a song for SongFight where a title is given and people write and record a song in a week or two in “friendly” competition.

My track was written and a rough version with just acoustic guitar and vocal was recorded but never submitted. I always felt it was unfinished.

Several years later, I managed to write the bridge section, but never recorded the song. I would pull it out and play it to myself from time to time and had a good idea on how I wanted it to be made.

One day, my friend Mitch Stevens came over to hang out and do some recording, so I pulled out this song and we got to work. Mitch plays the rhythm guitar on the final recording.

After a few hours, Mitch left for family duties after putting down the rhythm guitar and a bass and possibly a second guitar. I kept working on the track.

I’d always heard some kind of horns and had wanted the song to have a kind of group chorus vibe or something. I replaced Mitch’s rough bass reference with a Rickenbacher sample on keys, and added an organ and the horn arrangement. The vocals were sung at some point at this time as well.

I think the lead guitar figure that starts and finished the recording was put down last. I’m still flirting with adding some kind of sax in that last break before the final chorus.

And maybe get that group chorus in there too.

Let’s drop an art bomb
On this whole wide world
Let’s drop an art bomb
On this whole wide world

We’ll fill it with color
We’ll fill it with songs
Stop painting by numbers
Of people now gone

Let’s drop an art bomb
On this whole wide world
Let’s drop an art bomb
On this crazy, crazy old world

Let’s fly over London
Watch Russia go boom
Mexico’s gonna love it
And America too, yeah!

Let’s drop an art bomb
On this whole wide world
Let’s drop an art bomb
On this crazy, crazy old world

We’re blowin’ up the Internet
A trillion views on Youtube get
Your mom is gonna be proud
‘Cos all the talking heads will say
There was no war on earth today
While art bombs cover your town

Let’s drop an art bomb
On this whole wide world
Let’s drop an art bomb
On this crazy, crazy old world

Let’s drop an art bomb
On this whole wide world
Let’s drop an art bomb
On this crazy, crazy old world