Gotta Be Good Looking to Be Bad

[jchitty]

Although this song has been given some good marks by the screeners, it just doesn't quite clear the Nashville high bar. I've learned not complain about the screeners, this isn't about that....it's just about improving this song. I have taken some of the screener's suggestions to heart, and I will use them if I do redemo this song.I'd appreciate any feedback that folks on this board could give me about it. I'm not a musician, so I don't give the greatest critiques myself, but I really value the critical thought here as well as the TAXI screener's comments. I like to get all kinds of feedback, brutal, kind or otherwise, hehe. Anyway, the song is called "Gotta Be Good Looking To Be Bad" and it's what I'd call rocking commercial country....nothing profound, just good time music. Here's the link to it:http://www.taximusic.com/hosting/home.p ... d=2572Here are the words:Well, everywhere you go Your presence parts the wavesThe preacher man gets all tongue tiedAnd forgets that Jesus savesWith looks like that You drive 'em wildGot away with murderSince you were a childAnd you gotta be good looking to be badWell, you gotta be good lookingTo be badYeah, you gotta be good looking To be badWell, I learned a lesson long agoAnd to some, it might seem sadBut you gotta be good lookingTo be badYou got a speeding ticketJust the other day'Ole Smokey pulled you overAnd took one look at your faceYou flashed your pearly whitesAnd hair of goldHe tore the ticket up And let you goAnd you gotta be good looking to be badWell, you gotta be good looking to be badYeah, you gotta be good looking to be badWhile all the plain folks mind their P's and Q'sAw, nothing seems to stick to youAnd you gotta be good looking to be badDaddy left my Momma when I was only threeI didn't get Daddy's looksYou could say I fellJust shy of the ugly treeMomma said I hadA real good heartBut there was something I should know from the very startThat you gotta be good looking to be badRepeat chorus

[squidlips]

Hey Chits:That Nashville bar is so freakin' high. I need to post a song on here that I should roll over into country but there's no way they'd accept it with the lyric content, betcha, lol.Anyway, I think this might be a good "drivin'" tune........what if you simply picked up the pace a little bit? I know it's a real pain in the neck to re-record it (how frustrating is that?) but I think if it was faster, I betcha it'd fly. It seems to drag a little bit right now, to me. I really like the lyrics. So current events! LOL

[jchitty]

Hey, thanks everyone for the thoughts.....they were much appreciated. Squid.....I agree with you here....I've always wondered whether I should just kick this one up a knotch as Emeril says....maybe a little "BAM!" is what's needed to pick up the pace. Yeah, the Nashville high bar is tough, but it's training me to write better songs and critique them before I have them demoed. Clonsberry.....I don't think you're nitpicking.....sometimes, even the smallest word and where it's inserted can make the lyrics sound forced....that's something I always struggle with....so if substituting 'oh and well' instead of 'and' might work, it's worth a shot. Like Squid said, re-demoing can be a pain, but this song might be worth it if I can determine some of its problems. Between getting critiques from TAXI and some thoughts here, I might can produce a better product Akronpark.....I've had some of the TAXI screeners say the same thing....one screener said that the chorus is just too repetitious. I'm guessing they felt that I used the line "Gotta Be Good Looking To Be Bad" too much. This is one consistent thing that seems to be popping up with this song, so that would be a DEFINITE change if I re-demo it. I'm beginning to think that this is one I might use funds to redemo. I could have my demo service change a few lines in it. I'm sure he has the backing track and same singer...shouldn't be too much trouble. I like the idea about writing a bridge too. I'm not the greatest bridge writer for some reason.....never put much of them in my songs, but it seems like my best songs have bridges right before the last chorus....it gives more contrast and change of pace as you say.One concern I've had with this song is that 'bad-good" comparison on any song in Nashville may be overused.....but it still may work.Anyway, thanks for the useful info!

[Casey H]

Hey ChitsIt's a really good song. I like akronpark's suggestions- they are right on the money. One thought I had (one you may have heard before) is to remove the "Jesus saves" line in the first verse. Since A&R folks make decisions very quickly they might thing it's in the Christian genre and, if that's not what they are looking for, "click"... I assume this is a pure country song pitch. The line also probably isn't needed to make your point that the preacher gets all tongue tied- maybe something else like he messes up his sermon, etc.Akron's suggestion to replace the 2nd line of the chorus with something other than the title line would take away from the repetition issue.The important thing, IMHO, is that IF this is just shy of the Nashville bar and can't be raised over it, it could be an excellent film/TV pitch. I know there have been some issues with getting the master rights. Personally, I'd make the few small lyric changes and get a new demo made with you getting all rights to the master. It's definitely a very strong song and the "got to be good looking to be bad" thing could be great in many film/TV applications.Always a pleasure to listen to you songs, Chits! Casey

[bc]

Great song Chits. The "Jesus saves" lyric is just fine. It fits rural vernacular and is not necessarily a Contemporary Christian tag. There are some folks who have an irrational dislike for any mention of Christ Jesus, but it's been my experience that they are few and far between in Nashville. I'm sure most folks comments are objective and well meant, but I'd be careful about making wholesale knee jerk changes vis-a-vis comments on this board. I am pitching a secular song right now titled, "Come To Jesus Moment." The title and lyrics are working, though it may not be hooky enough for high bar radio...hmmm, another title idea best,bc

[jchitty]

First off, Casey and BC, let me say that I really respect both you guys opinions. Both of you have been successful in your own right, so I know that if I'm getting an opinion from you folks, it's pretty solid. BC has a point in that a lot of Southern people talk this way, and since I'm pitching the song primarily to the Nashville country market, the line still may work. The "Jesus saves" line was actually meant good naturedly and in a joking way....I actually visualized a video for this one with a preacher being so taken with this women's good looks, that he 'sinned for a while,' hehe. However, looking at both sides of the issue, if I were going to pitch this one to a TV or film listing outside the South as Casey has suggested, I might change the "forgets that Jesus saves' line. That's a possibility......but only if I pitch it to tv or film. As far as it being mistaken for a Christian listing, well, it's possible, but if taken in the whole context of the song, the song is pretty edgy.....that line was added for a little Southern flavor. So in a sense, you both could be right....if I pitch this outside the South to tv or film listings, I could delete the line. If I continue to pitch it mainly to country listings, I'll probably keep the line 'coz it's very Southern sounding. Thanks for your input. It's greatly appreciated!

[michael11]

Quote:Although this song has been given some good marks by the screeners, it just doesn't quite clear the Nashville high bar. I've learned not complain about the screeners, this isn't about that....it's just about improving this song. I have taken some of the screener's suggestions to heart, and I will use them if I do redemo this song.I'd appreciate any feedback that folks on this board could give me about it. I'm not a musician, so I don't give the greatest critiques myself, but I really value the critical thought here as well as the TAXI screener's comments. I like to get all kinds of feedback, brutal, kind or otherwise, hehe. Anyway, the song is called "Gotta Be Good Looking To Be Bad" and it's what I'd call rocking commercial country....nothing profound, just good time music. Here's the link to it:http://www.taximusic.com/hosting/home.p ... d=2572Here are the words:Well, everywhere you go Your presence parts the wavesThe preacher man gets all tongue tiedAnd forgets that Jesus savesWith looks like that You drive 'em wildGot away with murderSince you were a childAnd you gotta be good looking to be badWell, you gotta be good lookingTo be badYeah, you gotta be good looking To be badWell, I learned a lesson long agoAnd to some, it might seem sadBut you gotta be good lookingTo be badYou got a speeding ticketJust the other day'Ole Smokey pulled you overAnd took one look at your faceYou flashed your pearly whitesAnd hair of goldHe tore the ticket up And let you goAnd you gotta be good looking to be badWell, you gotta be good looking to be badYeah, you gotta be good looking to be badWhile all the plain folks mind their P's and Q'sAw, nothing seems to stick to youAnd you gotta be good looking to be badDaddy left my Momma when I was only threeI didn't get Daddy's looksYou could say I fellJust shy of the ugly treeMomma said I hadA real good heartBut there was something I should know from the very startThat you gotta be good looking to be badRepeat chorusI love this one chits but then I love all your stuff!!

[jchitty]

Aww, thanks, Michael, you're a sweetheart. I remember once you said you're from England (I think?)....so that means a lot when a Brit gives me compliments on a country tune.

[aubreyz]

Chits,First off-- very good song. As you know, country is not my genre, but I really admire the writing. As far as this song, I think melody and structure are dead on, and of course the production is great--- but here's my two cents why it's not quite passing the high bar.The title (hook) is a good thought, but it lacks some punch. The twist on good and bad is interesting, but the phrase itself seems a little forced. Maybe I'm over analyzing here, but the point is not really that you HAVE to be good looking to be bad, (there's plenty of bad ugly people) but rather that looks let you get away with it. Also, the context of the song is about this hot babe, but the hook is a general statement and not specific to her. What if you did a double twist, playing both on the look and good/bad--- like:You look so good nobody can see you're bad, orYou look so good it's hard to see you're bad,IMHO something like that would be stronger, less general. Overall, I think the lyrics are pretty strong-- (and I wouldn't worry about the Jesus saves line-- it's pure country)Weak spots IMHO:Quote:Well, I learned a lesson long agoAnd to some, it might seem sadWimpy line and rhyme for the first chorus "seem sad"-- the other one is much stronger, but this one is your chance to grab attention and it falls short.Quote:You flashed your pearly whitesAnd hair of goldHmm... "alert" song written by female A guy's not checking out her teeth and hair Quote:Daddy left my Momma when I was only threeI didn't get Daddy's looksYou could say I fellJust shy of the ugly treeMomma said I hadA real good heartBut there was somethingI should know from the very startI think this may be a tough sell to an artist. Even in country, image is so important--- there's not many who would want to publicize they fall just shy of the ugly tree. I would reconsider this section-- maybe finish the story by revealing this hot babe is actually the singer's girl.Just some thoughts. Very good song here.Aub

[jchitty]

Quote:Hey chitsCool fun tune. Well done. Aside from agreeing with Akron about a full bridge immediately prior to the last chorus, I'm not sure how to improve it.That repetition thing can be such a fine line. We're often told to repeat the hook as much as possible and occasionally told we overdo it. Ack!!On the Jesus line, I thought not only is it not risky but it's a good, funny line.Good work as usual.LiamThanks, Liam. Yeah, I've been thinking long and hard about the hook.....one particular screener had expressed that the hook is too repetitious.....I might have to reinvent the way it's executed in the song....your thoughts mirror others. You and Akron do have a good point about a bridge....before I got all you guys thoughts here, I didn't even think about that possibility, but it's a good idea.Thanks for much for all your input....you produce high caliber music, so I'm always glad for your thoughts!BTW, I owe some folks here a PM, but I'm a bit under the weather today, so I'll return those PM'S ASAP, probably tomorrow. I just want to thank everyone for giving me their opinion today.