Summer Is Gone

 

I started to think about the idea of putting a band together to play songs from the first two albums live. Songs like Estelle, Stand My Ground, Save Me Now, No More to name a few were ideal, but some of the other tracks with big arrangements, not so much.

To this end, I intentionally started to write some simpler guitar based songs which could easily be replicated live. Summer is Gone was the first of these.

Unusually for me, this song has only three chords. I feel that it only needs the three chords and there is enough in the dynamics of the arrangement to keep the listeners interested.

The ‘Summer’ concept is of course a metaphor for the intensity and whirlwind that happens at the very start of a new relationship. It can never be like that forever, but that’s ok.

I started writing and recording this song in about August 2023. Having recently worked with the incredibly talented drummer Steve Dutton, I asked him if he could play live drums on the track. He very kindly agreed, and once I had his parts loaded into the project, I very quickly recorded the rest of the instruments and vocals.

As I learn more about the craft of song writing, for songs like this I feel it is important to get to a hook as soon as possible. This is why before the singing starts in verse one, there is a little guitar hook. I also feel it is important to have dynamics. Starts, stops, accents etc.

So this song is not complex, long, ground-breaking or clever, but I think it fulfils the brief of being a good live song which would hopefully, get the audience on their feet.

All the links

The First Hello

“I remember, oh so long ago. You had me at the first hello”.

This had to be the first song on the album just for that line alone.

There is quite a story to how this was written, as it started out completely different.

About a year ago I was in the mood to record some original music, but at the time I had a bad cold and could not sing a note. So I decided to set myself a challenge and try to write a classical piano instrumental. I ended up recording two pieces. The first is called ‘Song For the Lost’, which I was so very proud of.

The second is called ‘My New Sky’. Not for any other reason that I liked this as a title. There were no words because as I said before, these were to be instrumental tracks.

A few months later, I was listening back to My New Sky and I wondered if I could turn it into a song as I felt the melody was quite strong. So I set about writing some lyrics and recorded a lead vocal to a simplified piano backing track. 

I felt that it sounded quite special, almost operatic. However, it was not a ‘Nick Ryder’ song and I could not imagine it fitting alongside what I would normally write. Maybe one for a different project one day..

A few more months later I had come up with a song idea, and needed some lyrics. After a couple of days struggling to come up with anything, I remembered My New Sky and realised that most of the words to that song fit perfectly for this new song. And just like that, The First Hello was complete.

I wanted the chorus to be big, loud, simple and catchy because I was thinking of a live performance whilst I was writing this (and indeed the whole album). 

I was also thinking about the very first time I met my wife, Gemma. I can honestly say that on that night, she did indeed have me at the first hello. 

More often than not, once you come up with a story of what a song is about, it can end up writing itself, and this is certainly what happened here.

So there you go. If you’re still reading then I applaud you!!

All the links

Photography by Steve Dutton

Do You Know?

Do You Know was written in one one hour session on a Thursday afternoon in July 2024. On very rare occasions, songs happen like this. They appear from nowhere and seem to write themselves. Its almost as if they already existed. A very similar thing happened with Most of the Time which Georgia Batterley ended up recording for her The Georgia Project album.

What made this even more remarkable was that I also had the arrangement in my head, right down to the drum breaks and offset guitar lines. Could I get this recorded on the same day?

Obviously.

Once I had worked out what key it needed to be in, I opened up a new Logic session and set the structure markers. I then programmed some basic drums followed by bass guitar, acoustic guitars, electric guitars and a piano. I would normally record a guide vocal for reference but as I felt in decent form, I recorded what would be the final vocal take.

I did a quick mix and sent it to Steve Dutton. He said that he liked it so I asked him if he fancied recording real drums for it. I didn’t need to ask him as he already assumed that would be his next job.

Steve is brilliant. He instinctively seems to know what is in my head and then plays it but with added energy and spark. A good drum performance can make all the difference in a song.

Once he’d sent me the drums, all it needed were the finishing touches. A lead guitar part and some backing vocals. The original lead guitar section was twice as long, but listening back I decided it was too long, so I cut half of it out. The right decision 

I sent the stems to Brad Mott who I had used to mix the Anyway album. I told him that ideally, I wanted to get this released within a week of actually writing the song. Brad did not disappoint.

Bearing in mind I wrote the song on Thursday, it was now Saturday and all of this has happened in two days. I was speaking to Steve on the phone and asked if I could film him playing drums to it for a potential music video. He was free the day after so I went down. And we ended up shooting a whole music video’s worth of footage.

I started editing the footage on Monday, Brad sent the final mix on Tuesday and the mastered version was with me on Wednesday. 

The music video was uploaded to YouTube and the song was submitted for release as a single to all the streaming platforms on Thursday just one week after it was written.

I posted a link to it for review on a song writing forum, and got back some amazing feedback. Paul, a fellow songwriter and member of the forum wrote “To me, it's a perfect piece of pop music and I really love it.” and continued “I don't think I've ever heard a better pop song here. This takes the biscuit...there are hundreds of bands/musicians/singers that have hit the big time and never written anything as good as this.”

High praise indeed.

Photography by Kevin S Petch

Interview

Respected music journalist and published author of the book George Harrison in the 1970s , Eoghan Lyng, sent over a series of interview questions recently to find out more about Nick's writing process, influences and ambitions.

*How does your writing process work: words first, music first, or both at the same time?

I have no formula for writing songs and I do not believe there is a right or wrong way. What I can tell you is that I never sit down to, or set time aside to write a song. More often than not, song idea’s pop into my head at random and inconvenient times. I could be walking the dog, in a supermarket or half asleep in bed.

And when I say ‘song ideas’, that could be a melody, a lyric idea or in some cases, a new section for another song in development. The trick is to make a note of them, and or record them into your phone. I’ve had some very strange looks from people as I’ve been singing into my phone at Sainsbury’s (other supermarkets are available).

Songs rarely happen all at once, and most can take days, weeks, months or even years to develop before they’re ready to be released. I firmly believe that songwriting should never be rushed or forced, because if it is, the song ends up sounding rushed and forced.

*How old were you when you wrote your first song, and has your perspective changed over the years?

I was thirteen when I got my first guitar. The reason for getting a guitar was because I wanted to be a Beatle. I was their biggest fan and I listened to their albums obsessively. As soon as I’d learnt three chords (A, D and E), I wrote my very first song.

I remember writing about ten songs in the first two weeks and then when I started to learn more chords, I really started motoring.

I’ve obviously matured and learnt so much since then, but one thing that hasn’t changed is a desire to write a good melody as I believe melody is key. I believe that a good song will still sound good whether it is played on an acoustic guitar or with a full arrangement.

*Do you consider yourself a pianist or a guitarist? Which is the hardest instrument to muster?

Neither and both, and a few more. I consider myself to be of an average standard at most instruments. I love playing piano, guitar and especially the ukulele. And what is interesting is that I write different songs on each instrument.

Strange as it seems, writing on the ukulele produces more musically complex songs, as even though it only has four strings, many of the easiest chords to play are jazz chords, which means that when writing you tend to use those more than standard chords.

*Are your influences predominantly British a la Lennon, Bowie etc?

Yes, I would say so. Obviously The Beatles were my biggest influence and I think to some degree, if they were a writers only influence then that would be enough as you cannot get better in terms of songwriting.

But then you have the almost poetic lyrics of Elvis Costello, the pure out and out melody of Jeff Lynne, the darkness of Roger Waters and the energy of Britpop in the 90’s.

Don’t get me wrong, I think of bands like Jellyfish from the US who should have been one of the biggest bands in the world if they hadn’t ended prematurely.

I’m not even touching the surface of what is a massive subject here but in short, I tend to lean towards British songwriters.

*How many takes do the vocals normally require?

Well, I have learnt that if you do an hour of vocal exercises before recording a vocal, it is so much easier and quicker to get a good take. I usually record four or five takes and then comp the best bits of each one to make one good take that I am happy with.

*What is the most satisfying part of studio work: recording or mixing?

I do not mix. Mixing is such a dark art that is developed over years. So instead of trying to learn myself (and this eating into creative time), I leave the mixing process to other far more talented people than I!

*Going back to Lennon, the Beatle rhythm guitarist evidently preferred the studio to the stage. What is your opinion on studio v stage?

There is nothing more satisfying than hearing the final mix of a song you have written and worked hard to record.

Also, there is nothing more satisfying than standing on stage and playing to an amazing audience.

So it’s hard to choose really. Both are great and very rewarding in different ways.

*There's something cinematic about your work; would you consider writing a soundtrack?

Absolutely. In fact I have already written and released two classical piano pieces which could be used as film music in their own right. Scoring strings is something I really enjoy and seem to be able to do quite easily, so if an offer came my way then I’d be really up for it.

*Is it fair to describe your most recent work as a concept album as such?

There is a running theme running throughout a lot of the songs, but that is only in my head. I’m not sure what the listener would think. By the time it gets to This Is Not a test (the penultimate track) then there’s clearly something going on here, but its not something I plan to reveal at the moment. I think the final song, My Love rounds off the album nicely. Could there be a clue there?

*Are you working on another project?

I never stop as I enjoy it too much. I have been writing for another artist recently on a project that I am not producing, so it will be fascinating to see how others interpret my songs.

I would love to work with and produce other artists, especially younger people with real talent. I loved working on the Georgia Project (released in December 2023) and would like to do more of this kind of work.

Other than that, I’m sure there will be plenty of new music around the corner.

Photography by Kevin S Petch