Bruce Banner #3, rock

Bash This Recording
#1

I just have to share this. Used Addictive Drums for the first time, but probably the hard way. Rendered an audio loop and used it rather than straight midi.

No matter, this is even simpler than the Quiet Life song, although this one seems to crave a full blown rendition ( @StylesBitchley @ColdRoomStudio @aaron_aardvark @Stan_Halen ?) if anyone is interested. I just can’t rock as hard as so many here!

Bruce Banner #3 by Steve Bancroft

He gets really green when he gets really pissed
And big as an ox and strong as a kiss
You better not be nowhere around
He’ll pick you up and throw you upside down

You might get lucky and not be dead
Just a few broken bones and a crack to your head
Whatever you do don’t make him any madder
For that will surely only make it much badder

You might wonder just what is the matter
Well this is the story of Bruce Banner

He was such a brilliant young scientist
Embarked on a career as a nuclear physicist
Engaged to be married to the general’s daughter
He carried in his pocket the ring he just bought her

He was down in the lab just another normal day
When the accident occurred that should have blown him away
Explosion of an experimental bomb what can I say
Exposed him to a massive burst of gamma rays

A trillion times more powerful than a cat scanner
Mutating the DNA of Bruce Banner

So stay far away until he calms down
Only then is he safe to be around
When he reverts to his usual physique
And loses any trace of his monster mystique

He’s not a bad guy, just a flawed superhero
And may save the world when our chances are zero
Now they call him the Hulk when he’s big and green
And made him an Avenger, hot on the scene

And he will try to help if he can in some manner
By turning into the Hulk from the mild Bruce Banner

Bruce Banner, Bruce Banner
Did you check your day planner
Did you run off and sulk
Or turn into the Hulk
Can you ever rest
Feel peacefully blessed
Like a pot in a planter
Bruce Banner, Bruce Banner
Bruce Banner

4 Likes
#2

Hi @steban ,
Another gem of a song.
The instrumentation is pretty cool.
Great story, you are a storyteller, my friend!!!
Thanks for sharing this beauty.
Rene

#3

Haha, a great idea, Steve… I like it… it made me smile

I like the basic rhythmic/riff premise, but I think the chorus needs to be more melodic - tension and release - this is all tension and no release… Much like Bruce’s life would be if he never actually turned into the Hulk!

“Bruce Banner” needs to be a catchy, melodic hook, and it needs some flow and groove to release us from the staccato repetition of the verse

It’s also far too wordy. Find out how you can say more with less. Find your best phrases and stick to those. Chuck the rest.

It’s admirable that you’ve tried to tell the whole backstory, but it’s resulted in some truly forced rhymes which made me cringe a bit…Plus, everybody knows the backstory of the Hulk anyway… Get to the point of the song - the POV you’re trying to convey by the story… Is it that he can only do good by being bad?.. I don’t know, and I want too…

If you want to write a rock song, I’d suggest taking a little of Iggy Pop’s advice: “25 words or less”

I think it’s a cool idea and a good base to work from… now comes the craft part - pare it back to the essentials, I say!

#4

Thank you for reviewing my music! Now listening to your song: I’m glad you typed out the lyrics, because the lyrics are very amusing to me! The way you recorded your vocals (which as usual reminded me of Roger Waters) turned out really good! It sounds like separately recorded harmony vocals, which I can’t always do decently; I usually can’t. I would say that process would be worth doing again in the future for sure! The rhythm guitar (whether it’s sampled or not) might be a little loud, but works quite well. I think that was one of your most entertaining songs, very good overall! :slight_smile:

#5

Lots of ideas in there for where the story is going. I agree with Andrew (who woulda thunk it) that it could be pared down a bit.
I’m thinking you could take the line:
Bruce Banner, Bruce Banner
Did you check your day planner

and turn that into a repeating chorus. Then, the story could focus on him doing mundane things before blowing up into the Hulk.
For example:

He’s enjoying himself at the local diner
Tuna on wheat, nothing could be finer
But something goes wrong on the global scene
And buttons will be popping as his skin turns green
Bruce Banner, Bruce Banner
Did you check your day planner
You always lose your temper in some manner
And you tear out another page

In other words, make the story about situations where he’s minding his own business and suddenly becomes The Hulk, rather than a long backstory. The first verse would be him checking his clipboard and getting blasted by Gamma rays, then build from there, if that makes sense at all.

1 Like
#6

I can see that, Andrew, in a bigger arrangement.

That would be cool!

I don’t know about that. I think if one wanted to make it a 5 minute rock song, not just a 3 minute pop song, you might need even more words as Bob suggested. Then you have room for a lead guitar solo, and the idea there should be a mellow side reflecting Bruce and a hard side for the Hulk like musical themes. Not to say a lyric edit is not in order, I was going for pretty corny but creative rhymes like cat scanner.and dayplanner.

#7

IMO you should focus on the two themes you suggested, but really narrow down the scope of the story. The rhymes are fun and evocative, but each one is almost enough to develop a story around. Pick the ones you really feel propel the story and tie them together.
Bruce Banner, CAT Scanner, Dayplanner =
Banner’s life is completely unpredictable since he was hit with radiation far beyond the power of a CAT scan.
The trick is to turn that statement into a verse with cadence that sums it all up with the brevity of a haiku, which is very challenging.

1 Like
#8

That’s a good verse, Bob, for a 5 minute rock version! And adding a repeating chorus. Actually, dudes, if you wanted to do a version, I wouldn’t try to tell you what to do. You two have a musical connectivity and could probably come together on an arrangement we all would love semi automatically.

I’m getting better at singing tighter in harmony, and at using stretch markers in Reaper, Aaron!

The song title is an inside joke, but it was fun to write a Hulk song ala Spider-Man Ramones song. I really can imagine totally different versions of this song because it is a naturally light-hearted topic, although I think most people don’t know who Bruce Banner is without context. I do, but I’m a fan of all the superhero comic book movies sci-fi fantasy pop culture stuff. That’s why I didn’t want to directly mention the Hulk until mid song.

I was trying out the UJAM Carbon with Addictive Drums, Waves Bass Slapper and Addictive Keys. The specific groove was somewhat serendipitous as well as the arrangement, but it seemed to work for my lyrics!