Power Out Another Hour, another pandemic song

As much as I mentally resist writing songs about the pandemic experience, this one just happened. It’s a true story, and thankfully it is not the really heartbreaking song that may still occur, that already has for so many.

I’m not going to defend my off key singing and unclear diction. I think that could be much improved. But like many an old white guy, I have a compunction to write reggae songs, and this is one of them. I always feel as if it the same regurgitated song I come up with, partly because I think I am reformulating some idealized reggae in my brain, but oh well, that’s how all new music is in most respects, isn’t it? The question is is it enjoyable? Can it maintain your interest to the end? Does it somehow manage to stand out as its own original song? I don’t know.

There’s a lot of wordplay, and in the story I hope I touch on some bigger ideas.

Power Out Another Hour by Steve Bancroft

Just a Tuesday afternoon and we’re home self isolating
I am in the bathroom and you’re in the kitchen baking
It’s our daughter’s birthday and her cake was in the oven
When with a flicker I’m sitting in the dark all of a sudden

I hear you shouting through the door in total consternation
So I know the lights went out in the house and I feel your exasperation
She couldn’t have a party and we sympathized with her frustration
Even though it was the same for all throughout the nation

So you report our outage immediately to the power company
And we wait for them to text you back with good news hopefully
The oven doesn’t heat up when there’s no electricity
So we sit there doing nothing waiting powerlessly

And they text you back in no time flat, before we’re even bored
The estimated time when our service will be restored
Only 200 houses are out they say, we should be up by five o’clock
And so the cake half baked can only wait, postponed by an act of god

Meanwhile I pass the time on my laptop writing a song on battery power
Until I calculate the wait’s nearly over, the power will be out another hour
The power out another hour
Power out another hour

Sometimes it’s not that you’re so inspired as much as having nothing else to do
You’re just fooling around with the only game in town and hoping something comes to you
It isn’t a recommended recipe for inspiration much like the cake in the oven that won’t bake
But I begin to believe I’m getting somewhere when without warning the screen goes black

Now the wait is nearly over, our return to normality is on the brink
When you get another update that says 7 o’clock and now it’s later than we think
Too late for the cake and the meal you had planned, and so we just go with the flow
So I pick up my phone and order pizza, wings and brownies for delivery by Domino’s

And everybody’s happy, it’s pizza after all, no way emotions can turn sour
And it arrives with contactless delivery by a driver in PPE with the power out another hour
Power out another hour
Ooooh

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For a reggae style, maybe a bit stronger downbeat and emphasis on rhythm IMO. Sharper transients on drums and bass, maybe even acoustic guitar. I do like the flowing feel to this, but maybe alternate the rhythm in different sections for more variation in the song.

Now that’s what I call dedication to your craft! :slightly_smiling_face:

A shorter version of this song could make a compelling advertisement. :money_mouth_face: The Power Outage Blues and the Salami Savior. :joy:

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A day in the life of the hopeful survivor. You documented the situation well. The mix is messy but moves along ok. You normally sing pretty spot on, but this one is a little pitchy. No big deal Hope the pizza was as good as it sounded. Not watt you wanted though.

Any outlet that can be a transformer of hunger to satiation is likely to create a surge of excitement. :wink:

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ahhh, ?? Can you one up a friend? Yes you conduit without causing sparks to fly.

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My current strategy is grounding myself with a sense of power over the situation and insulation from stress. And also meditating and chanting Ohm. You have to know when to pull the plug and recharge.

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Ok, so you so are winning this little duel:) I think you might consider writing lyrics with that quick mind of yours. I think tapping into that would be electrifying. Might even give you a sense of power? Sit back in your armature and write some lyrics with an AC-DC vibe.

Steban… I am so sorry for hijacking your thread. Feel free to reciprocate.

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I love AC/DC. Their album Powerage is one of my favorite, also the songs Rising Power and Flick Of The Switch. :slightly_smiling_face: I always love seeing all their amps and cables on stage. While we’re on the subject of music and electricity, Metallica’s Ride The Lightning is another good one. That’s a lot of voltage. Of course, KISS and Ace Frehley did Shock Me. Just thinking about this is enough to trip my breaker and make me blow a fuse.

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Oh crap I have turned tail and run. BUT I will be back with some static for you…

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I was lucky, I was having a good day, I was wired, apparently. My generator was hitting on all cylinders. We’ll see tomorrow, who knows, I may have a blackout.

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I heard they are messing with the idea of electing a robot for the next president. I have seen the campain signs " Elect Tron" ! I also did hear that most on the left like his clone brother and they are leaning more “pro Ton”………For longevity, it would make sense cuz they both would die ode

Well, I again sang it at low volume with my wife working in the other room, and it is rare I can sing it on key while I am basically making it up as I go! But thanks for the listen, guys. It was not a powerful performance, to be sure.

But I wrote yet another song today, inspired by your My Bell song, Paul. Again, the vocals are not great, but I’m gonna share it anyway because I basically like it.

Stefan,
Thank you for the reviews! Now your song (that has gone viral?): everything instrumentally sounds very pleasant and relaxing for me, for the first couple of minutes. Might be timing issues with the bridge (around -2:40). The rest of the instrumental is fine. This is classic Steban in regard to having a lot of patience to write a lot of lyrics that actually rhyme! The lyrics are often amusing. Can you do automated volume, where you quickly fade in and out volume on the vocals to eliminate background noises (or cut out little pieces of audio)? Just a thought. Audio quality is pretty good otherwise. Overall, I found the song entertaining. Keep at it y’all! :slight_smile: