Okay, maybe I'm overreacting, Kind of.
But Google delivered a tectonic shift to my whole little Greg World over here. A shock wave of gobsmackable proportions. Maybe I should have seen this coming, but I didn't.
Google emailed me with an offer to try out their new A.I. tool called Gemini Plus 2.5.
So I clicked over there and entered a simple request: a query I was sure would either totally confound the rapacious digital creature, or result in something crazy, goofy, and barely recognizable.
My request:
"Write a song in the style of comedic singer songwriter Greg Tamblyn.”
What came back was frankly unbelievable in its use of story, rhyme, humor, subject matter, even performance suggestions.
If you're interested, here it is, unedited. Even the punctuation is untouched. It's actually a bit long-ish, so reading even just the first verse and chorus is enough to get the feel.
My comments follow the song:
Wi-Fi Tantrums of the Inner Child
(Fingerpicked acoustic guitar intro - something upbeat and a little folky maybe with a hint of bluesy C-G-Am-F progression)
(Verse 1)
I’ve been to the workshops read all the right books
On healing the past and improving my looks.
I’ve journaled my feelings, I’ve hugged a few trees,
Said “thank you” to my broccoli and “bless you” to a sneeze
They say “Get in touch with your small tender part,
That whimsical kid who resides in your heart.”
Well, I’ve dug deep inside past the angst and the shame
And my inner child, folks, he’s surprisingly lame.
(Chorus)
‘Cause my inner child, he doesn’t want hugs or a mystical quest
He doesn’t want healing or to get things off his chest
NO, the world can be ending, the skies can turn black
But my inner child still throws tantrums if the Wi-Fi’s off track!
Yeah that little fella, he’s got one simple plea:
“Just give me four bars of strong Wi-Fi, and then leave me be!”
(Verse 2)
I was trying to stream a guru, a man wise and old
Explaining the secrets the universe holds
The screen started freezing, the wisdom got stuck
My aura went muddy, I was clean out of luck.
I tried mindful breathing, I counted to ten
My adult self said, “Peace now, find calmness within.”
But then from the depths, a small voice full of spite
Screamed, “I wanted enlightenment not this pixelated light!”
(Repeat Chorus)
(Bridge)
My therapist told me, “Embrace his desires!
Give him the play things his spirit requires!”
So I bought him a yo-yo, some blocks, and a kite.
He just stared at my router with all of his might.
He doesn’t want freedom to run and to roam.
Just a stable connection to stream from his home…I mean my home…oh, it gets confusing…
(Verse 3)
I remember real childhood, scraped knees and mud pies,
No thought of a download, no loading screen sighs.
We’d play hide and seek till the street lights came on,
Now he’s hiding the remote and then he’s instantly gone…
Into some cat video or a game review site,
His spiritual needs are surprisingly slight.
As long as that signal is coming in strong
My inner child figures that nothin’ is wrong
(Chorus)
(Outro)
So if you see a grown man, who’s starting to fray,
Whose eyes starts to twitch in a worrying way,
Don’t offer him solace don’t offer him tea…
(Spoken, as it frustrated) j
Just tell me, for the love of Mike, is your guest network free?
(Strums the final slightly exasperated chord)
Seriously what’s the password? My inner child is about to lose it.
(Fade out with a few more light strums)
My Reaction
1. Am I somehow known for songs about the inner child? I never thought so, but google picked up on it somewhere.
2. I've expressed frustration with technology in a couple of songs.
3. Combining these two unrelated themes is actually clever and humorous.
Not something I would have thought to do, or even
followed up on if I did, but still...credit where it's due.
4. Also fairly clever and humorous is the title: “Wi-Fi Tantrums of the Inner Child.”
5. The song does not skimp on content: 3 verses, a bridge, a chorus, even an outro.
6. It's quite visual with plenty of images, which is good songwriting.
7. It tells a story. Also good songwriting.
8. We can all relate to the frustration of bad Wi-Fi, right? Or should I say "overreacting" to bad Wi-Fi?
9. Yes, some of the rhymes are a little cheap and a stretch, and the meter is too crowded in some of the lines. But some of the rhymes are good. Clever even.
10. Is this a good song? Not really, but it's not that far off.
- Should I clean it up, give it a melody?
- If I record it will google want royalties?
- Will they take me to court to get them?
No idea about any of this, but it might be amusing to get it to a performable level, and introduce it onstage as "my co-write with google."
11. Finally, The Main Point!
- Is Artificial Intelligence the new high-tech, supercharged version of the rhyming dictionary?
- Will all songwriters be using these tools now?
- Will every new song you hear be co-written with A.I.?
My bet: Most Likely.
In related news, here is the new sales tagline for my upcoming album:
"All songs composed using 100% Organic Human Intelligence!"
© 2005 Greg Tamblyn