Meyer & McGuire
Songwriter Notes
Song
of the Month #26 - “I Just Try to Move the Chains”
(Track #4 on The
Road Less Traveled CD)
Lyrics: If your web browser does not support
the Flash Player* included with the
Lyrics, or you are uncomfortable allowing/downloading the plug-in/add-on,
you can still listen to this song while you read. Just go to our Downloads
Page and click on the
link, “Buy The Road Less Traveled Songs
from Napster”. Then, click on "I Just Try to Move the Chains." You can listen to it for free (not
available outside the USA).
*Not being a
techie, I use the term “Flash Player” loosely.
For
most of us, when we are young, our plans and goals for life are quite
grandiose. We shoot for the stars, and
we struggle to be the best at whatever it is we decide to pursue. Doctors want to find a cure for cancer. Lawyers want to win the big case against some
corporate monster. Actors seek to win an
Oscar. Athletes strive to be the Most
Valuable Player. Musicians try hard to
win a Grammy. I could keep going here,
but this is more than enough for you to understand my point. Anyway, as we all know, such accomplishments
as the ones mentioned are only reached by a small portion of the
population. Most of us remain quiet
heroes who adjust to achieving small successes as we move through life.
The
quiet heroes are the people we run into every day. They put a cast on a broken arm, help someone
complete a closing on a house, act in a local community play, coach a little
league team, or perform in a local community concert. Their satisfaction comes from the little
goals they reach each day. To use a
football analogy, they are the people who do not throw the long pass for the
touchdown. Instead, they are the ones
who run the ball and move the chains just enough to get the first down. I use this analogy because it is the one that
motivated the writing of “I Just Try to Move the Chains.” Here is how it happened.
In
the early 2000s, Siobhan and I played The Flipside, a little neighborhood bar
in Rochester, NY. We got to know many of
the patrons there because at that time we were playing The Flipside on a
regular basis. One of the more
interesting regulars was a guy named Stu Silver, a writer of movies and TV
sitcoms. Well, over the years, I met
many people who claimed to be writers, but more often than not, they came up a
little short when it came to publishing.
Stu, on the other hand, was a different story. He actually had credentials. Of his many accomplishments, Stu is best
known for Throw Momma from the Train, a hit comedy film in 1987, and Webster,
a popular sitcom that appeared on TV from 1983 to 1989.
During
the time Siobhan and I played The Flipside, Stu and I chatted several times,
and one night, we drifted into a rather long discussion about his career as a
writer. After we sifted through some
rather entertaining anecdotes about his experiences with people like Billy
Crystal and Robin Williams, we got around to talking about the more serious
aspects of his profession. In his
younger days, as with most young aspiring writers in Hollywood, Stu eagerly
competed in the dog-eat-dog, cut-throat world of Tinsel Town. He wanted to score big, and he did everything
he needed to do to reach that goal.
While Stu reached what I consider to be a rather substantial level of
success, like most of us, he himself felt he never quite reached the level of
success he wanted to achieve.
As
Stu’s writing career wore on, he got more and more tired of the fast-pace life
of Hollywood. He kept an apartment
there, and returned to his home town in Rochester to live in a place not very
far from The Flipside. Now, he spends most
of his time in Rochester, only going to LA when it is necessary. He writes twenty pages every day, deals with
other aspects of his writing career, and then goes off to meet with his
friends. He is no longer interested in
throwing the long bomb for the touchdown.
Instead, he just moves the chains a little bit each day.
After
Stu dropped this little football analogy on me, it would not go away. I had heard it many times, but this time its
impact was indelible. For a few days,
the idea rolled around in my mind, and then one day while I was doodling on my
guitar in our practice room, a dining room rarely used for its intended
purpose, the chorus came to me. It
started with rhyming the words “fame” and “chains” with a little melody that
was running through my head. Then, in no
time, the rest of it quickly fell into place.
Having the main idea of the song established in the chorus, it was now
necessary for me to find verses to reinforce it. What emerged for me were some descriptions of
friends of mine who just went out and moved the ball a little bit each
day. Like me, they are folks who are
quite content with just getting to that first-down marker.
“I Just Try to Move the Chains” is pure
Americana. It is an upbeat song bringing
the folk, country, and bluegrass styles together. The song stresses the importance of daily
accomplishments, and it attempts to convince the listener to appreciate his or
her little triumphs. By the request of
many, Siobhan and I recorded this song without the help of any studio
musicians. In addition to our basic
sound of the guitar, harmonica, vocals, and bass, I gave the recording some
depth by dubbing in some additional harmonies, an electric guitar, and blending
harmonicas. Pop this one in your CD
player if you are feeling frustrated from not having reached your dreams. It will get you to concentrate on all the
great little things you are achieving, and I hope it will bring a greater sense
of fulfillment to your life. Hope you have time to check out the song! I like it, and I hope you do, too!
I dedicated this song to all those
who try to achieve a little bit of success each day. If you are wondering if this song is
dedicated to you, here are some questions I have for you regarding determining
success. Are you doing a few things each
day to make yourself fulfilled? Are you
doing a few things each day to make those around you feel good? Are you doing a few things each day to make
this world just a little bit better place to be? If you can answer yes to these questions, you
are “moving the chains,” and I am glad to be able to dedicate this song to you!
This song was inspired by Stu Silver
and Bill Mallwitz. Stu, as I have
already indicated, is a successful screen and TV sitcom writer. However, I was not inspired by his many
accomplishments in the entertainment industry.
Instead, I was motivated by his approach to his craft. He constantly works at becoming a better
writer. He reinforced my belief that,
although our abilities bring us to different levels of outward success, the
potential for inward success is the same for everyone. Whatever it is we do, we all have the
capability to continue trying to do it a little bit better.
Bill Mallwitz, a successful
restaurant owner, has been a friend of mine for over twenty years. His restaurant, Buffalo Bill’s Family
Restaurant and Tap Room, is a little mom and pop operation in Shortsville, New
York. Bill approaches his restaurant business
the same way Stu Silver approaches his writing.
Whether the focus is preparing food or simply customer service, Bill
tries to improve his business a little bit each day. He inspired this song because for years he
and I have been talking about the “moving the chains” philosophy with regards
to the restaurant and music business. My
discussions with Bill planted the seeds for this song a long time ago, and my
visits with Stu brought the song to fruition.
Thanks, Guys!
We recorded this song in 2008 at Rich Cooley Studios,
a little studio in Canandaigua, New York.
Rich Cooley Studios is owned and operated by Rich Cooley, an excellent
singer/songwriter, music teacher, and recording engineer. When you record with Rich, you can always
count on him for a relaxed recording session with a genuine and sincere effort
to produce the best recording possible.
I highly recommend Rich if you are interested in doing some recording on
a small scale level. Rich is most
comfortable when he is recording a solo artist or a duo. Check him out if this is what you need!
Well, there you have it. I’ll have another song of the month for you
next month. If you have any comments or
suggestions, please pass them on to me.
This is a work in progress, and I am always looking for new ways to
improve it.
(E-Mailed 5/18/09)
E-mail us at McRiley@Frontiernet.net