Johannes Schult

This little tune was written and recorded at an unlikely location: the camping ground of this year’s Headbangers Open Air. I had planned to record more tracks back home. But once I had come up with the melody I liked the sparse sound of the glockenspiel. I recorded the song with my digicam inside the car. I had to close the windows because the first band of the day was already on stage, thrashing away. It got quite hot. So for me it’s surprising how the track sounds nothing like the circumstances under which it came into being.

#33 Regentropfen im Nordwind

This is a song about F-sharp minor (as seen in Hank’s video around 2:25). If you don’t know who Hank Green is, check out his music at DFTBA Records.

“Hank Green Learned a New Chord” is yet another example for songs I hadn’t written without the 52-second constraint (and the need for brief song lyrics associated with it). Once again I had to record everything with my digicam, hence the bad sound. On the bright sight, you can watch me playing/recording the song.

#32 Hank Green Learned a New Chord

It was Wednesday the 21st
Hank played a tune on his guitar
There on the vlogbrothers channel
I almost couldn’t believe what I saw
It was like an epiphany
Though the part was rather short
It was plain for all to see
Hank Green learned a new chord

Until that day I had always thought
That Hank was a Horcrux of punk
A way to keep the lore of the three chord songs
Safe from boy-groups and funk
It was like an epiphany
Though the part was rather short
It was plain for all to see
Hank Green learned a new chord

Is he about to make the transition from wizard rock
To Slytherin Jazz for the Dark Lord?
Hank Green learned a new chord

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This is the result of my overexposure to Star Wars. In a post-“Return of the Jedi” world I can imagine guided tourist tours over the Endor battlefield. Who needs Gettysburg when you can stroll through the ruins of the shield generator? Speeder bikes available for extra charge. Yet, given the vast green forests on Endor it must be raining rather often.

The lyrical idea and the main melody lay around for a while until I figured I’d use my digicam to capture me recording the individual parts. I completed the lyrics in a hurry, scrapping my otherwise favourite line “Like a rainy day on Endor with no fur to keep you warm”. The audio tracks are actually those from the camera, so please excuse the crappy quality. You can see excerpts from all five tracks in the video.

#31 Rainy Day

Now I’ve finally reached my aim
But it really ain’t the same
Without you by my side
Feels like a rainy day on Endor
Feels like a rainy day on Endor

I can’t enjoy my victory
Because I was too blind to see
Just what you meant to me
Feels like a rainy day on Endor
Feels like a rainy day on Endor

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This song is rather weird.

#30 Der Speckgürtel von Paderborn

Ein schwarzer VW-Bus hielt vor meinem Haus
Und eh ich mich versah, stiegen schwarze Leute aus
Der erste Vermummte hatte ein Gewehr
Er legte an und schoss und mein Körper wurde schwer
Getroffen!

Der zweite Vermummte griff nach meinem Bein
Und zu zweit hievten sie mich dann in den Bus hinein
Ich verlor das Bewusstsein wie in einem schlechten Traum
Und ich wachte wieder auf in einem fensterlosen Raum
Gefangen!

Dann kam ein Mann im weißen Kittel mit Blutflecken drauf
Er zerrte mich nach nebenan; ich stolperte im Lauf
Ich kann nur schwer beschreiben, was daraufhin geschah
Man zwickte und massierte mich und spielte danach Skat

Man schnürte mich auf Rollschuh und man drehte mich im Kreis
Man kniff mich in mein Ohrläppchen und fragte, wie ich heiß
So ging das viele Stunden und ich war total verwirrt
Ich konnte nicht entfliehen; ich war allein und sie zu viert
Gefangen!

Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, doch plötzlich war es aus
Und müde lag ich auf dem Rasen hier vor meinem Haus
Ich zitterte und fror und meine Kehle brannte
Und dann fiel mir wieder ein, wie der Ort sich nannte
Speckgürtel von Paderborn!

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This is the last song I recorded on my old computer. I wanted to approach the 52 seconds of music without a regular song structure in mind. I combined various parts and slowly the track grew into what you hear now. The lyrics had no meaning at first but after tweaking a few lines a vague situation came to life. I also recorded a quick video of me playing the song.

#29 Your Smile

You said goodbye with a hint of regret in your smile
And finally I see that I am free
Because what you meant to me
Won’t bother me no more
It’s all I had in store
And the times we spent
Trying to meet ends meet
It feels so obsolete
And I bleed
I wonder why I liked your smile
Your smile
Your smile

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This is the backup song I had kept in case I couldn’t come up with a new song one week. Sadly, the computer I use for recording my music died (after almost ten years of use). So here is “Badreligion”. I had written the lyrics back in the 90s for the punk band I was in at that time. I don’t know if we ever came up with any music back then. Then in 2008 I resurrected the lyrics and wrote a quick punk rock song around them. I recorded the song along with “ANOVA”, “Proof of God” and “My Next Favourite Actress” on 8th-9th August 2008. I had to cut of the first two counts at the beginning to make it 52 seconds long.

#28 Badreligion

Seife ist das Manna
Duschgel die Pastille
Seifenschaum die Bibel
Das ist Gottes Wille
Wir sind die Jünger der Badreligion
Das Freibad ist der Himmel und Neptun Gottes Sohn

Quellen sind wie Kirchen
Wüsten wie die Hölle
Baden ohne Ende
Das ist Gottes Wille
Wir sind die Jünger der Badreligion
Das Freibad ist der Himmel und Neptun Gottes Sohn
Wir sind die Jünger der Badreligion
Das Freibad ist der Himmel und Neptun Gottes Sohn

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This is clearly a homage to Mike Oldfield. I started out with the 7/4 measure and the melody on acoustic guitar. It’s not really a melody, just four notes. Then I added several layers of acoustic and electric guitar loops. I also included a few melody lines that are not completely repetitive. Finally, I experimented with keyboard sounds. Only here did the opening keyboard line in 7/8 materialize.

#27 Loop Pool

This song is somewhat redundant. I mean, it’s about music I think is pretty redundant. I should rather sing about love, peace and understanding, I guess. But hey, it’s just a 52-second song! No big deal. At first, the lyrics were about politicians. But they don’t deserve such a generalization in my opinion. Fortunately, I started composing my songs at least one day before I record them. So I can still make changes and adjust whatever didn’t work out the first time around.

PS: Look, I made a video to this song!

PPS: Look, I also made a video for last week’s song, “Laundry Day”!

PPPS: I’m actually halfway through this endeavour, hooray! Only 26 more songs left to create.

#26 Department of Redundancy Department

When I turn on the radio
When I turn on the TV
The singers from all those casting shows
Are all I see
Send them to the department of redundancy department
Send them to the department of redundancy department

It was boring the first time around
And it didn’t get better
The plastic faces with their prefab sound
They get more all the time yet they all sound the same
Send them to the department of redundancy department
Send them there or shoot them to the moon

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This is possibly the first song in music history that’s sung from the perspective of a happy washing machine. I’m planning on making a video to illustrate the various actions described in the lyrics. I just have to wait until the next laundry day. It’s six days later: the video is finished and my laundry is clean!

The music was heavily inspired by Irish folk songs. I really like the first chorus. I wish I could have used it more often in the song. But the narrative demanded an ongoing flow and the time limit prevented me from a more traditional verse-refrain arrangement. By the way, the tin whistle in the beginning is a real one.

#25 Laundry Day

I woke up to the sound of coins and got myself a drink
Got ready for the 40 degrees the afternoon would bring
A line of that white powder is all I really need
Now I can feel the power that brings me up to speed

So up and down and around it goes
The red and the blue and the white
So in and out the water flows
And it makes me feel all right

Hooray! Hooray! It’s laundry day
I’m going round in circles
You can feel my bottom rock
I’m going to eat that sock
I’m feeling drunk as I’m tumbling away

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

This happened by accident. I was in the middle of recording another track, when I dropped my pick. Said track was giving me headaches so I spontaneously decided to leave the pick lying on the ground and start a new song from scratch. Given the situation I pretended to be Mark Knopfler and assembled this little rock and roll ditty.

#24 Lost My Pick in the Prairie