Travis Conrad

The eleventh song of the musical is now finished! And what an emotional ride it’s been (musical speaking anyway). The song’s called Guys Always Disappoint: The Plan, and it involves Kim, Justin and Natalie plotting a way to break up Cam and his new girl, as well as them just ranting about guys in general. It’s a very busy song, and it has to be since it’s so far into the musical.

The songs that make up the middle chunk of the musical (After Dinner with Kim, After Dinner with Cam, Charlotte’s Monologue and So Much) are mostly slower songs, especially So Much, and while slow songs are important, too many of them can make a musical seem to drag on. Now that we’re in the second half of the musical, shit is hitting the fan and the audience needs to get stimulated with punchy melodies and exciting tempos.

The pattern in the first bar below (Quarter note/Eighth note/Quarter note/Eighth note/Quarter note) is repeated throughout the song, and if you can pick it out, you’ll see how it has an exciting effect to it. Also, if you notice the bass notes in the third bar, they follow the same pattern (Quarter/Eighth/Quarter/Eighth/Quarter). The punchiness of it is just freakin’ awesome and I’m thrilled with how I wove it in throughout the song.

Tempo and Melody example. Note the staccato used for extra punchiness

Another thing I should note about this song is the segment about three quarters in. I switched the playback instrument to a celesta to help me visualize (figuratively, of course) the sound better. I wanted that part to have a sinister yet haunting feel to it, something I couldn’t manage quite right with just a piano. Kim is pissed to the high hells and she’s not fooling around here, and I imagined her as like a witch in the forest. She’s planning revenge on the obstacles in her path, the key word here being planning. That’s one of Kim’s defining features, her ability to plan and problem solve, and this part of the song is meant to show how serious she takes the whole thing. Sure sometimes her foresight is utter shit, but her planning skills are always top notch. She knows what she wants and she plans a way to get it, that’s what Kim does, that’s who she is, and that’s why the celesta part works so well, because it’s so serious and dark that you know she’s not messing around.

I’m pretty pleased with the lyrics here. There’s one line I still need to rephrase, but other than that  I think most lines are bang on. The great thing about collaborating with someone is you get a second opinion, and you know it’s going to be earnest. Sean (the playwright) wants this to succeed as much as I do, and so I know he’s not going to sugar-coat his constructive criticisms like friends would, just like I in turn did with the script. He pointed out the line that I’m going to rephrase because he said it was confusing/unclear, and after a strenuous amount of effort on both our parts I came to understand what he meant. The outcome: a better song.

11. Guys Always Disappoint: The Plan

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Kim:

I’ve tried lying. And persuasion. I even tried TRUTH on a desperate occasion.
I’m not just gonna sit here and daunt.
I’m Kimberly Young and I get what I want!

Justin and Natalie:

What’s the plan Kim? What’s the plan?
How are you gonna get back your man?

Kim:

She doesn’t know who she’s messin’ with so I’ll have to teach her a lesson.
And keep her guessin’.
She doesn’t know the one thing you can count on men to do.

Send me your feedback if you love me! Gotta go! Desperate Housewives is on.

-Travis Conrad