The Song Fight Bulletin Board

The Last Good Year
Due: Thursday, 12/15/22 9:59am PST
optional challenge: Close harmony
yourbandname_lgy.mp3 sent to fightmaster@songfight.org
Subject: The Last Good Year
Body: (your band name)

I went to OpenAI to try their new chatGPT tool and just for giggles the first prompt I tried was "Write sad and wistful lyrics for a popular song called "The Last Good Year" with lots of internal rhymes and a couplet structure."

Here's what it wrote for me:

Verse 1:
When I look back on my life and all that I've done
I remember the days when I had just begun
When I was young and wild and free in the sun
Those days have gone, and I see they were the last good year

Chorus:
The last good year, when I felt no fear
The last good year, when the future was so clear
The last good year, when I had no tears
Those days have gone, and I see they were the last good year

Verse 2:
The days I spent with friends and laughter and cheer
The sky was blue and the days seemed so near
The future was bright and I knew I had no fear
Those days have gone, and I see they were the last good year

Chorus:
The last good year, when I felt no fear
The last good year, when the future was so clear
The last good year, when I had no tears
Those days have gone, and I see they were the last good year

My next prompt was "Write a review of a good but amateurish song called "The Last Good Year" that you found catchy but maybe a little too trite and cliche."

It wrote:

I recently heard a song called "The Last Good Year" and it was pretty catchy, but also a bit too cliche. The lyrics were a bit too trite and unoriginal, but I found myself humming along anyway. The song isn't particularly complex and the production is amateurish, but there's a certain charm to it that I couldn't help but appreciate. The chorus is especially memorable and the singer's voice is pleasant. While the song isn't particularly groundbreaking or innovative, I can see myself listening to it on repeat for a while.

I fear Trurl and Klapaucius are about end the universe as we know it.

Welp, no reason to write reviews anymore.

I think the AI could use some work... I don't like how the Verse & Chorus are so similar...

Taking a break from my last paper of the semester. I'm in with a lovely little song about pestilence and death.

Pigfarmer Jr wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 08, 2022 8:17 pm

Taking a break from my last paper of the semester. I'm in with a lovely little song about pestilence and death.

1348 was the last good year.

dirgetheband wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 10, 2022 9:40 am

Pigfarmer Jr wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 08, 2022 8:17 pm

Taking a break from my last paper of the semester. I'm in with a lovely little song about pestilence and death.

1348 was the last good year.

I actually used 535 but we're on the same track.

Edit to add this news story as to why I chose this particular year: The Last Good Year

Also, anyone writing this from the perspective of being down to their last radial?

I have travel plans before the deadline, which means this was a terrible time to suddenly be inspired, but a whole song came to me today. I posted the lyrics; now let's just see if I can get the recording done in time.

JonPorobil wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 11, 2022 10:41 am

I posted the lyrics.

Amazing how well they work from the perspective of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath

Wow, the lyrics for Piggie and JP are simply wonderful. I eagerly await you tunes. My words are boring but I really like the song; go figure.

dirgetheband wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 11, 2022 8:40 pm

Wow, the lyrics for Piggie and JP are simply wonderful. I eagerly await you tunes. My words are boring but I really like the song; go figure.

Thank you so much for saying so!

I sure would have liked a few more days to polish this, but my flight takes off in two hours, so my song is submitted as is. I think it turned out pretty well considering the time constraint. We'll see how it fares.

See you all in the fight!

dirgetheband wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 11, 2022 7:43 am

Also, anyone writing this from the perspective of being down to their last radial?

Almost. It's threatening to be a half-hour dystopian rock opera. Heavy use of metaphor and scene selection should limit it... to less than ten minutes.

I'm in with harmonies, but how close they are is a different matter

WreckdoM is in with something to evoke memories of other timelines.

Well kids, it's that time of year again, and I have to get the accordion out of its coffin for its annual stretch.

Sadly, due to time constrains I was not able to do better vocals than my original guide track, and the close harmonies don't start until the last quarter of the track. Which is a shame because I really like the song.

Thematically, I've read two (horror) novels in a row that take place in the desert (Mary and Sundial), and that abject, barren wasteland is only a couple hours away... so that's clearly been on my mind.

In with a won't win any new fans of my vocal stylings-er.

hoodmo is in with a quiet take on the complexities of updated history.

MellyP wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 16, 2022 7:42 am

hoodmo is in with a quiet take on the complexities of updated history.

That's an interesting lyric. I'm looking forward to listening.

Hope the music doesn't disappoint. I can't wait to hear about the world's official last good year (your tune) as well.