So I was going to tell you about the writing of this song, and I went down a rabbit hole, which brought me back to the book I’ve been writing. I thought about sharing the excerpt, but out of context it was just a jumble of questions referencing discussions that I haven’t shared with you. So instead, I’m going to give you the abbreviated story of the song, and share with you an AI analysis of the song, which will allow you to formulate your own opinions about whether AI is going to kill us all.
First the short version: I was living in my friend Wes Ramsey’s apartment in Hell’s Kitchen after a painful break-up. I was there for over a month- so lucky that Wes didn’t need the space at that moment in time. I wrote quite a bit while I was there. I wrote a full length play, an epic poem and several songs. Like this one.
There was something about the mood of Hell’s Kitchen that night, that put me in the mind of being in a pulp detective novel. I think I had recently watched a movie about a serial killer, that left me feeling dark and disconnected. Full disclosure: before breaking up with me, my ex had found somebody else, and in my mind, he was dangerous. He’d certainly wrecked my life, but I gradually came to identify him with the killer stalking our streets.
I thought the song was unfinished because it didn’t have a third verse. I don’t know why, but I used to feel that longer songs were more important. Dylan wrote some epics. I now know that’s not true. I’ve noticed that I’ve written a number of short songs too. It takes all kinds. I recorded this with the help of Small Batch Brass- a Louisville-based horn section that was worth every penny. I hope I have an occasion to play with them live.
At any rate, one of the challenges with marketing your music, is you have to tell the algorithm who you sound like, what genre you fit in, and the mood of the song. I honestly have no idea how to answer this stuff, so I went to cyanite.ai to see if they could help. Here’s what they came up wtih. I’m kind of scratching my head at times, but maybe it makes sense to you.
First, according to its analysis, the song is mostly folk (46%) and folk-country (34%). As you can see from the image below, these genres fluctuate over the course of the song. If you really want to see how accurate the AI is you can listen along to hear what it hears.
The other aspect it analyzed is the mood of the song. You can see that analysis below. I scored very high on the romantic, which seems appropriate for a song about a murderer on the loose, but in all fairness, I don’t think it pays any attention to the lyrics, which mean that it is probably pretty accurate. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t score higher in the sexy department. I mean, it’s got horns! I thought that was automatically sexy.
Next consideration is the Emotional Profile/Energy Level. This is pretty accurate. The emotional profile is balanced, and the emotional dynamic is low. I mean, the song is sung from the perspective of a journalist or maybe a detective- not the madman or the victim- so there is a dispassionate feel to the whole song (but I still think it’s sexy), so not bad.
Finally, the website allows me to compare my song to other songs out there. Most of the music it says are similar are unfamiliar to me, but I enjoyed listening to theses artists. This might be the most helpful part of this web-site, because we’re supposed to reference the music we submit to a given algorithm (like on Spotify) to see where your music fits in. This is the main reason I came to this site. I am always scratching my head trying to figure out who I sound like, and I have to change it based on the song. Each song sounds different. So here are the results:
- John Craigie- Part Wolf
- Junius Meyvant- Domestic Grace
- Jack Van Cleaf- She Keeps it Coming
- Samuel Flynn Scott- All My Dreams
- Sunspur- Run it Again
- Lost Mary- Dogwood Flowers
- M. Byrd- Gunslinger
- The Cohens- She Doesn’t Know
- Talylor Brown Band x Grace Potter- Morning Sunshine
- The Ateliers- Appalchi Rose
My take: I think this is useful for trying to help you talk to the algorithm, but I’m not sure this analysis would be all that helpful to a real live human.
Now for the lyric analysis. This is pretty interesting. Or obvious. You decide:
These lyrics paint a haunting picture of a madman lurking in the shadows, spreading chaos and fear wherever he goes. The imagery of a killer walking the streets, with the full moon reflecting in his eyes, creates a sense of foreboding and unease. The lyrics describe the madman as having destruction in his heart and a desire to tear things apart, highlighting his violent and unpredictable nature.
The song also touches on the ineffectiveness of authority figures in stopping the madman, as they are unable to bring him down despite their efforts. The sense of helplessness and fear is palpable in the way the madman continues to wreak havoc without consequence.
The repeated refrain of "Madman on the loose" serves to emphasize the unstoppable and menacing presence of this character, adding to the sense of dread and urgency in the lyrics.
Overall, these lyrics capture the feeling of being trapped and vulnerable in the face of a dangerous and malevolent force, and leave the listener with a sense of lingering unease.