Day 7 // Using TV

I wrote my song “The Other Way” after re-watching a lot of The Wire. There’s a famous scene between Marlo, an-up-and-comer druglord, and a security guard. After Marlo is caught stealing lollipops, the security guard confronts him and Marlo says “You want it to be one way. But it’s the other way”.

It’s a scene about how the powerful of the world, the Marlos of the world, could care less about the poor. While the security guard wants the word to show compassion for the the ill-fortunate, Marlo knows that the world benefits the powerful, not the weak. He has the security guard killed.

I thought this fatalistic idea would make a great song. So I wrote a song that hinged on the idea but was more true to my experience. The resulting song “The Other Way” is a song I feel super proud of. Check it out here.  

And I’m not the only person to write songs after watching TV. Brandy Clark wrote her song “Get High” after watching episodes of Weeds. John Lennon wrote “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” after hearing a TV evangelist say “let me tell you guys. It doesn’t matter. It’s whatever gets you through the night, ” Lennon also wrote “Good Morning, Good Morning” after hearing a TV commercial with those phrases in them.

Today I want to challenge you to write a song that is inspired by a TV show or movie. Maybe you want to talk about the show, or repurpose an idea for the show.

Good luck!

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