22nd Pillow Story

 

Good evening, I’m ReNgA.

​Tonight, I’d like to flesh out some ideas for my next song. Self-indulgent as always, but I thought it might be fun to openly write down what inspires me—and what I’m inspired by—as thoughts come to mind.

​I’ll document how I create the music and lyrics (though I might change direction halfway through, hit a wall, take an absurdly long time, or never even finish...).。

Now, when it comes to the track itself, I have two conflicting ideas battling it out. First, there’s the urge to lean into an R&B/rock 'n' roll vibe reminiscent of Little Richard or Chuck Berry—similar to my last track, Stay Lean (which I definitely got a taste for 💦). On the other hand, there’s the (rather audacious) desire to try something completely new: a reggae style that captures the feel of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry. Don't worry, this isn't plagiarism—admiration is always my starting point. After all, you can't create something original without imitating first! The former is all about a straight up-and-down pulse, while the latter is a laid-back, swinging groove—polar opposites! (lol) Hmm... I think I'll start with the latter!

​I’d also love to incorporate a horn section. I'm aiming for a sound like Booker T. & the M.G.'s using trumpet, trombone, and sax. However, the brass plugins I currently own lean more orchestral, making it tough to layer the right articulations—a real headache. Jazz plugins are still out of my budget, so I haven't been able to get my hands on them yet.

For the drum sound, I'm aiming for a 70s-style tone—tight, but with a live feel where the hi-hat and snare retain that crisp, sizzling resonance. I usually rely on MODO Drums, but instead of leaning heavily on preset patterns, I’ll manually program off-beat embellishments—something like a fast 16th or 32nd-note fill on the high tom (like a ta-ra-tat-ta-ta-ta-tan).

​Choosing the Vocaloid is another dilemma. I’m thinking about miki, though it would be amazing if Nurse Robot Type T's voice fit the track—even if it seems like a long shot for this genre. I'll test it out. Once I've mapped out the rough chord progression and overall song structure, I’ll update this post here. →

Now, onto the big challenge: the lyrics.

Here is the initial concept for the story running through my head.

​The image at the top of the post (generated by AI) shows the opening scene: a girl in pajamas holding her pillow, who suddenly time-travels to a ruined future (she had to get up, stand up 💦). But our protagonist isn't going to let a confusing mess like this get the better of her. She gets furious: "You've got to be kidding me," "Don't go getting yourselves destroyed without asking," "Though I guess we're partially to blame too," "Anyway, I need to find somewhere to sleep." She sighs: "At least I brought my favorite pillow," "The future is filthy, smells like burning, and these rubble bits hurt." Wandering around, she yells: "Give me back my bedroom!" She downs a liquid from a broken vending machine: "Future drinks taste awful. What on earth were our descendants doing?" "Even the robots are all busted." Finally finding a flat piece of concrete that might work as a bed, she grumbles: "I'm literally going to die without my phone... Oh well, it's not like there'd be Wi-Fi here anyway." "I'm going to sleep. Ah, this pillow is the best..."

​I want to somehow weave all of this into the lyrics without overloading it. Wonder if it'll fit... 😥

As for where this story goes next? I have no idea whatsoever! Use your imagination. If you have any ideas, feel free to drop them in the comments! (Shifting the work onto you guys?)

​I'll add another update once the lyrics are somewhat finished. ↓

To be continued

Thank you for reading.