The context: This is from Wonderland Wars, a show about what happens after Alice leaves. The character who seems like a harmless goofball later becomes a ruthless populist authoritarian leader. This is him (with the help of the Duchess) convincing the populace to join his violent angry movement. By the end of the song, he has whipped them into a frenzy of populist anger.
A little about the creation of the song: This song (as is the case with pretty much all of the songs I wrote with Sahara Spain) was music first. I would sketch out a "dummy lyric", then she would write music inspired by that. Then I would write actual lyrics once we had the melody and rhythm. She was looking at "fight songs" from around the world and through history. She settled on this African-inspired rhythm. So I looked up English translations of African and other fight songs. The main thing I noticed is that most of the lyrics were about peace. I found that deeply creepy. Like, all around the world in all these different cultures, the songs leaders used to gin up war were cloaked in this "we're the good guys who just want peace" sort of sales pitch. For some parts of the song, I found that regular words weren't feeling right, so I researched war cries. I didn't know this, but war cries throughout history are usually specific made-up sounds particular to a culture. That's so cool and weird. And they would often start out hiding behind their shields whispering their nonsense syllables to intimidate their opponents. All so cool and unsettling. I found that certain made-up syllables only worked when set certain ways. Even though they were made up (by me), they seemed to have an inherent stress-pattern that had to be strictly observed (by me!). "'A loo lee loo' will drown their screams. 'Loo lee' and only 'A loo lee loo' will haunt their dreams." That's the only way that phrase worked with the music. I also wanted to give the Seven of Clubs lots of tricky rhyming, both external and internal, since he was just starting to reveal his cleverness to the audience. One last technical thing I'm proud of. At the end of the bridge, I really wanted the big high note to climb unexpectedly even higher. The composer did that. But how to rhyme it, since it made a masculine word (ending on the stress) have to rhyme with a feminine word (ending one syllable after the stress)? I realized that if I could use a word that seemed like a one syllable word, but then changed meaning when the next syllable was sung, it would be surprising and energizing. So we have "Peace in the sky. And peace through the land when we've tri... umphed!". Also, I like the sound of ending a high note on "umphed", which is sort of an ugly mouthful, but is a perfect transition from the beauty of the bridge to the ugliness of the rest of the song.
A little about the creation of the song: This song (as is the case with pretty much all of the songs I wrote with Sahara Spain) was music first. I would sketch out a "dummy lyric", then she would write music inspired by that. Then I would write actual lyrics once we had the melody and rhythm. She was looking at "fight songs" from around the world and through history. She settled on this African-inspired rhythm. So I looked up English translations of African and other fight songs. The main thing I noticed is that most of the lyrics were about peace. I found that deeply creepy. Like, all around the world in all these different cultures, the songs leaders used to gin up war were cloaked in this "we're the good guys who just want peace" sort of sales pitch. For some parts of the song, I found that regular words weren't feeling right, so I researched war cries. I didn't know this, but war cries throughout history are usually specific made-up sounds particular to a culture. That's so cool and weird. And they would often start out hiding behind their shields whispering their nonsense syllables to intimidate their opponents. All so cool and unsettling. I found that certain made-up syllables only worked when set certain ways. Even though they were made up (by me), they seemed to have an inherent stress-pattern that had to be strictly observed (by me!). "'A loo lee loo' will drown their screams. 'Loo lee' and only 'A loo lee loo' will haunt their dreams." That's the only way that phrase worked with the music. I also wanted to give the Seven of Clubs lots of tricky rhyming, both external and internal, since he was just starting to reveal his cleverness to the audience. One last technical thing I'm proud of. At the end of the bridge, I really wanted the big high note to climb unexpectedly even higher. The composer did that. But how to rhyme it, since it made a masculine word (ending on the stress) have to rhyme with a feminine word (ending one syllable after the stress)? I realized that if I could use a word that seemed like a one syllable word, but then changed meaning when the next syllable was sung, it would be surprising and energizing. So we have "Peace in the sky. And peace through the land when we've tri... umphed!". Also, I like the sound of ending a high note on "umphed", which is sort of an ugly mouthful, but is a perfect transition from the beauty of the bridge to the ugliness of the rest of the song.
Yell to the Heavens (from the musical Wonderland Wars)
Lyrics by David Rackoff, Music by Sahara Sunday Spain SEVEN OF CLUBS WHISPER WHEN THEY'RE NEAR YOU, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE UMP. SO THEY HARDLY EVEN HEAR YOU, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE UMP. BUT THEY SENSE THAT THEY SHOULD FEAR YOU, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE-YIE-DEE-YAY. LET THEM FEEL THE THRUMMING, HIE-DEE-UMP, HIE-DEE UMP, TO THE RHYTHM OF THE DRUMMING, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE UMP, TO THE CATACLYSM COMING, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE YIE-DEE-YAY! T'WARD THE FRONT. HIE-DEE-UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! HEAR US GRUNT. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! START THE HUNT. HIE-DEE-UMP! UMP! UMP! HIE-DEE YAH! DUCHESS YELL TO THE HEAVENS A LOO-LEE-LOO, A LOO-LEE-LOO WILL DROWN THEIR SCREAMS. "LOO-LEE" AND ONLY A LOO-LEE-LOO WILL HAUNT THEIR DREAMS. SEVEN/DUCHESS HEAR THE CALL HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! CHARGE THE WALL. HIE-DEE-UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! START THE BRAWL. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! SEVEN HIE-DEE-YAH! DUCHESS HIE-DEE-YAH. HIE-DEE-YAH. HIE-DEE-YAH. CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA. |
DUCHESS
MAY OUR HEAVY MACES HIE-DEE UMP HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! BARELY ANY HIE-DEE- UMP. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! ENEMIES HAD HIE-DEE UMP HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! YIE-DEE-AY! MAKE THEM QUAKE. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! MAKE THEM ACHE. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! MAKE THEM BREAK. HIE-DEE-UMP. UMP! UMP! CHAKA-OCK. CHAKA-OCK. CHAKA-OCK. CHAKA-CHAKA-CHAKA. JOIN US IN OUR HIE- DEE UMP. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! CHAOS THAT IS HIE- DEE UMP. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! SHACKLES WE ARE HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE-UMP! UMP! YIE-DEE-YAY! HMM. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. YELL TO THE HEAVENS A LOO LEE LOO. A LOO LEE LOO WILL DROWN THEIR SCREAMS. "LOO LEE" AND ONLY A "LOO LEE" WILL HAUNT THEIR DREAMS. FEEL HOW IT SURGES, HOW TRUTH EMERGES HELLFIRE PURGES ALL. A LOO. HIE-LEE-LOO HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! HIE-LEE LOO. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! HIE-LEE LOO. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! CHAKA-OCK. CHAKA- OCK CHAKA-OCK. CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA. YELL TO THE HEAVENS A LOO LEE LOO. WONDERLAND. LOO LEE LOO. WONDERLAND WONDERLAND WONDERLAND TO WAR! |
SEVEN
MAY OUR HEAVY MACES HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE UMP! LEAVE THEM BARELY ANY TRACES, HIE-DEE-UMP. HIE-DEE UMP. WHERE OUR ENEMIES HAD FACES HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE UMP HIE-DEE YIE DEE YAY! MAKE THEM QUAKE. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! MAKE THEM ACHE. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! MAKE THEM BREAK. HIE-DEE-UMP. UMP! UMP! HIE-DEE YAH! JOIN US IN OUR YEARNING, HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE UMP. OF THE CHAOS IS CHURNING, HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE UMP. AND THE SHACKLES WE ARE BURNING HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE-YIE DEE YAY! PEACE IN THE FIELDS. PEACE IN THE SKY. AND PEACE THROUGH THE LAND WHEN WE'VE TRIUMPHED! CLIMB UP THE PYRES, YOU HEARTS AND LIARS. ANSWER THE FIRES' CALL. FEEL HOW IT SURGES, HOW TRUTH EMERGES, HELLFIRE PURGES ALL. HIE-LEE-LOO HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! HIE-LEE LOO HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! HIE-LEE LOO. HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! HIE-DEE YAH! STOMP DOWN LIKE THUNDER. MARCH FORTH MY WONDERLAND TO WAR! |
TOWNSPEOPLE
YELL TO THE HEAVENS A LOO LEE LOO. A LOO LEE LOO WILL DROWN THEIR SCREAMS. "LOO LEE" AND ONLY A "LOO LEE LOO" WILL HAUNT THEIR DREAMS. YELL TO THE HEAVES A LOO LEE LOO. A LOO LEE LOO WILL DROWN THEIR SCREAMS. "LOO LEE" AND ONLY A "LOO LEE LOO" WILL HAUNT THEIR DREAMS. JOIN US, HIE-DEE UMP! HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE UMP. UMP! CHAOS HIE-DEE UMP. HIE-DEE-UMP. HIE-DEE-OCK. OCK. SHACKLES, HIE-DEE UMP. HIE DEE UMP. HIE-DEE YIE EYE-DEE YAY! HMMM. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. WHISPER TILL THEY'RE NEAR YOU, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE UMP. SO THEY HARDLY EVEN HEAR YOU, HIE-DEE-UMP, HIE-DEE-UMP. BUT THEY SENSE THAT THEY SHOULD FEAR YOU, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE-YIE YAY! WHISPER TILL THEY'RE NEAR YOU HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE-UMP. SO THEY HARDLY EVEN HEAR YOU, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE-UMP. BUT THEY SENSE THAT THEY SHOULD FEAR YOU, HIE-DEE UMP, HIE-DEE-UMP, HIE-DEE-YIE-YAY! LOO-LEE LOO, HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! UMP! LOOLEE A LOO- LEE A LA LEE LOO, A LOO LEE LOO. A LA LEE LOO. LA LEE LOO. LA LEE LOO. SING A LA LA, SING A LA LA SING A LA LA, SING A LA LA LOO WONDERLAND HIE-DEE UMP. WONDERLAND. WONDERLAND. WONDERLAND TO WAR! |
SOLDIERS
YELL TO THE HEAVENS A LOO LEE LOOWILL DROWN THEIR SCREAMS. "LOO-LEE" AND ONLY A "LOO LEE LOO" WILL HAUNT THEIR DREAMS. YELL TO THE HEAVENS A LOO LEE LOO WILL DROWN THEIR SCREAMS. "LOO-LEE" AND ONLY A "LOO LEE LOO" WILL HAUNT THEIR DREAMS. JOIN US UMP! OCK. UMP! UMP! OCK. OCK. UMP! CHAOS UMP! OCK. UMP! UMP! OCK. OCK. UMP! SHACKLES UMP! OCK. UMP! UMP! AH. AH. AH. AH. EE EE. AE. AE. HMM. HMM. HA. HAH. HAH. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. HMM. HAH. HAH. HAH. WHISPER TILL THEY'RE NEAR YOU HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! UMP! SO HARDLY EVEN HEAR YOU, HIE-DEE-UMP! UMP! UMP! BUT SENSE THAT THEY SHOULD FEAR YOU HIE-DEE UMP! UMP! THE FIRES' CALL. YELL TO THE HEAVENS A LOO LEE LOO. A LOO LEE LOO WILL DROWN THEIR SCREAMS. "LOO LEE" AND ONLY A "LOO LEE LOO" WILL HAUNT THEIR DREAMS. CHAKA-UMP! UMP! UMP! CHAKA-UMP! UMP! UMP! CHAKA-UMP! UMP! UMP! CHA-YAH! YAH! YAH! YAH! WONDERLAND. CHAKA-OCK. WONDERLAND WONDERLAND WONDERLAND TO WAR! |