Laura Griffin Designs » Music Recordings

Sara Bareilles cover – Gravity

Laura — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:26:10 +0000

Greetings! Taking a lil’ break from the Africa stories to share a new music recording with you.

I’m a big fan of Sara Bareilles’ album Little Voice. Most folks have probably heard the tune “Love Song” on the radio, but there are a few other gems on the album that didn’t get as much exposure like Gravity, One Sweet Love, City, & Many the Miles.

I recorded my own arrangement of Gravity for piano and voice this afternoon. Take a listen to the mp3 and let me know what you think!

p.s. If you listen closely, there’s an impromptu sound effect at the very end of the song. Can you hear it?

Hey Jupiter

Laura — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:24:30 +0000

For some reason tonight, this song came into my head & decided not to budge until I recorded my version of it. It resonates with me right now…a beautiful, sad melody written by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. The lyrics are below. CLICK HERE or on the below image to listen to the MP3 performed on my piano.

“Hey Jupiter” music & lyrics by Tori Amos (from Boys for Pele)
Arranged & performed by Laura Griffin

no one’s picking up the phone
guess it’s me… and me
and this little masochist
she’s ready to confess
all the things that I never thought
that she could feel

hey Jupiter
nothing’s been the same
so are you gay… are you blue
thought we both could use a friend to run to
and I thought I wouldn’t have to be
with you… something new

sometimes I breathe you in
and I know you know
and sometimes you take a swim
found your writing on my wall
if my heart’s soaking wet
boy your boots can leave a mess

hey Jupiter
nothing’s been the same
so are you gay… are you blue
thought we both could use a friend to run to
and I thought you wouldn’t have to keep
with me …hiding

thought I knew myself so well
all the dolls I had
took my leather off the shelf
your apocalypse was fab
for a girl who couldn’t choose between the shower or the bath
and I thought I wouldn’t have to be
with you… a magazine

no one’s picking up the phone
guess it’s clear he’s gone
and this little masochist
is lifting up her dress
guess I thought I could never feel the things I feel and

hey Jupiter
nothing’s been the same
so are you gay… are you blue
thought we both could use a friend to run to

hey Jupiter nothing’s been the same
so are you safe… now we’re through
thought we both could use a friend to run to
hey Jupiter

Verdi Cries

Laura — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:22:51 +0000

I’ve been a big fan of Natalie Merchant’s work for years (ever since Steve introduced me to her – thanks Steve!). Her songs are often filled with socially conscious lyrics matched with great melodies, and she is a tremendous performer live. I’ve seen her about 4 times in concert, and she is always having so much fun performing on stage that you just want to get up there with her. *LOL*

Natalie got her start over 25 years ago when she became the lead singer of a band called 10,000 Maniacs. One of my favorite tunes she wrote for them is called Verdi Cries. It’s a simple one for piano & voice. I picked out the rudimentary chords on my piano & recorded my own version for you tonight. You can click on the picture or on THIS LINK to listen to the short MP3 of my interpretation. Hope you like it!

P.S. For those of you that follow my papercrafting designs, I’ll have more cards coming soon – I’ve just been having a lot of fun creating music this month!

Lyrics to Hide & Seek…

Laura — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:28:32 +0000

For those interested in Imogen’s lyrics to Hide & Seek – I created a video to go along with last night’s recording that can be viewed below.

Hide & Seek

Laura — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:10:40 +0000

I mentioned in a recent post that I’m a huge fan of British singer-songwriter-producer Imogen Heap. One of her most popular tunes is an a cappella song called “Hide & Seek” from her album Speak for Yourself. She processed her solo vocals through her keyboards to create beautiful harmonies.

I realized tonight that my lil’ home recording studio has similar capabilities, so I gave it a shot. Here’s my version of Hide & Seek using a cheap microphone plugged into the vocal harmonizer on my Clavinova. Enjoy!