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Hot Pink Halo - Shape Shifter

from SpinTunes 21 Round 2 by Spintunes

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Verses: Key of D major

Choruses: Key of E major

Solo: Key of Mystery

Last choruses: E major, F major, F# major, G major

***

A few weeks ago I watched an interview with Andy Partridge, where he described his methods for choosing chords. It turns out XTC songs are so complicated because Andy Partridge thinks in only in shapes (and colour; he has synesthesia), not keys. My favourite bit of the whole interview was when he confessed to finding piano keyboards impenetrable, and talked about tracing around his hand on a piece of cardboard and cutting it out every time he made a chord that he liked the sound of, so that he could remember what he'd played. I can't for the life of me figure out how he knew where to put the hand shape silhouette after he'd cut it out. At the same time, I was busy cutting out paper stencils for screen printing new artwork for an exhibition I was part of a few days ago. The screen printing melded with the shape shifting hand silhouettes and here we are. The song uses a lot of printing terminology (and Corita Kent quotes): pull, push, flood, cut, key, form, positive, negative, etc. Of course, in the true spirit of XTC, all these words also have other meanings. In Ireland, "shift" also means "pash", so this is going to be fun to sing at the pub!

lyrics

The ink runs through my veins like blood
The positive and negative react
You come alive with the flood
I pull everything out of you
You pull everything out of me
I cut away and you break apart
I push through and you power up

You're a
sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh
Shape Shifter
Shining light on my shadow
Don't stop
sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh
Shape shifter
Trace my edges with your fingers
Til I drop

The noise fills up my brain it glows
The black and white keys start to jumble up
I find your form
You are enclosed
I pull everything out of you
You pull everything out of me
Colours clash and I have my doubts
But I push the lever and your joy rings out

You're a
sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh
Shape Shifter
Bringing life to the stories in my dreams
sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh
Shape shifter
Push my soul through the screen
Until I scream

The ink runs through your veins it glows
The positive and negative react
I find your form
You are enclosed
I pull everything out of you
You pull everything out of me
Colours mix and you break apart
I push through and your joy rings out

You're a
sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh
Shape Shifter
Shining light on my shadow
Don't stop
sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh
Shape shifter
Trace my edges with your fingers
Til I drop

sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh
Shape Shifter
Bringing life to the stories in my dreams
sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh
Shape shifter
Push my soul through the screen
Until I scream

...

credits

from SpinTunes 21 Round 2, released September 26, 2023
Songwriting, guitar, lead vocals: Leonie Connellan
Bass, guitar, backing vocals: Toshiro
Nicked samples: Gizo

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Spintunes Union, South Carolina

Spintunes is a semi-annual songwriting contest. Every other week, the competitors receive a challenge and a week to meet it.

Each album on this site contains the responses to a single challenge.

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