For Orchestra

“You know you can’t keep letting it get you down”

The lyrics in this piece are amazing. A good arrangement isn’t only about the music you hear, it’s about the lyrics you feel. So this week is OK GO, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out. OK GO is also known for their treadmill music video, but they actually first came on to the scene in 2002 out of Chicago.

I love the lyrics in this piece. Ironically, today was a horrible day, and I kept remembering the lyrics “when tomorrow comes.” Life is about struggle, and learning as you grow. Perhaps one of the most important things you can learn is to relax, and to wonder “in 10 years, will you remember today’s negativity.”

I wanted this arrangement to perfectly mimic the video, which was so wonderfully done. In fact, I would have loved to have been part of it, looked like an awesome experience.

My arrangement started with the xylaphone, which was in the original recording, which then built to the full orchestra performing the first chorus. I bring in violin pizzicato to create the continual sense of “tension and release”, and utilize the orchestra chimes to play the vibraphone part that Damien Kulash plays for the chorus. For the final chorus I made sure to have the violins play the xlaphone part from the original recording, which gives it the triumphant feel I was looking for. Quite fitting, because the OK GO video, in itself, is a true achievement!

Check out OK Go’s new album “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky” here

Awesome job by James Frost, Syyn Labs, OK Go and Mindshare. Produced by Shirley Moyers. Can’t wait until the next creation!

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