Subscribers to my SubscribeStar page have enjoyed (I hope!) a series of retrospectives about the songs from my debut EP, Contest Winner EP.  I’ve dubbed this series Behind the Songs.  Today, I’m dedicating the second of two editions of Lazy Sunday to look back at this series.

Here are the second and last three tracks in the series, in case you missed them.  Access to the full articles requires a subscription to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more, but you should at least get a good taste for the pieces with these previews:

• “SubscribeStar Saturday: Behind the Songs: ‘Ghostly’” – A sort of “Halloween song,” “Ghostly,” is perhaps the most unusual track on the record. It’s in 3/4 time and C minor, with a kind of creepy carnival feel.
• “SubscribeStar Saturday: Behind the Songs: ‘Funeral Pyre’” – I often conceive of “Funeral Pyre” as a companion piece to “Ghostly” because they’re both darker in tone than other tracks on the release.  I don’t perform “Funeral Pyre” live very often, but it’s one I’m looking to bring back.  It’s very challenging to sing at parts, but that’s befitting a Meat Loaf-inspired ballad.
• “SubscribeStar Saturday: Behind the Songs: ‘Contest Winner’” – “Contest Winner” is probably the first track I wrote for the EP, long before I ever conceived of releasing an album or EP of my own.  I wrote the song for my very first songwriting contest, figuring that I might as well as be confident.  It did not win the contest, but it did win the People’s Choice Award, and it launched an era of fervent songwriting, ultimately resulting in Contest Winner EP.

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

• Lazy Sunday – APR Pieces
• Lazy Sunday II – Lincoln Posts
• Lazy Sunday III – Historical Moments
• Lazy Sunday IV – Christianity
• Lazy Sunday V – Progressivism, Part I
• Lazy Sunday VI – Progressivism, Part II
• Lazy Sunday VII – Deep State
• Lazy Sunday VIII – Conservatism
• Lazy Sunday IX – Economics, Part I
• Lazy Sunday X – Economics, Part II
• Lazy Sunday XI – Walls
• Lazy Sunday XII – Space
• Lazy Sunday XIII – Immigration
• Lazy Sunday XIV – Gay Stuff
• Lazy Sunday XV – Work
• Lazy Sunday XVI – #MAGAWeek2018
• Lazy Sunday XVII – #MAGAWeek2019
• Lazy Sunday XVIII – SubscribeStar Posts
• Lazy Sunday XIX – Music
• Lazy Sunday XX – The Laziest Sunday
• Lazy Sunday XXI – Travel
• Lazy Sunday XXII – Reading
• Lazy Sunday XXIII – Richard Weaver
• Lazy Sunday XXIV – Education
• Lazy Sunday XXV – Techno-Weirdos
• Lazy Sunday XXVI – Small Town Living
• Lazy Sunday XXVII – Bric-a-Brac
• Lazy Sunday XXVIII – World History
• Lazy Sunday XXIX – The New Criterion
• Lazy Sunday XXX – Trump, Part I
• Lazy Sunday XXXI – Trump, Part II
• Lazy Sunday XXXII – Festivals
• Lazy Sunday XXXIII – Virtue Signalling
• Lazy Sunday XXXIV – The Desperate Search for Meaning Series
• Lazy Sunday XXXV – Corporate Grind
• Lazy Sunday XXXVI – Best of the Reblogs, Part I
• Lazy Sunday XXXVII – Best of the Reblogs, Part II
• Lazy Sunday XXXVIII – Best of the Reblogs, Part III
• Lazy Sunday XXXIX – A Very Dokken Christmas Series
• Lazy Sunday XL – Christmas Carols
• Lazy Sunday XLI – Food
• Lazy Sunday XLII – 2019’s Top Five Posts
• Lazy Sunday XLIII – Music, Part II: More Music
• Lazy Sunday XLIV – SubscribeStar Saturday Posts, Part II: The Search for More Money
• Lazy Sunday XLV – Techno-Weirdos II
• Lazy Sunday XLVI – Man Time
• Lazy Sunday XLVII – Winning
• Lazy Sunday XLVIII – Culture
• Lazy Sunday XLIX – Family
• Lazy Sunday L – The Best of Lazy Sunday
• Lazy Sunday LI – Just for Fun
• Lazy Sunday LII – Democratic Candidates, Part I
• Lazy Sunday LIII – Democratic Candidates, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LIV – Coronavirus
• Lazy Sunday LV – Animals
• Lazy Sunday LVI – Movies
• Lazy Sunday LVII – Christianity, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LVIII – Spring Break Short Story Recommendations Recap
• Lazy Sunday LIX – The God Pill Series
• Lazy Sunday LX – Music, Part II: Gigging
• Lazy Sunday LXI – The Tuck
• Lazy Sunday LXII – The South
• Lazy Sunday LXIII – Holidays
• Lazy Sunday LXIV – Grab Bag
• Lazy Sunday LXV – Rioting
• Lazy Sunday LXVI – Video Games
• Lazy Sunday LXVII – Phone it in Fridays, Part I
• Lazy Sunday LXVIII – Phone it in Fridays, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LXIX – Phone it in Fridays, Part III
• Lazy Sunday LXX – Phone it in Friday, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday LXXI – Road Trips
• Lazy Sunday LXXII – Forgotten Posts, Volume I
• Lazy Sunday LXXIII – Forgotten Posts, Volume II
• Lazy Sunday LXXIV – Forgotten Posts, Volume III
• Lazy Sunday LXXV – Forgotten Posts, Volume IV
• Lazy Sunday LXXVI – Forgotten Posts, Volume V
• Lazy Sunday LXXVII – Rural America
• Lazy Sunday LXXVIII – Space, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LXXXIX – SCOTUS
• Lazy Sunday LXXX – Big Ideas
• Lazy Sunday LXXXI – Education, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LXXXII – Universal Studios
• Lazy Sunday LXXXIII – The Mountains
• Lazy Sunday LXXXIV – Halloween Hijinks
• Lazy Sunday LXXXV – Elections
• Lazy Sunday LXXXVI – Questions, Part I
• Lazy Sunday LXXXVII – Questions, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LXXXVIII – Questions, Part III
• Lazy Sunday LXXXIX – 100 Week Review
• Lazy Sunday XC – Questions, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday XCI – Questions, Part V
• Lazy Sunday XCII – Christmas
• Lazy Sunday XCIII – 2020’s Top Five Posts
• Lazy Sunday XCIV – My Favorite Things
• Lazy Sunday XCV – The Best of Lazy Sunday
• Lazy Sunday XCVI – More Movies: Movie Reviews, Part I
• Lazy Sunday XCVII – More Movies II: Movie Reviews, Part II
• Lazy Sunday XCVIII – More Movies III: Movie Reviews, Part III
• Lazy Sunday XCIX – Romantic Music
• Lazy Sunday C – Valentine’s Day
• Lazy Sunday CI – Obituaries, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CII – Obituaries, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CIII – Begging
• Lazy Sunday CIV – Time
• Lazy Sunday CV – Grab Bag II
• Lazy Sunday CVI – Adventures
• Lazy Sunday CVII – Easter
• Lazy Sunday CVIII – Spring Break Short Story Recommendations 2021 Recap
• Lazy Sunday CIX – Pillow Talk
• Lazy Sunday CX – Inspector Gerard Reviews
• Lazy Sunday CXI – Bric-a-Brac II
• Lazy Sunday CXII – Responsibility
• Lazy Sunday CXIII – Short Stories
• Lazy Sunday CXIV – More Movies IV: Movie Reviews, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday CXV – Memorable Mondays
• Lazy Sunday CXVI – Delays
• Lazy Sunday CXVII – More Movies V – Movie Reviews, Part V
• Lazy Sunday CXVIII – More Movies VI – Movie Reviews, Part VI
• Lazy Sunday CXIX – Summer Camps
• Lazy Sunday CXX – Animals, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CXXI – MAGAWeek2021 Posts
• Lazy Sunday CXXII – MAGAWeek2020 Posts
• Lazy Sunday CXXIII – Murphy
• Lazy Sunday CXXIV – Bible Posts
• Lazy Sunday CXXV – More Movies VII – Movie Reviews, Part VII
• Lazy Sunday CXXVI – Joy, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXXVII – Joy, Part II – Music
• Lazy Sunday CXXVIII – Civilization
• Lazy Sunday CXXIX – Friends, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXXX – Friends, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CXXXI – Friends, Part III
• Lazy Sunday CXXXII – Milestones
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIII – Inspector Gerard
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIV – Friends, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday CXXXV – More Movies VIII – Movie Reviews, Part VIII
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVI – More Movies IX – Movie Reviews, Part IX
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVII – More Halloween Hijinks
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVIII – Friends, Part V
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIX – More Movies, Part X – Movie Reviews, Part X
• Lazy Sunday CXL – More Movies, Part XI – Movie Reviews, Part XI
• Lazy Sunday CXLI – Thanksgiving Stuff(ing)
• Lazy Sunday CXLII – More Movies, Part XII – Movie Reviews, Part XII
• Lazy Sunday CXLIII – More Movies, Part XIII – Movie Reviews, Part XIII
• Lazy Sunday CXLIV – More Christmas Carols
• Lazy Sunday CXLV – Christmas Cheer
• Lazy Sunday CXLVI – 2021’s Top Five Posts
• Lazy Sunday CXLVII – More Movies, Part XIV – Movie Reviews, Part XIV
• Lazy Sunday CXLVIII – The Gemini Sonnets #1 and #2
• Lazy Sunday CXLIX – The Gemini Sonnets #3 and #4
• Lazy Sunday CL – The Gemini Sonnets #5 and #6
• Lazy Sunday CLI – More Movies, Part XV – Movies Reviews, Part XV
• Lazy Sunday CLII – Romance
• Lazy Sunday CLIII – Behind the Songs, Part I