i'm bringing back my song-to-order project (commissioned song portraits) for a short time (info at http://t.co/y9O5fIuQKD in blog and news)
— Juliana Hatfield (@julianahatfield) March 2, 2014Juliana:
For the price of $1,000 I will write an original song tailor-made just for you, to you, and about you, and I will record it in a mostly acoustic style.
More info and the ordering details at Juliana's official site.
Another excerpt from the 1971 "Homewood Sessions" featuring Leon Russell and a few good friends such as Don Nix and Furry Lewis. Furry can be seen several times throughout the video. This song is, in many people's opinion, one of the finest ballads ever written. I agree!
New pledges have been added to Juliana's Covers Album project at PledgeMusic since the launch earlier this month, including the return of the 20 questions by email thing which she did last year.
Today, she's brought back the offer of a personalised song, which you'll recall was a fundraiser of sorts she did in 2010 before the original PledgeMusic project.
Juliana:
I will write you a personal song! I’ll create an original song exclusively for you, to you, about you... [] ...Think of it as a commissioned sonic portrait. I will send you an mP3 and a CD of your song and will never release it to the public.
This offer is available now for up to 3 potential pledgers for, ahem, $1,000.
But you all know this anyway because you're all pledgers, right?
"Before I embarked on this challenging project/experiment, I was totally burned-out on songwriting, burned-out on singing about myself, and now I am completely re-energized and inspired again. In a part of my brain and a part of my heart, I was secretly hoping for this sort of a result — feeling, somehow, that it was never just an exercise in whoring myself out for money."
Juliana has reopened the $1,000 custom song project.
Explaining that she closed the original orders when they reached 11 from the original planned cap of 20, the remaining 9 songs are now up for grabs again. This 'second wave' (as Juliana calls it) includes a further 'lottery ticket' song, this time for free.
For all the details head over to Juliana's blog.
UPDATE: August 17, 2010: The lottery is now closed.
Juliana has picked a lottery winner for her customised song project. If you haven't heard from her by today it's not you.
It won't be me. I didn't apply, fearing I'd likely want to share the song too much, especially if it turned out to be a classic, not to mention the whole self-indulgence of it all! For those without such neuroses good luck to any of you who entered.
"I am making progress on the songs-to-order. Songwriting takes time sometimes. It’s hard to pump out good stuff quickly, at least for me. But I am plugging along, liking what is happening."
Juliana also mentions that the 'lottery' winner has yet to be picked. More on this and other updates from Juliana's world can be read in her latest blog.
From Juliana:
"I will not be accepting any more song orders. I will announce the lottery winner soon. Thank you to everyone."
Juliana never fails to surprise. Today she has announced an unexpected left field idea of offering a customised personal song for $1000. Yes, you have just read that.
The full details in Juliana's own words are at her official site, where orders are being taken. UPDATE - MAY 12 2010 - Juliana is no longer taking orders.
The key points are:
This offer is intended to help fund two unspecified future projects and a third, which Juliana tantalisingly says...
"..involves gathering together some of my vast unreleased archives."
This idea is a little eccentric and intriguing. It will also no doubt induce panic among the most compulsively voracious of collectors! Nonetheless we now know that a) Juliana is still writing new songs and b) there is a “vast” number of old unheard songs she wants to do something with. Therefore the best news reported on these pages this year.
