The Theory of Funkativity

Overview

Lyrics

Overview

Engineering

We managed to survive the hottest day in the 100+ year recorded history of Los Angeles weather. And no, using air conditioning is not considered cheating. The morning felt miserable, and before long the temperature had broken 110 degrees. That is not supposed to happen.

But it takes more than infernal weather to stop our music creation machine. We call this song "Love Me Like Your Submarine" and it's pure funk rock.

We assume most of you have figured this out by now, but for each song post you can click the tabs above to read more about the inspiration behind the lyrics, instrumentals, and engineering... nothing against our good friend mr. overview.
By Sean
There's no hiding it. "Love Me Like Your Submarine" is a sex-fueled, underwater funk orgy. The beat couldn't be fatter, the guitar lines couldn't be raunchier, and I don't even want to think about all the things the bass is doing. The lyrics needed to keep up. See if you can pick up on all the nautical euphemisms. I'm proud of some of the ones I came up with. In general, the words are to the point and loud, but also buttery-smooth. They do ya dirty. Pat's delivery reminds us all of the number 3030. I especially love the triple vocal harmonies that start halfway through each verse...they're like disco-sirens, singing the song and all its passengers straight into the rocks.  



"Love Me Like Your Submarine"
by The Theory of Funkativity

Verse:
Quick and shiftin'
I'm pickin' up all the movement
I'll start ya just to stop ya
Tell ya when to do it to it

We're on a mission
Exploring it and getting wet
Deeper still the pressure builds
I'm dialin' in my instruments

When you cut the engines
We'll be driftin' with the current
Slowly sinkin', heavy breathin'
All the oxygen is leakin'

Did you mean it when you said that
That we're going where nobody's been
I'm the kind of guy that
Cannot keep myself from divin' in

What will we do
When we hit the bottom
What will we do
As we float along

What will we do
To cure our boredom
What can I do
To turn you on

Chorus:
Hey there pretty lady
Won't you let me in your love machine
Let me board ya
I'm the finest mate you've ever seen
Seasick with envy
I can feel myself turning green
Hey there baby girl
I wish you loved me like your submarine

Verse:
I'm seein' stars but they're stickin'
To the mountain sides
In and out of focus blinkin'
Water from my eyes

Shapes out in the darkness
But you know I got this
Nothing's gonna stop us
My harpoon will do the talkin'

Swimmin' past the limits
Gonna hit it and come back again
Sittin' at your station
Your hands up on the steering wheel

You wanna go full speed ahead
I'll tell ya how it feels
I wanna be the captain
Navigating your pacific rim

What will we do
When we hit the bottom
What will we do 
As we float along

What will we do
To cure our boredom
What can I do
To turn you on

Chorus:
Hey there pretty lady
Won't you let me in your love machine
Let me board ya
I'm the finest mate you've ever seen
Seasick with envy
I can feel myself turning green
Hey there baby girl
I wish you loved me like your submarine

Hey there pretty lady
Won't you let me in your love machine
Let me board ya
I'm the finest mate you've ever seen
Seasick with envy
I can feel myself turning green
Hey there baby girl
I wish you loved me like your submarine

Chorus:
Hey there pretty lady
Won't you let me in your love machine
Let me board ya
I'm the finest mate you've ever seen
Seasick with envy
I can feel myself turning green
Hey there baby girl
I wish you loved me like your submarine

Hey there pretty lady
Won't you let me in your love machine
Let me board ya
I'm the finest mate you've ever seen
Seasick with envy
I can feel myself turning green
Hey there baby girl
I wish you loved me like your submarine

Hey there pretty lady
Won't you let me in your love machine
Hey there pretty lady
I'm the finest mate you've ever seen
Hey there pretty lady
I can feel myself turning green
Hey there baby girl
I wish you loved me like your submarine
By Michael
I started with the bass and went from there. The verse bass line came first, then the chorus. I wanted to supplement the bass with multiple guitars, but the guitar parts needed to be simple and spacious to leave room for the bass and vocals. The guitar riff in the introduction is an adaptation of a part I had written a while back. This guitar is later joined by a twangy, single note riff and a lead-ish, semi-improvised part.

I was torn between two versions of the chorus guitar. The first was a stationary rhythmic part a little bit like the verse guitar from "High Strung." The second was a moving part that took cues from the bass line. At this point Sean had already started working on the lyrics, so I asked him what he had in mind for the chorus. When I found out that the part would be a single rapped voice I decided that the moving guitar line would compliment it better than the stationary one.
By Michael
This weekly schedule has actually been really good for my engineering technique. I used to spend a couple hundred hours per track dialing in every little detail, but because of our weekly "due date" I've been forced to approach the engineering in a different way. I think I've gotten quicker at listening in to the big picture. I used to have to tear each individual instrument to bits before I felt comfortable stepping back and listening to the whole. The new approach makes for a much more cohesive mix in the end. Saving myself a few hundred hours per track doesn't hurt either. Sleep is nice.