Rick Andreoli

My first copyrighted song got mailed out in the fall of 1998. I haven't stopped writing and recording since. My music is always surprising me. Every time I write a good new song,it's such a rush! I never get sick of that feeling. It's a magic moment indeed, when you nail that musical hook and put that perfect lyric on top. It usually happens when you least expect it, but when it happens, the joy is incalculable! It never gets old,and then you just have to memorize it,somehow,some way. Until you manage to get back into the studio.

My name is Rick Andreoli,and I'm so glad you came to visit my site. As you may have guessed by my domain name,the greatest songs today,I'm not too modest! After writing these songs for the past 18 years, I've grown very fond of all of them. They're like my many children,some planned, others a surprise! I think if you give my songs a good listen, you'll see why I think these songs are the best songs out there today!

When I have around 10 new songs,then I know it's time to head back into the studio. It's not always easy getting in there,because they're usually booked up for 3 or 4 weeks ahead of time. When I finally get back in there though,I know it's my time to shine! When I'm doing a track with drums,I call my good friend and amazing drummer Tony Green to come in and have a session with me. I usually give him a rough copy of the songs beforehand,so he can learn them and figure out his parts. When we first arrive,the engineer and Tony spend an enormous amount of time tuning up the drums. It's interesting to watch! I then go into my own individual little room and sit down with my guitar and very carefully tune it. Tony sits in his own room also. There's a window between our rooms,so we can see each other and feel like we're actually playing together. Two mikes are placed in front of my acoustic guitar and I wear headphones,so I can hear the engineer,who sits in the big control room,and also hear the drums and Tony's voice,if he needs to talk to us.Then,we start! It takes several takes,but when we nail it,it's such a relief! I then add another acoustic guitar on top of the original track,and then onto the next song! When Tony is done,I'll take a little breather,and then I do my vocals,and the basic tracks are completed!

When I write,I simply take my acoustic guitar and sit down and start putting chords together. As I'm doing this,when I get a sequence of chords that intrigues me,I then start to try and find a melody that fits. My notebook and pen are usually close by,so I can write down lyrics as they come to me. When I think the new song shows promise,I'll then proceed to write a second verse. I have to write all words down,so I don't forget them. Lately,when a song is finished, I also write down the chords,just to play it save,and not forget a potentially great song! After a few verses are written, I'm then faced with what can be an even bigger challenge,and that's writing the middle part of the song,which is sometimes called the chorus. Writing the middle part is never easy,and it has to enhance the basic song in a positive way.If I think I have a good middle, then I have to build a bridge to get back to the original verses. This can also be tricky! The chords to my songs are always completed first. The lyrics can be worked on and perfected long after the basic song is completed.

What inspires me to write? Well,it really can be anything. Just seeing a new face and meeting someone new for only a brief moment can do it. It's then that I can tap into that romantic mode that is deep down below the surface,and get an idea for a song. This initial inspiration can feed on itself,and sometimes,if I'm very lucky,I will get a cluster of songs,that originally happened because of a person I may never see again!

Many of my songs though,are based on actual relationships and friendships I've had over the years. A lot of these feelings,and some of them very sad,can be conjured back into the present creative process and used as song material. When I write, I try to be as real and honest as I can be. I want to show the deep feelings that hide deep in my heart,and also convey the sheer joy of living in the present,and feeling love and joy. A few extremely lucky times, I have actually dreamed of a new song,and then have gotten up and rushed downstairs and written it down! This method,I'm afraid to say,doesn't happen very often.

So you have to be inspired,somehow and some way! Sometimes,I'll get out an old poem and put music to that. Something out there has to have an effect on you,and you then have to tap into that feeling,and go deep into your creative soul,and express yourself! When it works and all comes together into a really great song,well,there's no better feeling than that!

   Any artist doesn't want to repeat themselves. But sometimes,when a song is so good,you just have to give it another chance! I've done this a few more times than I wanted to,but in the long run,it's always worth it. When a song is really good,it always deserves a second shot.

   As you may have noticed,two songs from my album Pipe Dream,get a second chance on my new album,In Love. I named the album after the song In Love! This song deserved to be out in front of the pack before,but at the time I just put it toward the back of the song list. This time around,it's the second track! We remixed it and made it a lot bigger than it was. I think it's one of my best songs,and I think my voice sounds real good on it. It also features Tom Hampton on dobro!

   Deep Inside is the third track,and was also recycled. It was remixed and also shortened to it's original length when I first wrote it. I removed the keyboards and electric guitars to get back to the basic song I wrote a few years back. This is also one of my favorite tracks! It's very romantic and haunting. Thus ends my tale of two songs!

    When a song comes to me quick,in a half hour or less,then that's great. Unfortunately,it doesn't always happen like that. On any given night, I might write 3 or 4 rough songs,but be dissatisfied with all of my ideas. Then,after taking a break,or going to bed,I will wake up the next day,and if I'm lucky,write a spontaneous song,in a matter of minutes,that actually appeals to me. Therefore,the fast and spontaneous song is usually the best song. But there are other methods!

    It doesn't happen often,but sometimes I dream of a song,and when I wake up,I run down the stairs,into my office,grab my guitar,and try to recapture it. Needless to say,it's usually quite hard to remember all of the chords and melody that appeared in my dream. This certainly is not the best method for writing,but occasionally,it might work. I wrote Starry Night entirely from a dream. In my dream,I put a new album on my record player,and the entire song played out! When I woke up, I immediately went to my office,grabbed my guitar,and within a half hour,I had the basic song. Starry Night was a gift from dreamland!

    Poems can also be a great inspiration for writing. I actually dreamed of the story of My Sweet Angel,and then got up and composed the poem,and a long time afterwards,made it into a song! Poems are quite useful,because you already have the basic lyrics! I started to write poetry around 2002,so I have a lot. Sometimes you have to modify a poem,to fit it into a melody you might come up with. This is still a wonderful way to write! It takes away the burden of finding words to a song! So,having the lyrics first is a great way to write,especially when you're out of musical ideas! I believe this is how Elton John writes his songs. You can't argue with that!