The writing of this song proved true to its title; it took no more than a couple of hours before I had a complete set of lyrics. They are, on the surface, lighter and frothier than many of my lyrics but they have a serious underlying intent, expressing the creative artist's need to carve his or her own path.
In complete contrast, the arranging and recording of the song proved anything but "easy peasy".
From early on I knew the song needed a Tamla-Motown-style treatment; I had the Four Tops in mind as I sketched out the vocal arrangement and the backing track was inspired by that amazing, but largely anonymous group of Detroit session musicians known as the Funk Brothers, who between them had more number-one hits than Elvis, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones... combined!
So I modelled the drumming on the styles of Benny "Papa Zita" Benjamin and Richard "Pistol" Allen with my homage to the former in the drum fill just before the singing enters. You'll hear that fill in just about every Motown song, most noticeably at the beginning of the Temptations' "My Girl". My debt to Richard "Pistol" Allen came in the snare hits, which I cranked up to near-maximum velocity.
The Funk Brothers' principal bass player, James Jamerson, used a Fender Precision bass with flat-wound strings and my Variax bass guitar emulates that to perfection, although I needed a little post-processing to give the sound more body. The conga drums and tambourine were inspired by the playing of Eddie "Bongo" Brown and Jack Ashford respectively.
For the guitar parts I went a little off-piste. The guitar chords that open the song are my own invention, and the solo was based more on the style of Steve Cropper (of Booker T and the MGs, and Sam and Dave) although there is a little cross-genre country-funk going on in the "chicken pickin'" Telecaster licks.
Lastly I added a baritone sax honking down in the bass and a couple of trumpets playing staccato stabs.
So with that all in place it should have sounded like a classic Motown track.
But it didn't! It sounded mechanical and stilted
For a couple of days I thought I would have to abandon the track as an heroic, but ultimately flawed, attempt.
Then I realised what was wrong: I had made everything too precise and clinical. The song has a four-in-a-bar triplet rhythm. Say "one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three" at a fast tempo to get the idea. But I had made the twos and threes too precise in their placement within the bar - mathematically correct but musically very wrong. The "twos" and "threes" should be slightly earlier than expected and the second and fourth "ones" slightly later. Luckily, through the miracle of modern recording techniques, these subtleties could be corrected without the need for re-recording.
I did it and suddenly the track came alive.
With the track mixed to my satisfaction I began work on the video. I modelled it on a 1965 televised black-and-white performance of the Four Tops "Something About You", videoing myself four times singing the parts then combining them into one montage. I added some "Top of the Pops" vintage footage of dancing girls and there it is - my homage to Tamla Motown.
Instrumentation: All instruments played or programmed by Brian Parks:
Line 6 Variax 6-string (simulating a Fender Telecaster), Line 6 Variax bass guitar (simulating a 1963 Fender Precision bass), programmed vibraphone, two programmed trumpets, programmed baritone sax, programmed violins, programmed Wurlitzer electric piano, programmed B3 Hammond Organ, programmed conga drums, programmed tambourine, programmed 1967 Ludwig Hollywood drum kit recorded at Abbey Road Studios, lead vocals, backing and harmony vocals.
Lyrics
It’s Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
You never know what you gonna do till you try
It’s Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
There’s nothing anybody can say
And no-one’s gonna get in your way. Easy peasy
If someone comes along and they say “Hey you!”
“What d’you think you’re doing here?”
“What are you gonna do?”
You gotta stand tall and look ‘em in the eye
Take a deep breath and then give ‘em your reply
You say “This is my world. This is what I do
And if you don’t like that more fool you.
I’ve written all the rules of the games that I play
And I’m the only referee and this is what I say”
It’s Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
You never know what you gonna do till you try
It’s Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
There’s nothing anybody can say
And no-one’s gonna get in your way. Easy peasy
If someone looks at you and they say you don’t fit
You’ll never come to anything. You’d better just quit.
All you gotta do is stare ‘em in the eye
Take a deep breath and then give them your reply
You say “This is my world. This is how I play.
You’d better get used to it. I’m not going away.
I’m staking my claim to be here right now
I won’t be talked out of it any old how.
Because it’s Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
You never know what you gonna do till you try
It’s Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
There’s nothing anybody can say
And no-one’s gonna get in your way. Easy peasy
You say “This is my world. This is what I do
And if you don’t like that more fool you.
I’ve written all the rules of the games that I play
And I’m the only referee and this is what I say”
It’s Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
You never know what you gonna do till you try
It’s Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
There’s nothing anybody can say
And no-one’s gonna get in your way
Easy peasy (Easy peasy)
Easy peasy (Easy peasy)
Easy peasy (Easy peasy)
Easy peasy