It’s a wild ride of a poem, Barbara Hamby’s “Ode on Words for Parties (American Edition).” The dizzying catalog of party scenes, good and bad, painful and hilarious, crescendoes headlong into a memory of a great party. Everyone deserves such a memory, and it’s good of the poet to host that for us.

<figure class="wp-block-audio"><figcaption>“Ode on Words for Parties (American Edition)” Dance Mix</figcaption></figure>

The words “shindig, bash, / meet-and-greets, raves, blowouts, barbecues” jumped out as a perfect chorus for a dance mix. That became the vocal chorus and the synth-bass hook for the song. A Mad Zach tutorial helped me craft the chorus for musical flow, with the poet’s words substituted for beatboxing. At 110.69 beats per minute, according to the DNA analysis of the vocal.

Listen closely for a Van Morrison allusion midway through, and for more Van- and Patti Smith-inspired chords later.

Apologies to EDM producers everywhere, and many thanks to Barbara Hamby for the poem!

–Jr. James

Learn more about Barbara Hamby’s writing on her web site.