By Steve Titford
“Scary Things” was the first song I wrote for the musical The Wrong Way Round. I wanted a sound that captured the essence of an ’80s adventure, so I looked to the music from the TV shows and films I loved as a kid for inspiration. Fittingly, this song appears in the Title Sequence scene of the musical, although the title of the show was changed from Scary Things to The Wrong Way Round!
Recorded: | December 2022 - May 2024 |
Locations: | Steve Titford Productions, Fuerteventura Daddy Long Les Studios, UK |
BPM: | TBC |
Number of tracks: | 200 TBC |
Recording platform: | Logic Pro 11 |
Selected additional software: | Native Instruments FM8; Abbey Road 80s Drummer; Battery; Session Guitarist (various) Korg Mono/Poly OB8 Oberhausen |
Personnel: | Written and performed by Steve Titford Additional vocals Yessica Gillies Additional riff idea in verse Les Titford |
Sonically, this is one of the most complex songs I’ve ever built—though it may not sound like it! It consists of around 170 individual tracks, including instruments and vocals.
The song features an array of virtual vintage synths, including the Korg Monopoly, Yamaha DX7 (FM8), Roland Jupiter 8 (Arturia JP8V), and Oberheim. Fans of Stranger Things will likely recognise the not-so-subtle nod to Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein’s iconic theme at the start—a synth bass arpeggio reminiscent of John Carpenter’s score for Big Trouble in Little China. Layered over that is a massive Oberheim pad, similar to the one that opens The Terminator soundtrack by Brad Fiedel.
From there, the song launches into a high-energy wall of guitars and synths, backed by massive, open-sounding ’80s drums (Abbey Road 80s Drummer), reinforced with extra sample layers for added punch.
The verse takes inspiration from Don Henley’s The Boys of Summer and Richard Marx’s Should’ve Known Better, as well as the gloriously over-the-top sci-fi TV themes of the ’80s—think Star Fleet by Paul Bliss. Listen closely, and you might catch a short lead break using the eerily overused theremin sound, along with a nod to Ghostbusters via the DX7 Shimmer burst.
On bass, I blended a deliberately gritty FM bass (think Mister Mister’s Broken Wings run through a distortion pedal) with a second synth bass playing an ostinato. Later in the track, Native Instruments’ Prime Bass adds some funky slap bass, creating a 99 Red Balloons meets Hawkins kind of vibe.
The chorus hints at Go West’s Call Me, thanks to the Jupiter 8 brass stabs and playful bassline. The middle section continues this feel with some fruity fretless bass and swelling synth pads. A groovy bass riff leads into the final chorus, injecting a bit of humor before the song builds to a dramatic climax. A few subtle chord variations add extra tension, before it all ends in a lush, reverb-soaked finale.
Vocally, I collaborated with the incredibly talented Yessica Gillies, who delivers a soulful performance alongside my own vocals. We also used AI-generated vocals to create a choir-like effect.
This was the song I spent the most time perfecting—about four months on and off, starting in December 2022. It went through several rewrites and plenty of trial and error to get the instrumentation just right. But in the end, it was all worth it!
You can listen to Scary Things for free and enjoy it singalong style right here. The Wrong Way Round is available from Musicline Musicals.
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