CHUCK GIRARD- Singer, Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Worship Leader
A Pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music, Member and Co-Founder of the CCM group 'LOVE SONG.'
A Pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music, Member and Co-Founder of the CCM group 'LOVE SONG.'
Tinagera
Please, let me tell you once and for all who "Tinagera" is. In all my years, I have had more questions about this title than any other piece of my work.
"Who is Tinagera?" Well, here's the answer:
When I write a song, sometimes I use what I call a "dummy line," which I use while shaping the song, but is never intended to be a part of the finished song. The most famous dummy line that I know of is "Scrambled Eggs," which was the working title of the song "Yesterday" by the Beatles.
Anyhow, the opening line of “Tinagera” was:
"She was young, she was born in the teenage era."
To me, the teenage era was when I became a teenager. In my opinion, the 50's were when teenagers came into their own as a social group in a way that is unique in history. I believe this is true because of the ability of 20th century media to shape our perceptions of culture. Elvis and rock'n'roll provided a music that was just for teenagers, birthed out of a kind of rebellion indigenous to the teenagers of the time. Movies like "Rebel Without a Cause," "East of Eden," and the persona of James Dean, in particular, epitomized the teenage image and the kind of "cool" that teenagers wanted to be, like no other time in history. So this song was intended to reflect the fairly recent phenomena of teenagers who are forced to confront grownup problems before they are adults, and are effectively robbed of their youth.
As I worked with the first line, which I had always intended to change later, the words "teenage era" sort of slurred into "Tinagera," which sounded to me like a girl's name. I thought it would be artsy to use it as a symbolic name representing every youth who fits the description of the girl in the song. I don't know why I specifically chose a female image, perhaps it seemed more sympathetic to me.
As I crossed that first bridge, I decided to also call the place she came from "Tinagera." So in effect I could have written, "She was young, she was born in Anytown, and her name was "Anyone." At least that was my intent.
Musically, I wanted to use the format of a 'doo-wop' song, but did not want to create a parody. I wanted to use the genre in a serious way to underscore the teenage aspect of the theme, as that was the music of my teenage years and many who would be listening to the song. I put all the '50s influences I could into the song, from the chords, to the Phil Spector-ish castanets at the end.
The original background vocals were sung by the "Innocents," who had several hits in the '60s ("Beware" and "Gee Whiz") and who had backed Kathy Young on her #1 hit "A Thousand Stars." When we got the vocals on the song, they seemed too low and a bit dated for the track, and I blew them off, a decision I much regret today. David Pack (later of Ambrosia) and I re-arranged a more contemporary but very busy background vocal arrangement which took days to record. Many of the subtleties were lost in the mix, and though the vocals served the track, I really would like to have heard the Innocents vocals which would have been more fitting as I look back on it.
This song touched a chord with many people, and even today I hear testimonies of how God had used this song.
Chuck
"Who is Tinagera?" Well, here's the answer:
When I write a song, sometimes I use what I call a "dummy line," which I use while shaping the song, but is never intended to be a part of the finished song. The most famous dummy line that I know of is "Scrambled Eggs," which was the working title of the song "Yesterday" by the Beatles.
Anyhow, the opening line of “Tinagera” was:
"She was young, she was born in the teenage era."
To me, the teenage era was when I became a teenager. In my opinion, the 50's were when teenagers came into their own as a social group in a way that is unique in history. I believe this is true because of the ability of 20th century media to shape our perceptions of culture. Elvis and rock'n'roll provided a music that was just for teenagers, birthed out of a kind of rebellion indigenous to the teenagers of the time. Movies like "Rebel Without a Cause," "East of Eden," and the persona of James Dean, in particular, epitomized the teenage image and the kind of "cool" that teenagers wanted to be, like no other time in history. So this song was intended to reflect the fairly recent phenomena of teenagers who are forced to confront grownup problems before they are adults, and are effectively robbed of their youth.
As I worked with the first line, which I had always intended to change later, the words "teenage era" sort of slurred into "Tinagera," which sounded to me like a girl's name. I thought it would be artsy to use it as a symbolic name representing every youth who fits the description of the girl in the song. I don't know why I specifically chose a female image, perhaps it seemed more sympathetic to me.
As I crossed that first bridge, I decided to also call the place she came from "Tinagera." So in effect I could have written, "She was young, she was born in Anytown, and her name was "Anyone." At least that was my intent.
Musically, I wanted to use the format of a 'doo-wop' song, but did not want to create a parody. I wanted to use the genre in a serious way to underscore the teenage aspect of the theme, as that was the music of my teenage years and many who would be listening to the song. I put all the '50s influences I could into the song, from the chords, to the Phil Spector-ish castanets at the end.
The original background vocals were sung by the "Innocents," who had several hits in the '60s ("Beware" and "Gee Whiz") and who had backed Kathy Young on her #1 hit "A Thousand Stars." When we got the vocals on the song, they seemed too low and a bit dated for the track, and I blew them off, a decision I much regret today. David Pack (later of Ambrosia) and I re-arranged a more contemporary but very busy background vocal arrangement which took days to record. Many of the subtleties were lost in the mix, and though the vocals served the track, I really would like to have heard the Innocents vocals which would have been more fitting as I look back on it.
This song touched a chord with many people, and even today I hear testimonies of how God had used this song.
Chuck
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Chuck Girard's Music
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