BHS and NSAI Song Search
Arrangements and Learning Tracks Now Available!
We are pleased to announce arrangements and learning tracks are now available for purchase in our Harmony Marketplace! The Barbershop Harmony Society is excited to continue this Song Search as an annual event coordinated with the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and are already planning for the second annual Song Search this spring.
Check out the arrangements via the links below and if you are interested in hearing the original song, you can listen to them from our BHS Song Search Results blog post.
Paul Olguin (BHS) | "Hold You a Little Too Long"
"Hold You a Little Too Long"
Written by Paul Olguin
Arranged by Theo Hicks
"Just before the beginning of the COVID-19 quarantine, a group of several friends and I were going our separate ways after having spent part of the morning together. We realized that it might be the last time we'd see each other in person for a while. One of my friends commented that the next time we got together we should be prepared to be hugged a lot. Even then, we weren't hugging each other goodbye.
About a week later, inspired to do what I could in the face of isolation, I decided to create a YouTube series on Songwriting. In the third episode, I decided to write the chorus of a song from start to finish to demonstrate the process. I chose the idea inspired by my friend, wrote the chorus to the song, and then created the video. Days later, BHS announced its Song Search, and this beginning of a song seemed like it might be just what BHS was looking for. So, I wrote two verses and submitted it."
Sandy Murphy (NSAI) | “As Long As I Got You”
"As Long As I Got You"
Written by Sandy Fredrickson
Arranged by Eric Ruthenberg
Sandy Murphy is a New York based songwriter who has had songs released on major record labels such as Sony, Epic, Universal and Disney. Her songs have been featured on numerous TV shows and movies (Veep, One Life to Live, All My Children, Degrassi High, Cover Versions, etc.). She enjoys being a co-coordinator for both the New York City and Long Island chapters of the Nashville Songwriters Association. Her solo CD “Love Struck” has been selling well all over the world and is available on iTunes. Additionally, she performs frequently as singer and keyboardist with her classic rock band the Legendary Murphys in the tri-state area.
Her song “As Long As I Got You” was written one rainy afternoon after watching her Chihuahua, Emily, staring sadly out the window. The song is a fantasy of what a wonderful time they could have at the park, even if only in their own imaginations. The song illustrates that a sunny day is possible with a great companion by your side, no matter how bad the storm!
Matt Astle (BHS) | “You Can't Stop the Sun”
"You Can't Stop the Sun"
Written by Matt Astle
Arranged by Wayne Grimmer
"Although we’re all struggling right now with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to write a song that would apply to all sorts of other difficulties in life as well as the current situation. I live in the Seattle area, and during the first several weeks of the recent shut-down we had unusually sunny weather, which helped make a tough situation a little bit more bearable. This song builds on that theme: the sun (hope, love, friendship) is always there, even when you can’t see it behind the clouds.
I’m best known in the barbershop world as an arranger, having done custom arrangements for several International-level quartets and choruses. I work as a corporate attorney, but my undergrad degree in music means more to me than my law degree."