Is my GenAI song music?

Here’s a human written, AI composed and recorded song, and its genesis. Let's explore and discuss creativity and artistry in the age of AI - along with Rimbaud, Walter Benjamin and Nicola Cruz.

My GenAI Song’s GenAI Cover - where’s the art you ask? Maybe there needs not be art? Maybe there is still?

I wrote my first song. I did not compose or play it, although I wish I knew how to. But I wrote it, and made it whole with GenAI. Let me unpack this. I, the human I, or I the other as Rimbaud once wrote, wrote lyrics for a song. The lyrics I wrote formed in my mind, connecting unrelated domains and ideas, what’s happening in the world, how I feel, who I am, random and key tidbits of my life, all coming together thanks to a creative process that tries to see the whole before and beyond its parts. Hopefully we’ll agree this is what creativity is about, whether or not you like the lyrics and the song that they birthed. These are the lyrics I wrote.

Muted sights

Did you see
the deafening lights?
Contemplate
the towering might?
Don’t you walk past
their pretend play,
Stop and pay your part.

Have we learned
Their muted sights
Give no rights.
Have we seen
Their muted sights
Ever play their part?

Big city
is no small act,
And that town is
Bigger than it sounds.
Apart they stay
Apart they stray
Why together they thrive?

Have we learned
Their muted sights
Give no rights.
Have we seen
Their muted sights
Ever play their part?

On the stage
They try,
Make a mockery
Of you or me?
When will we see
Through the noise
They always play?

Have we learned
Their muted sights
Give no rights.
Have we seen
Their muted sights
Ever play their part?

It’s not you
It’s not me
It’s up to
them I see.
Tone down
Band up
We might just be right.

I had been wanting to find a new channel for the words that are in my heads, that I scribble here and there, that I sometimes condense in haikus on Instagram. My main creative process rests on, and comes to life in words. Those are not purely rational words, they are often very instinctive. Right brain more than left brain generated even. But there are no sounds, few images, and many emotions that words process and capture. Seizing the opportunities that go beyond text-to-text generative AI, it occurred to me I could explore something that had been out of creative reach for me: songwriting, composing and recording, thanks to Suno.

Suno offers a pretty straightforward interface. You can easily create a song with a prompt, keeping it as vague and ‘vibeful’ - brat or demure anyone? - as you want, and you’ll get something that sounds like a song indeed - there is something quite magical about wringing a song into being with mere words. But like any other input-output process, the more refined you are upfront, the better the results. Genre, instrumentation, structure, tempo and key, vocal style and this critical je ne sais quoi (that probably hooks us because it reminds us of the music we listened to in our late teens and early twenties) all play a part in what a song is.

Being no musical expert, I enlisted my sidekick ChatGPT to explore the genres and features that would be best suited to the lyrics that were my song’s basis. I follow a simple, proven to be effective, heuristic when prompting: Role, Action, Context (RAC). Based on what and who I’m listening to, I had a good idea of the “kind” of music I wanted to delve into. Here’s how it started:

I need you to act like a highly coveted indie music composer based in Austin, Texas. I have written lyrics and would like recommendations as to the genre and other features that would form the basis for the instrumental part of the song.

My prompt to ChatGPT 4o (to which I added the lyrics)

A clear - if simplistic - role or identity. Some context in the form of lyrics. And an action: what should this song be? ChatGPT’s answer gave me a lot to work from, in a very nuanced and granular way.

This is a striking set of lyrics with a vibe that’s simultaneously introspective and subtly defiant, perfect for a nuanced, layered instrumental approach. Here’s a suggestion for the instrumental direction that could enhance the essence of these lyrics:

Genre

Given the urban themes and reflective tone, indie rock with ambient post-rock elements would be an excellent genre choice. The lyrics carry a sense of “observing from a distance” with a raw vulnerability that indie rock can complement, while post-rock’s atmospheric soundscapes would evoke the vastness of a cityscape. Artists like Radiohead, The National, or Sigur Rós come to mind for blending contemplative lyrics with textures that feel grand yet deeply personal.

Instrumentation

- Guitar: Use electric guitar with reverb and delay effects for an ambient, echoing feel, capturing the “deafening lights” and “towering might” of the big city. Occasional, muted plucking during verses, and swells or crescendos in the chorus would add drama, supporting the weight of the message.
- Bass: A driving, low bass line, kept subtle in verses but amplified in the chorus, gives the track an underlying pulse—representing the city’s unyielding rhythm.
- Percussion: A steady, mid-tempo beat with soft brushwork or snare hits could suit the verses, gradually building into more powerful kicks and cymbals in the chorus to underscore the “big city is no small act” sentiment.
- Synth or Pads: Atmospheric synth or pad sounds can add texture, especially in the chorus. This creates a sense of space and adds depth to the “muted sights” theme, with an ethereal quality.

Song Structure and Dynamics

- Verse: Start with a minimalist approach—sparse instrumentation with just the guitar and bass, letting the vocals breathe. This can reflect the distance and introspection of observing the city.
- Chorus: Expand with layered instruments and a fuller sound to represent the scale of the “big city” and the collective power mentioned in the lyrics. A subtle change in the melody could elevate the chorus and give it an anthemic quality.
- Bridge: Consider a bridge that strips down to nearly bare vocals and guitar, before building back up, mirroring the tension in lines like “It’s not you / It’s not me / It’s up to them I see.”

Tempo and Key

A moderate tempo (around 85-100 BPM) would work well, allowing the lyrics space to be felt without rushing. A minor key (e.g., D minor or E minor) would add a melancholic, contemplative edge to underscore the song’s introspection, while major accents can brighten the song in places to offer moments of hope or resolve.

Vocal Style

A raw, unpolished vocal delivery with a slight drawl or hushed intensity, similar to Jeff Buckley or Matt Berninger of The National, would suit the lyrics. It would lend authenticity to the narrator’s observations, evoking both detachment and empathy.

This combination would create a soundscape that feels like wandering through an expansive, indifferent cityscape—capturing the push and pull of being simultaneously part of and apart from something vast and shared.

ChatGPT 4o’s Musical Recommendations

There was a bit more of back and forth between ChatGPT, Suno and me, a few-shot prompting and answering, a trial and error text-to-music sequence, to refine the components and the output I was looking for. And there it was, my song made for me, Muted Sights.

Muted Sights - Anthony Frenchy

What do I think of the song as a finished artefact? I certainly don’t dislike it. Would I listen to it if I hadn’t created it? Not quite sure I would. I still feel like that je ne sais quoi is missing, the ghost in the machine is not there yet. But that’s beside the point for now.

Here’s another question: am I the author of the song? Well no I am not if you consider an author must have both created and made, that they must have written the lyrics and the music in harmony, and maybe even performed. But if we follow the mental path laid out a long time ago by Walter Benjamin in "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, showing how photography - and by extension other “creative technologies” - reduces the “aura” or “unique presence” of a work of art, then here I am, using yet another mechanical prosthetic to create a work of art.

And here’s where this could lead us - yes I know, this is very much along the lines of “where will AI lead us”, please indulge my 2 futuristic cents. How can GenAI songs be useful and valued? Much like we have learned to do with pictures, we have to look past the artistic, cultural or archival value of creative artefacts. Art is still made of pictures and songs - and so much more. But maybe pictures and songs do not always have to be art? Maybe they can be memory or mood tokens we create for ourselves or a few others around us?

Maybe songs I create are intended for my sole listening pleasure, a keepsake or memento mori. Creation is a me to me process there. Maybe we’ll use songs as birthday cards, love letters or thoughtful messages of any kind, on a one to one basis. Maybe I’ll use songs as part of a creative brief, to convey to the best we can our creative intention to an artist who will take it further. And maybe GenAI song making will reveal talent that just needed new tools to shine.

Done with my song generating and my writing for now. Listening to Nicola Cruz - his art would not exist without the digital tools of his trade, and a rare talent that connects sounds, influences and cultures.