Wrote a song about ASD. Should I sing it at a coffeehouse?

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I wrote a song about my experiences with a potential ASD. It's here:

http://www.jayjacksononline.com/languagejayoct20.mp3

It's very hastily recorded and I was singing quietly because one of my housemates was in the kitchen outside my room and I hate singing when they're around.

So I want to know:

A) What you think about the song.
and
B) I want to sing this at an upcoming coffee house at my university. It will be heard by students. But what I want to know is, will singing about autism build a bridge (make connections to people or garner understanding), or further isolate me? I just don't want them to think "Wow, that's a depressing song and I don't get it." But I want to sing it, because it's my words about what I'm going through.

What do you think?

I think it's a great song and I encourage you to sing it at the coffee house.

A) I think it's a pretty good song, nice piano play and clear vocals.

B) I think you should use it in a repertoire where it's the only one of this weight and let them figure-out what it means.

The page won't load for me. I can put it up somewhere else or something?

I don't know why it's not working for you, Ganondox. It's working fine on my end.

I was thinking of also doing the song "Perfect" by Hedley. Maybe that would make my set list too heavy though? To me, Perfect has the same message - there is something different about you that makes you separate.

beautiful melody and lyrics

A) I think your song is great

I particularly like the piano--it's a very emotive melody, complex enough that it dances but consistent enough that it flows smoothly.

I don't react to vocals the way I react to instrumentals so I can't give you similar feedback on your singing or lyrics....but I think I got the gist of your message and I'd say your vocal accompaniment matched your melody nicely.

Thank you. I'm glad you can actually hear the piano in that less than stellar recording.

My audience will be mostly music students at my university. We will all have a common interest in music and how music affects your life, and performing. I went to the coffee house last year and performed two of my songs but didn't get much feedback.

Building a bridge isn't mandatory for me. Of course, I would love it if this song made people understand what I'm facing a little better, but I really just want to sing my words and be honest and me for one second in front of these people. I'm so sick of hiding.

I'm just a little worried because my friends will be present, and one of them already gets after me for being negative. I don't know if this song comes across as negative.

wow its moving i dont know its up to you about singing it its what you feel comfortable with and how comfortable you feel with the venue

Your song is very heartfelt and beautiful...you should definitely perform it if you feel comfortable. Have you also considered opening a youtube channel to showcase your work further? There is a huge audience there that you could potentially showcase your work to...especially towards people with ASD and their support networks.

Because your audience is university students, they are more likely to be open-minded and curious about AS than the general population would be. I imagine that, with this in mind, they will walk away both inspired and informed.

For the friend who thinks you are being negative, they may be a little more sympathetic after they hear about your difficulties...but you never know unless you tell them.

I have a youtube channel. I will post it up there, I just want to record it in better quality first.

I would love to post it on youtube as a song for people with ASD and their support networks, but I feel like I can't quite claim the ASD label yet - I believe I am on the spectrum, but I'm waiting to see a doctor to diagnose me.

I posted it on facebook to test whether my friends would like it, and I got a good response from someone, so I feel much more confident about performing it in the coffee house next week.

I loved the song and your singing style, your voice reminds me a little of Bob Dorough, an American Jazz singer and stylist/

YouTube Bob Dorough

It also made me think of that song, "Send in the Clowns", here is a youtube version by the late, great Frank Sinatra:



Youtube Send in the Clowns



I have a suggestion about your lyrics, which is the way they are now they are bit opaque. Maybe you could be more direct and say something like 'No one understands my language' The chorus of 'blah, blah, blah' is terrific, Or maybe 'I don't understand your language?

As far as it specifically referencing life in ASD land, it doesn't really read that way to me, it sounds more like someone who is alienated from the world he lives in.

So either leave it alone, or tweak the lyrics a little bit, your movie. Good job!

I've never heard Bob Dorough before. I like him. And LOVE Send In The Clowns. That's by Sondheim, who is one of my heroes and a songwriting inspiration.

The original lyrics I wrote actually said "Nobody speaks my language" but when I thought about performing it for people I was worried that using "my" would make it too negative. I think I'll perform it with the word "my". I shouldn't worry what other people will think. I put some specific references to experiences I have that seem to be common on the spectrum, like trouble with eye contact, "too much input", and shutting down when faced with noise and crowds.

Ganondox, I uploaded it to youtube. Does this work for you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMkPuUWxBrM

Thanks everyone for the comments.