![]() | ||||
|
"Set Them Free" Wins Award in the 7th Annual Great American Song Contest
(Clearwisdom.net) The results of the 7th Annual Great
American Song Contest were released on March 15, and among the winners was
"Set Them Free" by Randall Effner, which received an "Honor"
award for Lyric Writing. Created by songwriters, the Great American Song Contest focuses on helping
songwriters and lyricists improve their skills while providing opportunities to
have their work be seen and heard by music publishers, producers, and music
media. Every entry receives a written evaluation from the contest judges. This
year, the contest celebrated its seventh successful year as a respected
international songwriting event. This year's contest had 1800 entries overall, with 500 entries in the Lyric
Writing category. In this group, in addition to the first place winner, four
songs earned "Outstanding Achievement" awards, eight won awards as
"Finalists" and fifteen more songs, including "Set Them
Free" won "Honor" awards. "Set Them Free" was originally written in the summer of 2005 for a
large march and rally to "Quit the CCP" (Tuidang) held at the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington DC. Since then, it's been performed live or recordings of
it have been played at numerous Tuidang rallies around the world, including New
York, Boston, Miami, Australia, London, and other places. In Randall's words: "A friend in Washington DC asked me to try to write
a song for the rally, something specific to the movement to Quit the CCP.
Actually, I had already been thinking about writing such a song for a long time,
and this provided the added incentive I needed. I remembered the powerful impact
the protest songs of the 60s had on the civil rights movement. It was that
music, more than anything else, that turned rather apathetic students such as
myself into activists. I thought, 'Maybe that idealism is still out there, lying
dormant, waiting for the right spark to ignite it again.' "I'm very pleased and grateful to have received this award from this
highly respected group of music-industry professionals. But it's also a test of
sorts. I have to remember why I'm doing this. I am not seeking to be a star or
sell CDs. The purpose for writing the song was to help end the persecution in
China, and I think this award and the publicity surrounding it will further that
goal. I hope that now, even more people will learn "Set Them Free" and
sing it wherever people need to hear the truth. "Someone asked me who the song is addressing, who it's talking to. To me
it is a direct appeal to the governments and people of the free world. At the
same time, it's a challenge, or more properly, a demand to the communist regime
in China, to "let these people go." Finally, it is a heartfelt plea to
all the righteous forces in heaven: 'Set Them Free!' It is all of these things
at once. "When I wrote the song last summer, I was up against a tight deadline.
There was no time to make an appointment at a studio, so I recorded it at a
friend's house. That original demo recording had a lot of spirit, but it was
kind of rough. You can find that version of the song posted here:
http://www.pureinsight.org/PI/index.php?news=3927 "Since then, we've worked on it some more, and got some great help from
professional studios both here in Missouri where I live and also in Florida. The
new recording of 'Set Them Free' is now posted at our website, www.justicewillprevail.com
." Randall and his daughter Sara have been writing music and performing together
for several years. Words and Music by Randall Effner I hear the chimes of freedom ring again I'd like to paint a picture in this song, Chorus: The labor camps are like a living hell The free world should stand up for liberty Repeat Chorus The world will not forget the Berlin Wall The blood red dragon can no longer fly Repeat Chorus Raise Pitch One Step and Repeat Chorus Posting date: 4/17/2006
feedback@clearwisdom.net |