Behind "The 40,000 Calorie Piano" (Say Something)

The Music Video

"The 40,000 Calorie Piano" is a parody of the song "Say Something" by A Great Big World.

While "Say Something" is about ending a relationship, "The 40,000 Calorie Piano" is about not being able to end a relationship (with food).

The Junk Food Piano

Twenty hours to create. Real junk food on a real piano.

- White Bread (3 loaves)

- Tacos (6)
- Hamburgers (5)
- Pizza (8 slices)
- Candy Bars (2)
- Skittles (4 pounds)
- Oreo-type cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ice Cream (2 gallons)
- Potato Chips (22 oz)
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
- Kit Kats (36 pieces)
- Doughnuts (17)
- Chocolate Ice Cream Pie (2 slices)
- Cupcakes (4)
- Chocolate Fruit Dip (8 oz)
- Cheese (16 slices)
- Other Cookies (8)
- Other Chips (24)

Other foods used in video:

- French Fries (60 oz)
- Hard Candies
- Bacon (10 oz)
- Fried Chicken Legs (2)

Almost all of the food was attached with a hot glue gun. For easy removal foam board was velcro-ed onto the top and sides of the piano. The food was then glued on the foam board or the piano itself. 

I try to have most of my songs revolve around issues that people can relate to. Being overwhelmed by delicious but consequently unhealthy food choices is something that is all too common. While this can be a very serious topic that delves into the realm of eating disorders, I decided to keep the mood light. Laughing at ourselves can be a good thing. Most of all I'm making fun of myself and my love of food. :)

The bacon diaper was especially difficult to make. My friend, Jake, who sings in the vocal version, helped me by holding the diaper on his fist while I sewed on the raw pieces of meat. The first go around we tried to microwave the diaper after we put the bacon on in order to cook it. It just left a greasy mess. Because of that we decided to sew the raw bacon on and then freeze it, which worked really well. The baby didn't seem too bothered by the temperature.

Parody Lyrics

Say something I can't give up on food 

But carrots and broccoli will not do 

Everywhere I see my favorite foods

Say something I can't give up on food. 

And I, like my chicken fried 

That doughnut looks good 

Give me some cheese fries. 

My gut will rumble and call 

The hunger is real

The craving I feel. 

Say something I can't give up on food 

But carrots and broccoli will not do 

Everywhere I see my favorite foods 

Say something I can't give up on food.

What's your favorite junk food? What food do you wish your piano were made of? Let me know in the comments. :)

For business inquires, press, or permission for use of photos and video, please contact chelseyjoymusic@gmail.com.
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Original Song: "Say Something" by A Great Big World
Written by Ian Axel, Chad King, Mike Campbell
From the album 'Is There Anybody Out There?' (2013)

Buy their music! https://www.agreatbigworld.com

Watch the original music video feat. Christian Aguilera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2U0Ivkn2Ds
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A note about copyright: This song and video are constituted as a "parody" and are therefore legal under the Fair Use Policy.

No monetary gain has been sought after or been received from fans, sponsors, or other endorsements. This video has never been and will never be monetized. Credit has been given to the original writers.

The only version of this song to be sold is the instrumental version, which is ultimately a cover of the original song "Say Something" by A Great Big World, and of which the proper mechanical licenses have been acquired, therefore paying royalties and tribute to the original writers.

While "Say Something" is about ending a relationship, "The 40,000 Calorie Piano" is about not being able to end a relationship (with food), therefore mocking and commenting upon the original.

Behind "Heaven Rain" | Lullabied

"Heaven Rain" by Chelsey Joy

From the album Lullabied (2014)

                                     

Behind the Song

“Heaven Rain” is symbolic of the blessings that one receives throughout their life. Just like raindrops do not hit the ground at the same time, good fortune does not come all at once. In many places, a drought often precedes rain. It is my personal belief that all blessings come from God, hence the title of this song.

The music video echoes this. A man wakes up in a state of limbo finding that he has recently passed away. This troubles him. While he is exploring his new surroundings, he finds a book full of gratitude entries. He learns that without gratitude, the only road is misery. Determined to make the most of his new “life” he decides to take on the role of a guardian angel.

I wanted this video to touch people that have lost loved ones and feel unsure about their state or condition.

Behind the Scenes Video

Composition

This piece was one of the first, if not the first, I wrote, dating back to 2009. I had just discovered Audacity, a free recording program, and was experimenting with it. I thought it was the coolest thing how you could record something, and then add a layer to it. I was a complete noob.

Because I was recording layers upon layers of whatever popped into my head, the composition itself isn’t very strong. After “Heaven Rain” was composed I struggled naming it. One of my ideas was to click the random article link on Wikipedia and title it after whatever article popped up. The first article was something along the lines of “Columba Inornata (Plain Pidgeon)” something, which didn’t fit. After listening to the song several more times I realized that it sounded like rain drops.

The Recording Process

“Heaven Rain” was recorded several times: first with Audacity in my bedroom at the time of composition, second with a new program I had purchased later, and finally professionally with Jason Jones of Art City Sound.

Rain effects were added to create a more ambient sound. I was also planning on a music video in the future that would involve scenes of rain and time lapse of a storm. The problem was when it came to shoot the music video, it didn’t go exactly as planned.

The Music Video

Previous Attempts:

This video was actually attempted a number of times with different concepts. It was only after I decided to have it be a bridge between the storytelling in “Bestia” and “Breath and Dust” did it finally work.

The first attempt at a concept came shortly after I wrote the song, and was simple enough. I wanted shots of rain, and perhaps rain drops falling onto the corresponding guitar strings and frets. I contacted filmmaker Devan Graham (known as “devansupertramp” on YouTube) but after receiving a response I realized that I wouldn’t be able to afford his services. I’m glad that it worked out this way because this was years ago – before I even wrote most of the songs on the album. I wasn’t ready at that point, and the recording wasn’t professional.

My second attempt came years later in 2014 shortly after the album was finished. I covered my hands in paint and turned the sprinkler on. I filmed my hands doing a sort of interpretive dance. It was actually posted onto YouTube and received a lot of confused responses. My film work wasn’t great either, and that is when I knew I couldn’t do this by myself. I needed a professional.

After searching online for a great cinematographer, I came across some videos done by Eric Thayne from Celadora Studios in Provo, Utah. The videos he did were high quality and I was sure it would fit the music. Before committing however, I got some feedback on my music from some professionals in the industry. If I was going to film a video I wanted it to be for a good song. We decided to shoot “Breath and Dust.” After a good experience and turn out, the rest is history.

The Real Thing:

“Heaven Rain” is the third music video I filmed with Eric. Because it is the third track on
Lullabied, I needed it to bridge the story gap between “Bestia,” “Breath and Dust,” and in the future, “Here Comes Destiny.” Over the past few months I’ve created a main storyline that will take place across the whole album.

In this particular video, a man, recently deceased, encounters his tombstone and is troubled at his new state. He seems to be in some sort of frozen paradise/limbo. He seems to be alone and explores his surroundings. He gather s materials to build a shelter. He finds a book buried in the sand. Upon reading it, he finds that it is filled with entries about gratitude. He realizes he should be grateful for the life he lived and his new “life”. He writes his own gratitude entry and places it in a bottle. Deciding to become a guardian angel of sorts, he ventures out onto the lake, crossing back over into the land of the living (cue “Breath and Dust”).

As I mentioned earlier, the original recording includes ambient rain in the background. Our plan was to film the entire video in rain. I had rented equipment to make this possible, but when I woke up the day of the shoot, it was snowing. It wasn’t very surprising, as it was the last few days of November. I had been checking the weather previously and snow wasn’t expected. Ultimately, I decided to shoot the video anyway. The snow actually helped convey that the main character was in a sort of heaven-like place so it worked. 

                             

Rick, who plays the main character, was a great sport. I had him walking around barefoot in the snow, and even the icy lake at one point. We were constantly putting blankets and hand warmers on his feet to keep him warm. He walked away from the shoot with numbness and minor cuts from the ice, but he recovered the next day.

Family, friends, and fans wrote the gratitude entries in the journal. I wanted to include as many languages as I could so that if the camera showed any of them, more people would feel connected the story. The same holds true for the guitar.

I “revisited” the abandoned house shown in “Breath and Dust” for the guitar performance. I had planned to have my sword with me, but unfortunately it was left in a separate car with other props. It was bitter cold; 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 Celsius). Because of this, we could only spend about ten minutes filming. It was unfortunate because the performance could have been a lot better.

The guitar was one of the coolest things I’ve made. I found it, a regular looking piece of wood, in a Pawn Shop. After painting it white and distressing it, I decided to burn words into it. Some of the words are “heaven,” “rain,” “grace,” “revitalization,” and “power.” When one expresses gratitude, the latter three seem to take precedence in his life as well as happiness.

Symbolism in the Music Video

1. White scenery – This is to suggest a state of limbo that the main character is in. It could also suggest that because of a sacrifice he made, which ultimately ended his life, he is in paradise (even though it’s a frozen one…).

2. White body paint – White is often accepted as a symbol of innocence, purity, and faith. In this particular video it is associated with an angelic state.

3. The Lake – In a Christian sense, this body of water can be viewed a baptism, or being born again. Shedding of those things that make us weaker. Cleansing. Making promises to God to be a better person. The lake here is frozen. It is my personal belief that when one passes away, they are the same person that they were when they were alive. However, they still have the opportunity to commit to being a better person. However, if they choose to make this commitment through baptism they could not because they do not have a body of flesh and bones. In my religion – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we perform baptisms for the dead. We are baptized in the name of someone that has passed. Then in the spirit world, this person can either accept or deny the baptism that was done for them. Again noting the lake as a symbol for cleansing, it would make sense that it was frozen over. The main character is dead. He would not be able to enter the water himself and be baptized. It might be a stretch – but it makes sense to me. After all, it is my video. J

4. A stuffed animal, or monster. I call this the Bestia, which is Spanish for “beast.” The Bestia represents weaknesses, struggles, temptations, and even wrong-doings. These things you battle daily inside of yourself. In this video, it represents death, something we all will face one day. Some may accept it, others may be troubled by it, as is the main character at first. This Bestia also represents the misery that comes from being ungrateful.

5. The shelter. Made from materials found on the beach, the man constructs a shelter, suggesting that he is coming to terms with his new state of being.

6. The journal. The journal represents the happiness that comes from recognizing your blessings. It is worn and has clearly been through a lot. However, if there is mention of misery in this journal, the entry probably further explains how this misery helped the person become stronger, better, and more grateful for what they have.