QlL announces: Exercises in Song

Imagine singing the same song, ninety-nine different ways. Taking a popular English folk song and rewriting it so that it exemplifies the style "Metaphorically", or so that it resembles an official complaint letter, or so that groups of letters are rearranged by mathematical formula. This is Exercises in Song, and you can order a print copy of selected Exercises now, for free.

The core set of 99 variations are modelled after the seminal 1947 literary masterpiece by Raymond Queneau, Exercices de Style. Whereas Queneau told many variations of the same everyday story, Exercises in Song elaborates upon the eight lines of Show Me The Way To Go Home. Each variation is performable to the melody of the original folk song, and Exercises in Song also includes new variations, not seen in Queaneau's work: from ninety-nine core variations; to nine re-rendering of classics of English literature in the Show Me... format; to three retellings of Queneau's original story in song.

Exercises in Song 2008, the third Pocketful of Lies, is a sample of the best of both the original ninety-nine and the new twelve variations, finishing on December 25 with a special, Christmassy variation.

Sing an Exercise in Song every day during advent. Sing them to your co-workers. Sing them to your children. Sing them in the bath. Just sing them.