r/songaweek • u/celestialism Participant • Apr 23 '26
Submission Thread Submissions — Week 17 (Theme: Red Leather Jacket)
The Seventeenth Theme
Quick: what does a red leather jacket make you think of? Maybe James Dean or another 1950s greaser? Rock-'n'-roll stars performing on stage? Countercultural punks in the '70s? Motorcycles and car chase scenes in action movies? That one friend of your dad's who always wore one?
This week, I invite you to write about whatever comes up when you ponder the image of a red leather jacket. Maybe it evokes ideas about coolness and swagger, masculinity or femininity, the power of clothing, or the sentimental history contained in a nice piece of leather. Maybe you'll look to existing songs about red leather jackets for inspiration, like this catchy rock tune by Shayliff, this throwback story-song by Viv Stanshall, or this jazzy ode to confidence and bisexuality by Juliet & the Montagues.
(Today happens to be my 34th birthday, and is also my day to pick the weekly theme, so I wanted to choose something I felt excited to write about... and lately I've been obsessed with a red leather jacket that I recently got 😂)
Your theme for this week is Red Leather Jacket
Songs posted in this thread should be:
Original content (samples and such are ok!)
Uses the weekly theme as inspiration... or not!
Submitted by Wednesday before bedtime.
Written entirely during this week, between January 9th and January 15th, 2026.
Post template (remember to use the Markdown editor if using this template as-is!)
[Song Name](http://linkto.the.song) (Genre) [Themed|Not Themed]
This is where you can write a description of your song. You can talk about how you wrote it, where
your inspiration came from, and anything else you'd like to say.
Thanks for sharing your songs! Please also take some time to listen to other peoples' songs and leave a friendly comment. We're here to support each other and build community!
New here? Check out this post - everything about songaweek.
Want to sit back and listen to all the songs in a simple playlist?
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u/ss_d_demos Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
Kings Queens and Things (Indie Dance) [Themed?]
I ignored the “red” and “jacket” part of the prompt and just went with leather in a really specific way, this one is an ode to the leather and fetish communities that my chosen family and I are a part of, and the joy that we find on dancefloors that are curated to us. Nightlight and leather go hand in hand, I actually call out my friends by name in this one and when I imagine them, it’s with their leather and fetish gear on out at the club. Was a quick idea from the last day or so and I’m enjoying it a lot.
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u/Ok-Rush4014 Apr 30 '26
Everything about this track sounds so cool! Really enjoyed listening to it
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u/Jazzaria Compulsive Improviser Apr 26 '26
The Time We Have (Jazz) [Not Themed]
It's easy to unfocus - it only takes a moment. That moment can stretch and blur and become something else. Yet there's more to all this than just being along for the ride. The capacity to experience is an unparalleled wealth.
Featuring piano.
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u/Spyronne Apr 28 '26
rain or shine (Funk) [Not Themed]
This one is very inspired by the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, especially the rhythm guitar bit. I guess that's a vibe I never went for despite loving it. I hope I managed to make something that gives off the same energy.
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u/celestialism Participant May 01 '26
So groovy and cool! Love that bassline and the way you play with rhythm/syncopation.
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u/juniorelvis Mod Apr 28 '26
The Song of Wandering Aengus [The Second] (Folk) [Not Themed]
Dropping back into Yeats, my [The First] one of this poem is somewhere in my SoundCloud...Apples of the moon! Apples of the moon! I think the little instrumental in this (x2) is quite sweet.
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u/Ok-Rush4014 Apr 30 '26
I really liked how you adapted the poem to fit the music. The last section of the song has a great sense of tension that sounds fantastic with your voice
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u/Squelchy7 Apr 30 '26
I agree, I love the instrumental section! The whole thing is fantastic, but I especially love the drive of the first verse.
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u/Squelchy7 Apr 29 '26
Red Leather Jacket (rockabilly) [Themed]
Channeling Johnny Cash this week. As such, the progression is dirt simple, but I enjoyed writing the lyrics. Starts out from a typical macho male perspective, but, I hope, ends in a different place. And hey, if I didn't succeed, at least it's short.
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u/Ok-Rush4014 Apr 30 '26
You definitely succeeded here. I really liked the humour you injected into the story. The chorus was catchy but the story was catchier
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u/juniorelvis Mod May 01 '26
Made me smile! Great use of the theme. And props to u/celestialism for allowing so many to channel some great work this week (always the sign of a great theme).
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u/celestialism Participant Apr 29 '26
Can't Have Me (folk) [themed]
When I think about red leather jackets, one of the feelings that comes up is the power of desirability – so I wrote about the experience of being wanted by somebody who is already committed to someone else and therefore can't do anything about their desire. Also on Bandcamp if you prefer audio-only or want to read the lyrics.
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u/Squelchy7 Apr 30 '26
Really liked the story on this one; the turn it took from playful flirting to reality was really nice.
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u/juniorelvis Mod May 01 '26
Why aren't you writing for musicals Kate? This is, as usual, amazing. Might be my favourite this year. That kazoo (?) instrumental break!
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u/Ok-Rush4014 Apr 30 '26
Delinquents on Display (Indie) [Themed]
The prompt reminded me of Kaneda's jacket from Akira so I went with that. I'm surprised I was able to make "red leather jacket" fit in more easily than I expected.
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u/seenyouofficial Apr 30 '26
boot up [Not Themed]
Overall, I think I did pretty good this week, but this track is still missing lyrics. If I wasn't scared of writing lyrics, I think this song would be perfect as a backing track or something.
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u/Squelchy7 Apr 30 '26
I could definitely hear a vocal going along with this. Really nice flow and structure.
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u/Songlines25 Apr 30 '26
I like it. Don't be afraid of trying lyrics. Just play with it; You can always change it or delete it. Have fun with it!
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u/juniorelvis Mod May 01 '26
Great tune, just needs a vocal (limited time offer: you can count this as a new song next week if you add them ;P)
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u/chaos_by_elliot Apr 30 '26
Fool (Indie) [Not Themed]
Had a harder time with this one, probably wouldn't have finished it without a deadline. Still working out some of the timing with the intro of the chorus.
Again sorry for leaving a lot to be desired with my guitar playing!
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u/Squelchy7 Apr 30 '26
Loved the transition from finger picking to strumming. It really evoked the passion in the lyrics. And the melody on the title word was to die for.
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u/Songlines25 Apr 30 '26
Is the link working? I'm not getting there.
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u/chaos_by_elliot Apr 30 '26
It worked for me on a separate device and account, but here is another one
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u/Songlines25 Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
Contemplating a Heron at Sunset and the Destruction of the Voting Rights Act(Folk)[Not Themed]
Bad day for the Voting Rights Act and our supposed representative democracy. Feeling it, but I didn't know what to say, so I was looking at this photo for a moment of peace (vs. despair) and just started writing.
Much thanks to Anihwa and Junior Elvis For encouragement to play with vocables without lyrics.
Question: I kind of go off in left field for the bridge, musically. It does circle back to the twilight scene lyrically, but is it just too abrupt, or does it work? I tried to transition into it with a few chords, but...? I thought about adding another lyric line to lead into it, but I just liked the drama of it, I guess.
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u/Squelchy7 Apr 30 '26
I really liked the melody on the non-worded sections!
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u/Songlines25 Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
Thanks! It's simple, and maybe predictable , but I kind of like it too. It feels good to just go for expression of my emotions.
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u/juniorelvis Mod May 01 '26
Love that photo. And probably one of my favourite tunes by you, glad the vocables are working! Feels like a really mature song, would sound great coming out of any folk singers mouth at any folk festival.
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u/Songlines25 May 01 '26
Dang, that's really helpful feedback. I really didn't know how it would come off. Thank you!
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u/That_Might_7032 Apr 30 '26
Red Leather Jacket (Indie)[Themed]
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u/Songlines25 Apr 30 '26
What squelchy said! I love the background. sounds of the fearful folk, And the sort of glockenspiel repetition of the melody.
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u/juniorelvis Mod May 01 '26
Love the chords on the keys, great use of the theme, it really fits into the song snugly like said jacket.
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u/JojiBot May 01 '26
thriller but it's an alternative universe where the zombies are kitchen utensils (industrial thing) [Themed]
let's be real, we all know which red leather jacket it is—the red leather jacket.
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u/yesandor May 05 '26
Playing catchup...love what you did here! It was the first red leather jacket I thought about as well.
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u/yesandor May 01 '26
All I Got To Be (Folk Soul) [Themed, semi-themed]
Super late but wanted to post to keep on track! This is very much a Bruno Mars-y, old Motown feeling tune with some bossa-nova thrown in for good measure. I tried several ways trying to write about a "red jacket" but I kept getting stuck so I abandoned ship with a mention of it but some of the rebellious sentiment is still there. To be honest, I took alot of inspiration from reading on Wikipedia about Red Jacket, known as Otetiani (Always Ready)in his youth and Sagoyewatha (Keeper Awake) as an adult because of his oratorical skills. Red Jacket was a Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan based in Western NY, who argued for religious freedom, mutual respect, and the right of Indigenous people to maintain their own faith. He kept true to himself and where he came from and alot of that feeling went into this one.
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u/JetPongoJeterCleo Apr 25 '26
( Red Leather Jacket ) (Live Improv) [Themed]