James LaBrie interview (excerpt)

Is it more challenging to write lyrics and melodies over Dream Theater’s challenging signature times, or is it easier to write what you did on your solo CD?

Well, it depends on the songs, right? I mean, some of the Dream Theater songs, it’s more in the vein of what I experienced writing, you know, the melodies for this album. Yes, I would say that they are more immediate because you’re looking in more of a 4/4, you know, four-time, right? There’s none of these odd-time signatures going on. With Dream Theater, though, I automatically fall into a groove, and that’s what’s really allowed me to be able to sing without thinking about what I’m doing, because I automatically feel the rhythm, feel the groove. I don’t need to be counting – I couldn’t do that, I’d lose my frickin marbles. I think playing drums from the age of five till I was 17 gave me that rhythm, that rhythmic understanding and fundamental basis. And so when I’m writing a Dream Theater, I – you know what? Well, here’s an example: When I was writing the melody for ‘Alien’, with John and Jordan, that was a little bizarre, but I fell into it. I was saying, ‘Okay, here’s my melody ideas: [vocalizes rhythm],’ and stuff like, ‘[sings] I’m alien, changed forever...’ And that whole thing, even the second verse, ‘[sings] Understand the meaning, Certain we’ll extend...’ That whole thing, it’s in a sixth time, and it’s bizarre, over what’s going on in the guitar and the keys. But it depends on the song, it really does. And, and it’s just a matter of being able to find that pocket, find that groove, and with Dream Theater is a little bit more of a thought process put into it for sure, just because of the progressiveness of the songs. Whereas ‘Beautiful Shade of Gray’ was something that I could hear immediately, and I could, [with] a little bit of tweaking here and there, I would create the melodies for sure. And the way that I go about writing is, I have to have the melody down before I write the lyric. Why? Because the melody, once I have the melody of the song, then I really get the full picture of the vibe. And that influences me, that is the inspiration for the subject matter. So I have to feel that first. So it’s a matter of processing, it’s the music, to create the music and then create the melody, and then create the lyric.