Single Cover Revisited
Song: I Will Make You Mine
Three weeks ago, I asked you to help me choose a cover for my new single. There were several comments. Some were personal preferences. Some felt a certain image captured the feel of the song. And some gave logical reasons for selecting (or not selecting) specific images. They were great. I appreciate it!
Naturally, there was no clear winner. Honestly, I wasn’t totally thrilled with any of the images. Number 5 was the one that “felt” best to me. And art is about emotion, right? The photo does work as a depiction of what might have happened after he “made her his.” Marriage, children, and all that comes with it. I like that aspect.
But I decided to keep looking for a photo that would be the perfect match. That has proven futile. I even tried generating some AI images with Substack’s built-in AI generator. But they just gave me a lot of good-looking couples. Which could work, I suppose. In one image, the woman had an extra hand. Maybe that made his “heart beat double-time.” Who knows? 😂 But they didn’t really capture what I imagined.
I can’t seem to shake the “country” or “cowboy” feel I get from the song. So, I did some mock-ups using more “western” images.
#1) This first one features a “cowgirl” on a horse. You can’t get much more western or cowboy than that. It is a beautiful photo, Pardner. But it doesn’t really appeal to me as a cover image for this song,
#2) This one also features a “cowgirl” or “rodeo girl.” Although she looks more annoyed than interested to me. 😂 Which kind of plays into the “give me half a chance” lyric. And it has a cinematic look that I like.
#3) This one is neither country nor western (except the locale), but I stumbled upon it and like the look of it. Cover images don’t have to match the song lyrics. Many album covers are simply photos of the artist. [If I was 40 years younger, I might use my image. But I don’t want to scare anyone with a current one.]
It is an attention-getter, which is a good thing for a cover. But it would probably work better if I was a blonde woman singer. 🧐
#4 This photo may be the closest I have found concerning the “feel” of the song, in my mind. It features a desert road in the west and a woman that the singer might want to make his. If she will give him a chance.
I am still undecided. And I am probably overthinking it. Which do you prefer?
On another note, the audio below will probably be the final mix of the song. Like editing in writing, mixing music can be an unending rabbit hole. Sometimes, excessive tweaking just makes things worse. You eventually have to say, “That’s it. It’s good enough.” And release it into the world.
Mark
Yes to (IIII) Yes to (4) Yes to (Four) I voted three time to help you make a decision😆😃👍🏻
“In one image, the woman had an extra hand. Maybe that made his “heart beat double-time.”
🤭