These are trying times. As a previous Sketchier pointed out, three-out-of-four AIs agree we live in an authoritarian system that is moving towards fascism. The President of the United States lies, cheats, and steals. Of course he’s a convicted felon and a litigated sex offender, so we shouldn’t expect any better.

To make matters worse, he’s found eager and willing enablers. His Administration joyously implements even his most demented policies. The Republican majority in Congress and the majority of the Supreme Court act like their role under the Constitution is to applaud, permit, and cash in when they can. The result is that we are living through what historians refer to as “trying times.”

To get through them, as the posted video says, we’ve Got To Be Strong. That means standing up and speaking out in any way we can. No act of defiance, no effort to push back is too small or wasted. If this video is at all encouraging to anyone, I’m delighted.

The Making of Got To Be Strong?

Curious about how this video came about? Please read on. Don’t really care? No problem, and thanks for reading this far.

I’ve never done a music video before. So this was very much a learning experience.

I composed the song—both the words and music—years ago. Decades ago, actually, for a school project. I found the lyrics to this and some other songs from my youth in an old box. Looking them over, Got To Be Strong seemed timely. I tweaked it a bit, worked on a melody, and had a song. Then I wondered what to do with it.

My biggest problem is that I possess what is generously called an atrocious singing voice. One that is capable of causing listeners physical, mental, and emotional anguish. I also don’t play any musical instruments.

Enter AI—Suno AI in particular. First, I recorded what is called a “scratch vocal.” In my case, especially scratchy. I used a tool to “auto-tune” the track so the AI would have a fighting chance to recognize what note I was aiming for. Second, I uploaded this recording and the lyrics to Suno.

Then the fun began, and by fun I mean the painful, excruciating process of creating prompts that would guide the AI toward creating a recording close to what I heard in my head. This part took a while. Eventually, however, we got there.

This allowed for some actual fun. I got to hear the song with a polished arrangement, sophisticated production, and a credible performance. Plus, Suno makes it easy to reproduce completed songs in various styles and genres. The version of Got To Be Strong used in the video is one of those covers.

Still, it’s not a real performance. Which I regret. People add a dimension to a recording that AI can’t capture or replicate. So if anyone out there wants to record the song using carbon-based musicians, please let me know. I’d be happy to replace Suno’s work with a human-generated version. For now, however, I’m using the tools I’ve got. And these tools allow me to replace my voice with something listenable. Believe me, that’s a win.

The visual portion of the video did not require AI. I used OpenShot. It is pretty straightforward and relatively easy to pick up for a first-timer like me. The result is the Got To Be Strong Music Video. Again, I hope you find it encouraging.

sketchier