So… when I got asked to update GarageBand For Dummies, I asked if I could offer readers a downloadable project file and final mix of a song. My publisher said “sure,” so I proposed that song be Rockaway Beach, one of my favorite three-chord Ramones songs. 

Alas, licensing issues nipped that one in the bud. My publisher then requested a song in the public domain.

I countered with the only song I’ve ever written, recorded, and own all rights—iTunes Must Die. My publisher declined politely as did Apple Music (imagine that), but not Amazon.com (which still sells it to this day). I also offer it as a free download (and it’s a pretty good GarageBand production if I do say so myself). 

Download a free copy here.

I used my Google-Fu to look for a song in the public domain that I loved enough to spend weeks or months recording, and that was simple enough for me to play without embarrassing myself. 

It turned out to be an easy choice. The Animals had a huge hit in the early ‘60s with The House of the Rising Sun, but (spoiler alert…) they didn’t write it. 

And, The House of the Rising Sun was the first song I learned to play on my first guitar in 1967. As I wrote GarageBand For Dummies Second Edition, I used this project for screenshots, effects testing, and documenting the process of creating a song in GarageBand.

Now, without further ado, here’s my interpretation of Animals’ rendition of The House of the Rising Sun. 

I’m proud (or embarrassed) to admit I played every note on every instrument (or programmed them like the drums). I also sang every vocal part, produced, and engineered. I’m particularly tickled with the organ solo (since I don’t really play keyboards).  

So, poke around the project file to see which effects and automations I used, and where I used them. Then, listen to the final mix for a sense of (at least one way) it might sound in the end. 

Feel free to remix it, add or delete tracks, make me sound like a singing chipmunk, or whatever—use your imagination and create something that sounds great to you!

All the best,

Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus 
bob@workingsmarterformacusers.com