Back at the end of April when I decided to try this posting marathon, I asked for topic ideas anyone would be willing to share. Since the regular Summer Vacation readers only number in the dozens on a good day, I didn’t get many suggestions. But I did get a few, one of which was for me to try writing a song. “You love music, so why not give it a shot?” Valid point. But it’s probably never going to happen.
Around the same time a friend of mine gave me a CD from a band her husband had been in years ago; I’d put a picture on Facebook that reminded her of one of the songs and the album cover so she brought me a copy. I played through it a few times, knowing those songs had once been important enough to someone to write, learn, practice, record, and share them. This is very much what I feel like at the end of a manuscript. Knowing that I hope people who read my writing will direct some time and considerable thought into it, I was going to do the same thing. The recording had a distinct garage/bar band quality and the drums really jumped out of the mix (being a drummer I tend to notice that) but there was a lot about it I liked, particularly in the playing. I’m still not entirely sure what all of the songs are about (which I’d argue isn’t always a bad thing), but I can respect they each have a cohesive musical/lyrical quality that the guys in this band put some work into achieving.
Which kind of explains why I can’t see myself ever really tackling songwriting. A song needs both the words and the music. I play drums, and on a grading scale of people who know how to play drums but won’t ever get paid to do it, I’m probably a B- drummer in my rare best moments. I used to play piano and I’m confident I could teach myself most of the way back to the modest level of proficiency I once had, but that isn’t enough to write a song. I love guitar and would like to learn it someday, but even if I did and learned enough to try writing songs, where would I go from there? My singing voice is fine if I’m the only person in the car, but it’s not meant for performance. Would I start a band and play the drums? Be the lyric-writing Neil Peart of the group? I don’t see myself putting together the kind of pop ditties that have a good beat you can dance to, so the bar-and-party circuit would be out. So where’s the reason to try and express myself with that kind of economy, especially if I don’t have the ability to create the music to accompany the emotion I would be trying to capture?
If I ever did try writing a song I’d aim for the direction of the music that matters to me, and songwriting is a key element in much of the music I’m drawn to. To name a few.... Let’s start with The Airborne Toxic Event, since I listened to them almost all day today: Most of their songs are infused with so much raw emotion they just break me in half every time I hear them. Or take Bruce Hornsby, or Mumford and Sons: So many of their songs travel the breadth of a novel, with at least half of the story being told through the music. And take more of a pop band like Fun.: Even with the “oh-ooo-whoa-oh” hooks and the autotune overkill, a lot of their songs have a strong storytelling elements that gives you just enough to leave you filling in the blanks on your own. Someone like Todd Park Mohr mumbles through his lyrics while playing so effortlessly it almost seems as if he’s just making it all up as he goes. And all of this is to say nothing of prog-rock giants like Dream Theater and Neal Morse who write songs with such virtuosity and complexity that they’re more closely aligned with the structure of classical music than pop. I could go on for another three thousand words citing examples of songwriting that connects with me, but I’ll let these suffice. (You’re welcome.)
One of my best friends is a professional musician who’s performed all over the world and has had his compositions turn up in television shows and Disney theme park showcases. Every few years I’ll throw out the idea of us trying to come up with something and we talk about it some, but it never goes beyond that because I keep hitting the same block: If we did write a song, who would ever hear it? What’s the point of saying something if nobody will ever hear you say it? And yeah, I know the response some people might have to that question would be along the lines of writing the song for the sake of the challenge -- climb the mountain just because it’s there. But don’t the people who climb the mountain want to tell others about the experience? I feel I almost trip over myself with excitement whenever someone asks me if they can read one of my manuscripts. Even if I decided long ago that I won’t ask people to read something I’ve written (click here if you’re curious about the reasons why), I rarely write something just to keep it to myself. Take this post -- even if only a few dozen people wind up ever reading it over time, it’s out there for the whole Internet to find and I wouldn’t publish it here if I wasn’t okay with that.
So as for writing a song? I have too much respect for the process of songwriting and the people who do it well to even try. I know my wheelhouse. Why try to make a point in four minutes when you can do it in 70,000 words?
