Great Songs

I went to a guitar show with some buddies last weekend here in Nashville. It was filled with wide-eyed pickers, wandering from display to display, looking for that new amp, pedal or guitar to fill the void in their already burgeoning arsenal of music-making tools. It occurred to me later that if it weren’t for songs, these beautifully crafted instruments would simply be pretty chunks of wood. Songs are what fuel the whole music industry. Great songs are few and far between.

As art, songs are an outward, communicable expression of emotion and thought. What is difficult to express from the depths of our being can be shared, albeit imperfectly, through the grouping of words and melodies. The process of tapping those feelings and transferring them into notes and sentences is a mystery to me. I can explain the technical steps I take in writing a song--the verse, chorus, bridge, hook, arrangement, etc.--but the ability to reach deep into my soul to pull out a great tune is beyond explanation, even though I do it every day.

A great song is universal in thought. It reaches across ethnic, language and religious boundaries to reach the humanity in all of us. Great songs are simply stated. They may be sophisticated in their poetic delivery, but they are easily understood. Great songs have melodies that are timeless. The emotion that is created through the carefully chosen steps, leaps and holds in the melody can cause us to laugh, cry, ponder, fear, hope and dream. I always play a newly written song with just my acoustic guitar. If it passes the stripped-down acoustic test with just a vocal, then it probably has a future. Like anything I create, the idea comes from something that moves me personally. Whether or not it moves another person is hard to know. Some of my best songs have never been commercially successful. Maybe if they were promoted in a greater way, more people would connect with them.

The music business is having trouble these days. Not just song sales, but the musical instrument industry has taken a hit as well. People just aren't buying. Does this mean that I should fold up my tent and do something else? No way! I am compelled to write songs because I find great personal fulfillment in doing so. If others are willing to listen, and if my songs help others to live fulfilled lives, then I am doubly blessed!