Songwriting Inspiration: Looking Forward To Looking Back

Moving forward took me back. Before I go all Yogi Berra on you I’ll explain a bit. 2011 was my first full year of coaching writers and artists. I worked with ones from 16 to 65, from Nashville to Melbourne. All different levels and all different measures of success..and I loved it. I loved it not only for the relationships and the excitement of seeing a light go on or a song get cut but also for finding out what makes me tick as a creative person.

To constantly challenge creative folk I had to first challenge myself. I had to think outside the box and remember how the box was built. If it didn’t inspire me at some point how was I going to inspire someone else? Thought it might be fun as 2012 started to think of the things that “got me” in 2011. Stayed with books and music even though movies are a constant source of material.

Books, always…some old, some new.

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. I’ve adapted (nice word for stolen) some  of her great exercises to spark creativity.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Like looking behind the curtain but it didn’t change the magic. Did more to shape how we create and enjoy than anyone in my lifetime. Made me think about the term “fearless” as it applies to an artist.

Life by Keith Richard . Favorite music bio and an amazing rock and roll survivor story.

11/22/63 by Stephan King. Never realized how much soul he has. Like a time machine 50’s and 60’s love story. Worked to illustrate how you paint a picture with color and detail. Just like a good lyric.

Moonlight Mile, but really anything by Dennis Lehane. Easy to tell he’s a big music fan, same as Stephen King. Think he’d have a great second career in Nashville :-)!

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael J Gelb Older book but new to me. Skip some of the writing and try the exercises. Good creative stuff to stretch you.

Music. Who didn’t feel inspired by Adele? Everything great about the music business.

Miranda Lambert for Country. Song choices and especially her side project. She’s putting it all out there. Also like The Civil Wars and Need To Breathe.

I was blown away by the recent Kennedy Center Honors show with Yo Yo Ma. Pure genius and joy! One incredible artist with no boundaries.

At the very end of the year I kept being reminded of music of different eras and how fun it would have been to be writing “way back back when”. Oliver, Sound Of Music, Fiddler On The Roof, Wizard Of Oz and Peter Pan to name a few. Just amazing wordplay and melody. Thanks to my friend Lydia for posting this the other day. Old friend Paul Carrack doing “Moon River” . This is what I’m talking about!

What “did it” for you as a writer or artist last year?

Songwriting “Take It To The Bridge”…Please!

The bridge is falling down and I’m bummed! I understand the philosophy, we’re in a sound bite, short attention span place right now with most everything. No one wants to invest the time in listening to a whole record, an EP is about right. I get it, but it’s such a classic songwriting tool I hate to see it go the way of the album. It’s hard to find one on country radio for the past few years, don’t bore us, get us to the chorus…. and keep us there seems to be the rule.

In my coaching it comes up at least once with new writers wanting to know what the difference between the bridge and the rest of the song is. Do I need one? If I write it where does it go? How long should it be?

The easy version is that the bridge should be a departure from the other elements of the song. My friend John Braheny put it as well as anyone when he said the song is a journey along the main road, the super highway and the bridge is the exit or detour we take to get a different view along the way. Great while you’re there and it always leads you back to the main highway. Good bridges are usually another hook in a song. Just check out most Beatle songs. “Life is very short and there’s no time….” from “We Can Work It Out”, or the bridge in “She’s Leaving Home” sometime. Just as memorable as the chorus is and…one more hook.

We should be talking about a new melody, new meter, chord changes, rhythm, not too long maybe four/eight lines and a place to introduce new info lyrically. They really work well in songs that have lot’s of repetition in the chorus. Gives the listener a break and something new before you haul ‘em back to the big hook. Almost always happen after the second chorus and usually doesn’t contain the chorus lyric. Not every song needs it but I’m hearing more and more that could use it. It’s just a beautiful thing when it surprises you and shows you the cool old part of town before you get back on the highway.

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Dedicating all my blogs this year to the memory of John Braheny. I still ask every songwriter or artist I coach to pick

up his book before we start talking. 

There is also a college scholarship in John's name, through the California Copyright Conference (John was a past president)...here's the link:

http://www.theccc.org/scholarship

Image: Google Images

About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Kahn to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwiide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

Some Love For The Uncut Songwriter

iDoCoach Blog

Last Tuesday night I was invited to be on the judge’s panel for Puckett’s “rising star” program here in Franklin, Tennessee. Haven’t done one of these types of events in a long time and wanted to share some thoughts. On this night we were judging the song, not the artist. Puckett’s, along with the Bluebird and a few others, do a great job of showcasing and supporting new writers and established ones.

You may have heard the old advice that “If songwriting isn’t the first thought you have in the morning and the last one you have at night, if you can’t “not write” you’re probably in the wrong line of dreams.”

True enough for the pros but the other night got me thinking about the ones that aren’t beating a path to Nashville to be a star or may never get their song heard. Too busy raising a family, working a job, chasing a new dream but still have the need to say something. I talked with a few of those the other night and went away inspired.

It’s painful to watch the artist or writer who is putting it all out there and all of us are left with …“what the hell are they thinking?”  We’ve all seen ‘em; my wife could never watch American Idol with me for that very reason – it’s too uncomfortable. True, you might see that one truly gifted, touched-by- the-hand-of-God type talent and the world hopefully rewards them. For those few there are thousands of kids and kids-at-heart that pick up a guitar, or play a little bit of piano, write a lyric and find a vehicle to let someone know what’s in their heart. Maybe it’s for their family, girlfriend, church or maybe just for themselves. Probably not gonna be a household name or a song you hear in the car but the experience is the reward. It really doesn’t get any better than when you do the work and finish the song, trust me.

I coach writers and artists from all over the world these days and I love it. I love the ones getting songs cut or indie projects released online but I also love the ones who are doing it just to be able to express themselves, learn the craft and be the best writer they can be. They can “not do it” but they do it ‘cause they love the process. They’re not wannabes, they’re songwriters.

Mark Cawley

Nashville. Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

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About Mark Cawley

Mark Cawley is a hit U.S. songwriter and musician who coaches other writers and artists to reach their creative and professional goals. During his decades in the music business he has procured a long list of cuts with legendary artists ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Kathy Mattea, Russ Taff, Paul Carrack, Will Downing, Tom Scott, Billie Piper, Pop Idol winners and The Spice Girls. To date his songs have been on more than 16 million records. Mark’s resume includes hits on the Pop, Country, R&B, Jazz, and Rock charts and several publishing deals with the likes of Virgin, Windswept Pacific, and Steelworks/Universal. Mark calls on his decades of experience in the publishing world, as an artist on major labels, co-writer with everyone from Eliot Kennedy and Burt Bacharach to Simon Climie and Kye Fleming, composing, and recording to mentor clients around the globe with iDoCoach. He is also a judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, a contributing author to  USA Songwriting, Songwriter Magazine,  , sponsor for the ASA, judge for Belmont University's Commercial Music program and West Coast Songwriter events , a popular blogger and, from time to time, conducts his own workshops.Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Mark has also lived in Boston, L.A., Indianapolis, London, and the last 20 years in Nashville, TN. 

The Well Mannered Songwriter

In the past I’ve written blogs about what goes on in a co-writing session and touched on some of the etiquette involved. I know the title of this blog may sound a little fussy and, as artists, we’re allowed to be unpredictable and a bit ill-mannered but I’ve never read much about the common sense that should go into creating a co-writing relationship. Manners are huge!

I like stories better than facts and figures so here’s one of many I could tell to illustrate my point. Years ago I was living outside of Nashville with a very cool home studio, feeling at the top of my game and, through the hard work of my publisher, Windswept Pacific, some great writers were knocking on my door.

I have to back up a bit and say this whole process of putting songwriters together is pretty much like dating. The publisher is the Yetta that says “You two HAVE to meet! You’ll make gorgeous kids and live happily ever after.” Some publishers are better Yettas than others, that’s one of the reasons they get where they get.

So….on this day a writer came a looooong way to get to Nashville and I was one of a few “hot” writers they “had to meet”. This stuff makes me as nervous as a first date and so I did what I could do. Prepared.

I had studied the other writer’s cuts, had a starter idea or two, Kathy had lunch figured out. Then . . . our session time came . . . and went. Came and went again . . . finally just went. 10 am turned into 11 turned into 12:30pm  turned to 1 turned to me driving the neighborhood to see if he was lost, dropped his cell phone into the Harpeth River or drove far enough into the country to hear the banjo theme from Deliverance and wasn’t coming’ back.

By the time he  ( and his wife) made it to my door I was a jilted lover. I was over it. I know he’d written some great songs but I was feeling like chopped liver. I showed him around, walked him back upstairs thanked him for coming and showed him the door. Kathy was mortified; she’s better, kinder and gentler than me and  wanted to make sure they were fed etc. but all hope of coming up with the perfect match had gone.  Yetta had left the building. Might have been my loss but I’ll never know.

I guess it comes down to respect. We’re all trying hard to be great at this and it takes a lot of heart. When it seems like someone isn’t seeing yours, it doesn’t matter how much he or she has. Just my two cents.

Looking back I wish I had been more patient, more forgiving or even more career minded but I still hold to the idea of craft and manners and bringing something to the table and showing up for dinner…ON TIME !!!!

Song-righting Wrongs Or Happy Accidents?

If you’ve written songs long enough you’re gonna get stuck. I’m not talking about writers block as much as boring yourself blind. Lot’s of tricks for the musician side, open tunings, capoing, pick up an unfamiliar instrument and don’t be afraid to suck…really. All of these tricks have opened up melodies for me and I’m convinced it’s about getting back to playing and creating like a kid. Harder to do as you get further away from that inner child. But if you don’t know the rules you’re not worrying about breaking ‘em. I know I’m gonna hear from the folks who believe you have to know the rules before you can break ‘em and I understand that argument, believe me.

I have to say guitar is my comfort zone and I’ve written a bunch of songs using the stuff  I picked up from the guys who really know how to play but …I’ve written some of my best stuff on keyboard where my inner kid just hunts and pecks like crazy until something happens.

I never worried too much about why it works, just one of those things you’re afraid to stare at in case it disappears. All of this to set up the story of my finest keyboard hour. I had co-written a song called “Dancing In My Dreams” years ago with my buddies Kye Fleming and Brenda Russell, both of whom can coax a diamond out of a litter box. I’m not knocking training but some people are just gifted. I had written the music on a keyboard.

So…I get a call one day that this famous fusion band is going to cut a version of the song. Household names all – even if you’re not a Jazz freak. I was told to expect a call from the keyboard player to discuss the finer points of the keyboard voicing in the chorus. If I knew the finer points I might have been nervous but ignorance is bliss and I picked up the phone. He asked me about one chord in the song. One chord that he was scratching his head over because the voicing sounded “odd”. I thought odd was cool. One guy’s odd is anothers “wrong” I found out. He asked me to hold the phone and play the chord. “That’s just wrong” led to giving me a short theory lesson. I countered with “yeh but it’s something that made the chord change unique and well..cool” and I stood by it. I still don’t think it was a mistake, I think it was a little magic. Ok, maybe it was luck but it was born out of the spirit of playing until something moved me. Some writers call them happy accidents.

They never did the song. Maybe my made up voicing struck the wrong kind of chord. Didn’t bother me then and doesn’t bother me now. I’ll take the heart over the head and those rare happy accidents over a perfectly executed passage any time. Think we’re all hoping for magic and it seems to happen when we’re not lookin’, at least for me. Still rather hear the scratches in the vinyl than the MP3 version, may not be perfect but I put them there.

Oh and the song…Tina Turner did it on an album that sold 6 million. She said the song was the centerpiece of the record for her and THAT WAS COOL!

Color My Word..Painting a Lyric for the Listener

Sorry about the bad “Chicago” pun in the title, I have no excuse.

I’m for sure not the first writer to pass this bit of wisdom down but I find it comes up so often in my coaching and critiquing that it’s worth saying again. Your job as a lyricist is to show not tell. If you just write the facts I’ll get bored but paint me a picture and now I’m interested. How are you going to make me, the listener, see what you see and feel what you feel?

A great way to start is by talking an idea out before you start to write it. Again, I didn’t make this one up but it works for me. Record yourself talking about the inspiration. What’s the idea/story about? One reason this is so helpful for a lyricist is that we all tend to disconnect a bit from images in our brain when we put pen to paper. To come up with a song idea it starts in your imagination with no rhyme scheme or craft, just images. You want to get these images, complete with color and detail on the page. Just talk it out. You can come back later and compare, see if you’ve really said what you wanted to say.

The beauty of this is it’s your story, your images and if you can get these out you can always apply the craft later. If you start by worrying about rhyme scheme and meter you’re bound to lose the good stuff and it will sound “stiff”. My buddy Kye Fleming used to talk about some lyrics feeling like “reporting”. It never fails that if I’m working with a writer, and their lyric feels like “just the facts”, I can ask them to close their eyes and just tell me what the song is about and 2 or 3 keeper lines will come out.

I came across this article in American Songwriter by Bill Renfrew and it does a great job of illustrating the point using a Brad Paisley song.

While I was deciding how to talk about some of these things in a workshop I have next weekend, I took a break to watch some episodes of Elvis Costello’s’ “Spectacle”. Must see TV for artists and songwriters! The first one I watched was with James Taylor and he played “Sweet Baby James”. Don’t know if there’s a better example of a writer painting a picture , check out the “Now the first of December “ verse and I’ll leave you with this.

Well, there is a young cowboy he lives on the range
His horse and his cattle are his only companions
He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons
Just waiting for Summer, his pastures to change

And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
Thinking about women and glasses of beer
And closing his eyes as the doggies retire
He sings out a song which is soft but it’s clear
As if maybe someone could hear

(Chorus)
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won’t you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby James

Now the first of December was covered with snow
And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
Though the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go

There’s a song that they sing when they take to the highway
A song that they sing when they take to the sea
A song that they sing of their home in the sky
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
But singing works just fine for me

- Chorus -
So, Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won’t you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby James

James Taylor

Matt Sullivan - Building Your Fan Base Online

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

Truth is Matt Sullivan is my son-in-law and my “go to guy” for all things web. I know, I know, nepotism. Helped design my site and works at Moontoast, a cutting edge company based in Nashville & Boston. But…. how to put yourself out there  on the internet comes up with most every artist I work with and I can’t think of anyone better positioned  to explain the value than Matt. As for the quote…too good to pass up:-)!!

Mark

Moontoasts Matt Sullivan

To borrow a quote from Mark Twain,

The reports of the music industry’s death are greatly exaggerated.

Ok, not verbatim, but I believe this to be an accurate quote for the music industry today. While the last 10+ years have been tough for music as a whole, the opportunities for a relatively unknown artist to build a growing, loyal fan base are essentially limitless today. What makes this possible? The same thing that has supposedly “killed” the industry: the Internet.

I will absolutely agree that the Internet has changed the game. Everyone has had to rethink the way they work; from songwriters, musicians, and publishers, to producers and labels. The good news, though, is that if you’re willing to put in the time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears, you can use the web to build your fan base from the ground up.

No more “gatekeepers”.

Of course, this means the the onus is on you to make it happen. How do you go about it? What are some things you can do to help make that possible? Here’s a quick list of some tools you can employ to help build your fan base online.

Get a Website

First and foremost, you need to have your own website. The importance of this can not be understated. Your identity online begins and ends here. It’s the one place you have complete control over the look, feel, and content. While its imperative to have a social networking footprint as well, Facebook and Twitter may not even exist in 10 years, and you should have a concrete place where your content resides. Remember when brands marketed themselves solely through AOL Keywords?

Your website is where you should spend the most energy. Everything you distribute across the Internet should tie back to it. Find a good web designer that can work within your budget, give you control over updating the site, and is accessible after the initial work is through. Ask around locally, get referrals, and do your research before choosing.

Get Social

The buzzwords the last few years have been “social networking” and “social media marketing.” To simplify it, think of social media in two ways: a way to communicate with fans (building loyalty) and a way to take your art where your fans gather (commerce). Create a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter account, a LinkedIn account, aYouTube account, and any other social networking accounts that you feel will help you better engage with your fans.

Our startup, Moontoast, helps monetize these social interactions with tools like Moontoast Impulse, a storefront for your Facebook Fan Page. With Impulse, you can sell your music and merchandise directly on Facebook. Your fans can share individual tracks to their own wall where their friends can play songs and make purchases without ever leaving Facebook.

Distribute Your Music

To bypass the “gatekeepers” you need to get your music in front of as many people as possible. You need to convert as many of those to fans as you possibly can. Be creative! A personal example of this:

I love listening to thesixtyone.com. The vast majority of the songs are independent, uploaded by the musicians themselves. One day I was listening to a song by Luke Leighfield and shared it to my Twitter account saying,”Like a mix between Ben Folds and something I can’t place my finger on. By My Side – Luke Leighfield.”

A short time later I get a reply from Luke himself on Twitter: “Is the other bit Toto? Thanks Matt!”

I became an instant fan. Nothing crazy or fancy or expensive, just a simple reply to my random question.

Summary

Don’t be afraid about doing it the “right” way. There really is no right way, and the Internet moves so quickly that what you’re doing today will be completely different a year from now. Just have fun with it and keep it interesting.

Good luck!

In Defense Of The Song Title

 I was asked to write a blog for the USA Songwriters Competition site recently and I’m reposting here. Check them out and thanks Ira!

As songwriters we’re all paying attention to lyric, melody, structure, rhyme scheme, groove, track and more. In coaching writers I usually find the last thing a young writer considers is “the idea”. What is the song about? Is it an idea that will make a listener want to discover the song, listen further and get you beyond the dreaded “nice” comment? Is it relatable?

Sometimes it starts with a title, I admit to being a title writer. I think if the title gets people to listen to the song, open the book, try the movie then we have a leg up.

Not to say that every great song has to have a clever title but it sure can help a co-write get off the ground, give your subconscious something to work on or make a publisher pick your CD out of the pile.

I have to share one instance with you of a title really working. Years ago I moved to Nashville and while most of my success was in Pop music, especially in the UK at that time, I was getting country cuts. I was writing with Hall Of Fame songwriter Kye Fleming, still one of my best friends and the best pure lyricist I know. So.. we were stuck and she suggested we take a break in the middle of the day and go see a movie. We went to see Jerry Maguire. You remember, the “show me the money” movie.

The theatre was mostly empty aside from a few songwriters and music folk we both knew. Midway through the movie René Zellweger looks at Tom Cruise and says….”you had me at hello”. Kye elbowed me and said, “watch this”. Sure enough 4 people got up and made their way out, in the middle of the movie. They knew they had found their idea, or the perfect title. In her wisdom Kye told me that they would all go write it, a couple will demo it, a few publishers will get it to producers and one will be a hit in 6 months!

Around 6 months later Kenny Chesney had a number one called “you had me from hello”.

I still keep a running list of anything that remotely sounds like an opening line, great title or just a good idea.

One Nashville writer I know always cautioned me to “make sure the journey was worth the destination.” Don’t just depend on the twist or the hook to carry a song but make sure every part of lyric is seamless leading up to the big idea. In other words, a great title on it’s own is not a great lyric. Good advice!

A Songwriters Guide To Divine Inspiration

It’s Good Friday today, Easter is just around the corner. I grew up Catholic like an awful lot of songwriters and comedians I know. Something in the Holy Water I guess.

I’ve been coaching songwriters and artists now for about a year, some Catholic, some Jewish, some Protestant, some Independent Christians like myself these days, some worship Steven Tyler..one thing we have in common…we’re all looking for divine inspiration.

No matter what you call it or where you get it or who you pray to for it…we all hope to be touched by an angel and given a gift. If you’ve been writing long enough you’ve had one of these. Feels like the universe tapped you, gave you a melody, a line, a lyric, a groove or my favorite..a fully developed “Yesterday” just missing the title.

This is the best but ..what do you do in between the bolts of lightning? I think this is what separates the ones writing for a living and the ones who want to. Every writer I’ve ever worked with who’s been a writer and not a waiter/writer has their antenna up. Always looking for a line or an idea. I’m not knocking people who have to have a day job, I’m just encouraging them to think of themselves the same way a full time writer does. Keep the antenna up, all the time. Every conversation, meeting, TV show, book and movie, you’re looking for ideas.

You’re open to a miracle but you’re doing your part. You’re digging for those times when you need inspiration and the clouds are closed. The best part is, if you’ve learned your craft, you’re ready when it hits!

Eliot Kennedy - Writing Songs For Film

Eliot Kennedy has been one of my best friends since our first meeting more than 14 years ago and I’m still in awe of this guy’s heart and talent. He’s a world class songwriter, producer, arranger, singer, programmer, entrepreneur and one of those people who’s disgustingly good at everything they pick up:-)! From The Spice Girls, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin and Mary J all the way to his movie work with Bryan Adams he’s at the top of his game. I had the good fortune to write a number one record with him for Billie Piper called “Day And Night” and he’s written a bunch more before and since. Check out his company,Steelworks as well as his foundation, One Song.He’s one of the first people I thought of when I had the idea of guest blogs. So many writers ask about writing for movies and I knew Eliot would give some great insight into the creative process. Here ya go, thanks El!

Award winner songwriter and producer Eliot Kennedy

WRITING FOR FILM

I have to admit that as a writer, writing for film is by far the most inspiring. I have written for movies such as:

The Guardian (never let go), A Bridge To Terabithia (A place for us), Step-mom (When The Lights Go Out), Princess Diaries (Miracles Happen) and more notable Bobby (Never Gonna Break My Faith) which was nominated as best song for a Golden Globe and eventually won a Grammy with Aretha Franklin and Mary J Blige.

That song was written, like many of the songs I have written for film with my good friend and long time writing partner Bryan Adams. It was by far the most difficult song I have ever written. I think more so because it was the first time I had ever been honest about my faith as a Christian. It is the most honest song I have ever written. And as a result, the most difficult to articulate. And by the far the most personal.

Writing for film can be tough. If you are working with a director that has temped (temporarily edited a song into the film as a guide for what the director is looking for) a song in, and is connected to the song, or the flavor of the song, it is sometimes difficult to get anything new past them. However, it can also be a benefit if the director knows exactly what he is looking for. Honestly, it’s horses for courses. Whatever it takes.

My favorite experience in writing for film was when I was working with Bryan and Hans Zimmer on the Dreamworks animated movie ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron‘. It was a challenging movie to work on, because when we were writing the songs, most of the movie was still unrendered. By that I mean a lot of it was wire frame or not in color. It was difficult to get a feel for the film. However looking at the movie now I feel that we got it right. We did have good direction from the writers and producers of the movie.

I remember one pressure day, when Jeffrey Katzenberg (basically speaking, The Boss) was coming in to hear songs, and Hans was pacing around the studio, Bryan and I had about 10 minutes to come up with something for a key scene. The scene was where the hero character, Spirit, had been captured by the cavalry, and they were attempting to ‘break’ him, so that he could become a cavalry horse. However, as the tag line of the movie said ‘some spirits can’t be broken’ and the horse simply throws off everyone who tries to ride him.

We wrote a song called ‘Get Off My Back’. A southern rocker. A rodeo song. It worked perfect for the scene and got the thumbs up from all at Dreamworks.

However, the real story behind that song came about in the following year. Long after it had been on the cinema, and had been released on DVD to great success.

One day a young American mother was taking her son Chan in to hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Chan had leukemia, and despite traveling all around the USA, no treatment could be found for poor Chan. Chan’s parents (his father was Thai) decided to go back to Bangkok and try alternative medicines. During this period, his mom continued to take him into the city for conventional treatment.

It was on one of these hospital visits, when Chan was waiting for his treatment, that he saw on the TV in the waiting room, the movie ‘Spirit’. His mother noted how much he seemed to enjoy it, in particular a scene where the horse was throwing off the cavalry riders who were trying to break the horse. She remembered how much Chan reacted to the uptempo song, and he smiled.

She asked the nurse if she had the title of the movie, and after the treatment session, she bought the DVD for Chan.

Chan’s mom said that movie kept Chan going for another year. She even bought him the CD as his favorite song was ‘Get Off My Back’ which he likened to his illness. He played that song and watched that movie every day.

He once told his dad to not worry about him because ‘some spirits cannot be broken’.

Sadly, Chan eventually died of his sickness, but his mother wrote to Bryan and myself thanking us for giving her and her husband more time with their son. More time for memories, and more time for love.

You see. Music is more than just the soundtrack to our lives and our memories. It is in our DNA.

It is the language that God gets to speak to everyone in, even if you are not a believer.. It is universal and speaks every language. It has the power to change, and sometimes even save lives.

Music is my life. It is who I am.

If you are thinking of writing for film. Go ahead. The day Bryan and I wrote that song, we were just writing a little tune to fill a scene in a cartoon movie. It went on to have a dramatic effect on a few peoples lives.

You never know what the ripple effects of your actions will have. But be honest. Put your soul into it and only good things can some.

God Bless.

Eliot Kennedy
Sheffield, England