This is rough draft recording of another custom anniversary song.  Kissed by Kismet is a song I have been working on off and on.  You can read the background at these posts:

http://www.engagingmelodies.com/4/post/2010/09/anniversary-song-about-fate-my-next-custom-gift-song.html
and...
http://www.engagingmelodies.com/4/post/2010/10/creativity-and-logic-using-both-sides-of-your-brain-simultaneously.html

Here are the lyrics that may change a tiny bit between now and when recording happens:

Kissed by Kismet
Lyrics by Blake Flannery

V1.
She had a fairy tale imagination
A sparkling dress and an noble knight
God will write the rest of their story
And it's getting sweeter every day

V2.
Faces making glances and passing on
Chance encounters quickly disappearing
Eventually the truth became so clear
They could only stay apart for so long

V3.
They were blessed by falling in love
And they got to do it over and over again
In every pray and every conversation
The distance pulled them closer together

Ch.
Fairy Tales have to grow up some time
And they're so much better in real life
She can keep her knight in shining armor
And they will live their life... kissed by kismet

Hear the Rough Draft...

Looking at a song from a step back is important.  That way you can see if everything is going to flow well and feel complete.  This song didn't feel complete with the chorus lyrics I had originally intended, so I had to recycle the chorus and use it for a bridge and then add a new chorus.

In one of the songwriting books I read, it was suggested that you limit any use of existing cliches.  This guards your lyrics from being predictable and meaningless.  However, the author went on to explain that many songwriters are cliche creators.  So, it's o.k. to have cliche sounding lines in your song, if these are original phrases.  I wanted the chorus to sound cliche'ish without using any real cliches.

My client ask me to focus the song to say that the everyday love he gets from his wife is important in his life.  The first two lines of the chorus are meant to reinforce the verses.  Then the chorus ends with two lines that say that their time together is what these two cherish the most.  I kept it in past tense to match the rest of the song, but it might be cool to change to present tense on the chorus.

Here are the new chorus lyrics:

Seeing you was enough for me to love
And I saw you every day in my mind
Being with you has always been my gift
You gave me love and you were kind

The next step is to get approval from my client to go ahead and develop this rough draft into a more polished and well arranged song and start recording. 

This medium tempo rock ballad style could end up very expressive once everything is put together.  Instrumentation should stay fairly simple, and the song should build up to the chorus from quieter verses.

In the previous post I included some verses written directly from words from a client.  I looked over the remainder of what he had given me in order to write the chorus lyrics.  He asked that the song's overall theme say that they are "meant to be."

That phrase has too much meaning to just throw "meant to be" in the song call it done.  I wanted to give some visual imagery that would describe what "meant to be" feels and looks like.  And the chorus needed to fit the verses.  Since the couple enjoys being around the ocean, I used water/ocean imagery/metaphor once again for the chorus (already used in a verse).

Here's the chorus:
You know when you have what you want

When you’ve been filled to the brim

When the current tugs and you can’t resist

There’s only one way you can swim

These lyrics compare the tug of falling in love with the massive power of the ocean.  This couple had years apart, but the current "brought him home" eventually.  They are as "meant to be" as the direction of the currents in the ocean.  The first two lines describe the full and content feeling you get when you are in a good loving relationship. 

A possible name for the song might be, One Way You Can Swim. Now comes my favorite part, adding music.

One of the awesome things about writing songs for other people is that I get to hear these awesome stories about how people met, fell in love, struggles they've faced, vulnerabilities, and inspirational events.

For each of the jaded people out there who think true love isn't possible, there seems to be a person out there living in a romance movie storyline.  The real life movies play out over years and involve real life struggles such as being apart for long periods of time, mostly because of the realities of life.

Here's a little peek into one of my current projects.  I am usually able to get some great stuff right from a person's own words.  So, essentially, you are directly inspiring the song.  What I usually do is read through what a person writes and highlight all the stuff I think is really important for the song.  Then I organize it in little sections that evolve into verses and a chorus. 

Here is an example of some of those little pieces and how the song writes itself when people have strong feelings.  The parts in bold are word for word from my client:

1. Irresistible urge to talk to her/ out of character for me/I was very shy/Love at first sight for me
2. Always seemed to keep in touch/Long lost love wondering what she was doing and thinking/We never stopped thinking of each other/Time and distance conspired
3. I received a call one night while on patrol/It seemed like no time had passed/Count down the hours when we will be able to see each other again.

Verse 1
Something I saw made me love you
Pulled me out of my shell
I noticed that you were by yourself
And I felt my heart swell

Verse 2
You’ve always stayed in my thoughts
Even miles out in the sea
The stars sang a song about us
And granted a wish for me

Verse 3
We beat the time that stood between
The distance that took so long
You proved with a simple phone call
Fate was always strong

I did an experiment one evening a while back.  I took a public domain song's lyrics, and I wrote music for it and recorded it.  THEN... I listened to the original writer's music.  It was fun to see what similarities and differences came from the same lyrics.  The song is an old hymn and you can hear my rough version below before reading on.

Now, listen to the original version of Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior Here.  I think my version sounds more dark and desperate, which is how I interpreted the lyrics, but there are some similarities.  On the "Savior, savior... " melody and timing match closely and sound like a crying out. 

I also found out that the length of words and lines in lyrics, as well as the content of the lyrics, steers the direction music will go.  Notice, I didn't write music that was extremely different, but it wasn't the same either.  The content of lyrics only steers the musical ship in a direction.  The exact place that ship lands could be different depending on the day you are writing music, but you'll still end up in the same country.  I think I subconsciously write music to match the lyrical content, and the length of lines determines cadence, timing, rhythm, etc.

Musical influences are different for everyone.  And the instrument you play is probably your biggest musical influence.  That instrument has qualities that limit your creativity to be focused in a certain direction.  I used a guitar instead of a piano, a

Personalities can never be the exact same in any two humans, and I believe songwriters write songs as unique as their personalities.  If one person writes the lyrics and another writes the music, you are essentially blending personality and experience of both writers.  This can create some interesting mixtures.  Collaboration is a beautiful thing.

I was asked if I am still able to enjoy music even though I tend to analyze the music more than an average person.  This is an interesting question that I have thought about before.  I have never had to answer anyone though.

I'll never know whether I enjoy music more or less than anyone else, but there are a few reasons I think I enjoy music more than the average person.  Here's my explanation:

1. I already have a predisposition to be affected by music on an emotional level.  One of the main reasons I believe I have spent massive amounts of time playing instruments and writing songs is because I feel music like a drug.  I am addicted, and if it was a destructive addiction, I would need an intervention.  To prove this here's a poem by me from 2001.  Wow, nine years ago!

Music
Blake Flannery 12/2/01

Music to me is an addictive drug
It pulls my mind with a forceful tug
I find my pulse matching rhythms and beats
Sonic waves splash my brain in colorful sheets

2. Listening to Music is Work, but Work is Enjoyable.  If you wonder if my brain is "working too hard" as I listen to music, soaking up what I can learn, you're wrong.  I actually find enjoyment in thinking about music in a larger context, stealing ideas from masters, and being critical of what I believe to be uncreative crap.  In other words, I get the inside jokes that are told in the language of music.  I know when I'm trying to be tricked into liking a song, and I know when someone is being a nonconformist. 

3. I Want another set of Ears.  I enjoy music so much, that I believe music could enhance my mood and my enjoyment of life in general so much that I want an extra set of ears.  I would have a soundtrack going for my life at all times, if I could still hear you talk at the same time.  I'm listening to music right now.  When I am doing something else like writing or doing dishes, I can still "enjoy" music much the way a "non musical" person enjoys music.  I don't over analyze.  I just enjoy  in my subconscious or whatever you call it.

Conclusion
I doubt that songwriting ignorance is bliss.  I enjoy my addiction to music, my work-like analyzing of music, and my casual multitasking listening.  Whether I enjoy it as much as the next guy or girl may only be quantifiable by the number of hours I listen.  I'm a human who is motivated by the rewards of pleasure.  The evidence is mounting that I enjoy listening.

For those who are "burned out" from enjoying music.  I either pity you for being forced to create until you no longer enjoy or I wonder what your motive for doing music was in the first place.  Pride and money seem to be short-lived motivators for us musicians.  Unfortunately, most of us won't get those desires fulfilled.

My motivation goes in this order: 1. pure enjoyment, 2. leaving a legacy, 3. money, 4. pride.  In case you were wondering.

The Songwriting Process: Take a Step Back and Organize
There are certain steps that I take when writing a song  that people may not know.  Sure, some songs can "write themselves" and most songwriters can't explain the process.  This is a chance to get into the mind of someone writing a song.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  If that's true, then a song cold be worth a million.  The next step to writing a song (see the first step) is to make some sense of the story you want to tell.  This is a story of love, and most stories of love don't make sense, especially since love is an irrational act. 

I don't want to edit the story and make something up that isn't there, but at the same time, I want to capture something worth telling.  If I can't convince myself that there is something important to say, then the songwriting process will be difficult at the least.

What I have done to further develop this song is to take the key important data that I already identified and put it into a convincing story of their life and love.  You have to take a step back to do this, but it is beneficial to the song in that it makes  the entire thing look like a whole connected piece.  A painter might step back for a moment and imagine what the canvas will look like as a whole first.  The painter may want to know that the picture will look balanced and that the colors used will blend or compliment other colors.  The song is but a vague painting in my head, but here is my plan.  This is my step back to say to myself, "Yes, this is a painting worth painting (song worth writing), and it looks balanced and goal directed."

Verse 1:
FAIRY TALES- princess, castle, puffy dresses, shiny tiaras, knight in shining armor

She's a modern day princess.  She has high standards, and she doesn't fall for just any night in shinning armor.  She, like many princesses of old, must wait for her love, but in the end she knows this will make it all worth while.  High standards are her strength.  Anticipation builds, but to what?

Verse 2:
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS- old school mates, gazes, seeing faces, not knowing names, not love at first sight, no formal acquaintance

Seeing is not loving for them, they must be acquainted.  These two have been appearing and disappearing in each others' lives until it becomes an unmistakable truth that they must get to know each other better.   They are revolving around their fate, and neither is aware that as they get closer their eventual collision is inescapable.

Verse 3:
DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIP- hold hands, hug, heart flutters, butterflies, conversations, questions, long distance, praying, family, friends, love, faith, God, blessed

Both are finally woken to the fact that they are meant to be major players in each others' game of life.  They feel the rush of emotion that comes with infatuation, but as they get to know each other, they find that they have a connection that they believe is stronger than the distance of thousands of miles.  They still feel the rush of infatuation-like emotion after their anticipation of seeing each other builds and builds.  They are blessed by the long distance because they get to feel the "falling in love" feelings over and over.

Chorus:
They hold onto their faith, draw support from friends, and pray to maintain their strength as they hold their breath for the next step.  Confident in each others' love and God's love, and strong in their belief that they are meant to be, they use all the patience they have.  The fate (kismet) that made them bump into each other is still at work, but no longer needed.  Even in this time they are to learn something.  There is a larger plan, and it isn't over.  There is meaning to their lives, only God knows the rest of the picture that will be revealed in the future.

A few final thoughts about this song:
The song will likely end like a television show that flashes "TO BE CONTINUED..." because every day of everyone's life is a single episode of a series that always leaves you hanging to finish the story.  That's what makes life interesting and worth living.  Hope, fate, possibilities, kismet, are the unknowns that keep us all from killing ourselves.

I am not sure that I hate any music.  I think variety and appreciation of different styles of music is good for creativity and novelty. 

Tasting music for me is much like tasting food.  Some recipes and presentations of foods are very good, while other combinations of ingredients and presentations are horrible. 

Music can be seen as a combination of musical ingredients.  If I want to taste some blues, then I will likely hear some call and response, 12 bar progression, expressive improvisational solos, and feeling in the vocals.  This is one of my favorite musical foods, just like the way I like Mexican food because of the ingredients that usually make up those dishes.

I dislike some specific groups and their own specific styles, but it is more difficult to say I hate an entire genre.  A lot has to do with how the music is presented.  I can enjoy heavy metal, if it has sweet guitar solos.  I can enjoy country music if it tastes authentic.  I can enjoy pop music if there is smoke in the singer's voice and spicy dynamic changes.  Jazz has it's own distinctive taste, but some Jazz is too difficult to digest.  I prefer my Jazz "cool." 

I believe that we all have our own tastes for music that don't match any other person's exactly.  If I had to choose between no music at all and music that I say that I dislike now, I would probably choose the music I dislike.  I think music is a need for me just like food.  I need it to survive and be well.  I could survive with music I don't like for a while, but I would feel malnourished.  So, the music I dislike is the music that does not nourish my souls thirst for expressive, interesting, sensible music.

Writing music that is tasteful for others is another challenge in itself.  Having to think of what others might want takes a producer's mind, not just a creative songwriter's mind.  In my work here with EngagingMelodies I aspire to  choose good ingredients, style, and present tastefully, because I am preparing the meal for someone else.