Writing A Song For An Audience of One

It’s fun writing for others…

Much of my time is spent writing songs with mass appeal. I enjoy that. It’s fun to have people record your songs, to hear them on the radio, and to watch audiences singing along. But, at times, the pursuit of commercial success can take away some of the pure joy that music brought me when I was younger.

The joy of innocence…

I was the kid who would go buy records (you know, the vinyl kind that are now cool again), rush home and pull out the sleeve so that I could read the writers names and the lyrics as that first song began to play on the turntable. That was, pure, unadulterated joy. I dreamed of what it would be like to one day see MY name on one of those sleeves and to read MY words on that paper. Those dreams came true.

The other day, I found the folder containing my first songs. They were the random thoughts of an 11 year old boy trying to figure life out. There was one about a neighborhood girl that I had a crush on. Others about friends and family. They weren’t good, but they were raw and honest. I could remember what I was thinking and feeling when I wrote those words.

Writing one for me…

So, I decided to sit down and write a song for me. The way I used to do it. I’m not writing it for anyone else to hear. I don’t care if the rhyme scheme works or the verses are different lengths. It’s my song. At the end of the day, if I like it, then I have succeeded. That little exercise reminded me how much I truly love music and why I started writing in the first place. Because I had something to say. Saying it in a way that makes ME feel good is all that matters sometimes. If other people like it, awesome! If they don’t, it really doesn’t matter. It’s MY song.

Write on! Marty