“I have found, in songwriting, that the best songs come from the heart.”
This is a sentiment heard over and over from just about every songwriter on the planet. Probably because it’s true…!
When I wrote “She was His Life”, (a song that always seems to bring a tear to someone) I decided it was time to let go of some of the sad old “tear-jerkers” I had been writing, and write something from a place of deep emotion. I wanted to write about something I had witnessed that inspired me, And I did!
My Mother and Father had the kind of relationship that most of us only dream about. It was first love for both of them, and they remained true to one another for 46 years until Mom’s passing in 2000. After she was gone, Dad said to me, “We only had 46 years, doesn’t hardly seem like it was enough.”
The true love they shared, spilled over into everything they did, and was lavished on us children also, no doubt spoiling us rotten… But if nothing else, it taught us how to love!
So when I began to write “She Was His Life” it really only took about 30 minutes to get the lyrics, and maybe another hour to work out the tune in my head. I know at the time I was traveling US 54 between it’s junction with US 61 and Mexico Missouri, a distance of 44.6 miles, about 57 minutes driving time. (see map)
To date, this has been one of my better efforts, most popular with 45 to 85 year olds, probably because of the increasing numbers of us who have lost a loved one…
My point is, for a songwriter to be successful, he or she must have that well of emotion to draw on. As I was first writing this song, I could hardly continue, for visualizing my Mother and how much I missed her. Then it became even harder as I realized that for Dad, in many respects she had been his whole reason for living!
So if you ever think you want to write songs, remember to write about what you know and care about. Anything else may just be a waste of paper! …er, hard drive! Whatever! :-D
