After a long and BUSY day working, I was excited to sit back and relax tonight. Ordered pizza = no cooking. Check! Deleted a few recorded episodes of Cougar Town. Check! Go to bed at a decent time. Nope. That’s where it all fell a part – and here I am, at 10:30 pm. Writing.
The t.v. and lights were off. One dog was curled up under the covers, and the other on the oversized bean bag chair. The cats… well, they were laying down wherever it is that they like to sleep (probably under the bed). Then it hit me. A funny idea for a song.
Inspiration usually comes to me at the weirdest, and sometimes, inconvenient times. Because I have learned the hard way, I decided to get up, grab my notebook, pen, and phone (partially to use as a light to manuver downstairs without turning on a million lights). I sat outside on our deck and began to write. I didn’t get very far, just a verse and a chorus. In all honesty, it might not make it any further than the page it’s right now, but I just had to see where the idea would take me.
Earlier this week, I read an article of quotes from various songwriters. Tonight I was reminded of one from John Fogerty. He talked about a notebook he bought to write songs and said, “…the fact that there are a lot of good songs means there are also a lot of really bad songs I’ve written that you never hear.” I can’t tell you how many choruses, verses, or just song ideas I’ve written down over the years. In journals, on the side of church bulletins, and even receipts or random pieces of paper I find in my purse. One word from a sermon, radio show, movie… pretty much anything can spark an idea and get the wheels moving in my head.
These moments of inspiration, no matter how inconvenient they may be, are one of the greatest things about writing a song. It can come from anywhere and it can become anything!
The Culver Project 