Sitting down to write a song with someone is like dipping your toe in a river. If you don’t look at what’s in the water you could get it bitten off. Yes, writing a song is very much like that.
But another thing it’s very much like is two guys marveling at the sheer “what the hell just happened”-ness of it all.
I remember getting together with my good friend Hal Ketchum some years ago. We sat down to write a song. Neither of us had an idea. We didn’t spend a whole lot of time agonizing over that sad, unprofessional fact. We both just started strumming away until we found a pattern and a “feel” we both liked.
From there it went back and forth. I sang, “There’s a new star in my sky,” and he answered with… I don’t really remember. Something about an umbrella, I think.
No, he answered with, “There’s a new song in my life.”
We went back and forth like that for a few minutes till we got to the end of the chorus.
I said, “How about “To find true love?”
He said, “Could you BE more boring?”
I had to agree. Oh my God… I had dipped my toe into a river of clichés. And it had been bitten off by the “snapping turtle of hubris.”
“Okay,” I said, “How about GREAT love?”
“Cool love?”
“Fireproof love?”
Existential love?”
We went on like that for some time. At some point in a conundrum like this I start going thru the alphabet in my head.
“Adult love”
“Bodacious love”
“Careless love” (sounds poetic but not good for a positive love song)
On and on I went until I got to:
“Sure love”
We both agreed we had no idea what it meant but it felt good rolling off our tongues.
Did you think it’s more mysterious than that? Two guys going thru the alphabet. My best work is usually done using the tools I learned on my second day of Kindergarten.
On my first day I learned that when you have to go…you should ask.
“Sure Love”
(Words and music by Gary Burr & Hal Ketchum)