JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum Why Did You Start Writing Songs? What Made You Think You Could?

Happy New Year Alan!

"When, and why, did you write your first song"?

When Nixon was president. A protest song called "Mr. Nixon Go Home", (to your hometown where you belong). Vietnam war for why. Guess I was around 15.


"When did you first realize that you might want to be a songwriter?"

I guess at around age 8, when playing the accordian, and finding myself making up new ways to play the song I was given to practice for a week. Enhancing the melody to be more expressive I guess. It all just seemed too block style with the basic music sheets I was given, and hearing the songs on radio so much better sung. (I paid for those liberties though, as soon my teacher gave me 8 to 12 page overtures). He would stay for three hours my mother tells me now, when he was only to be there a half hour. Cut into my playing outside with my friends time on Tuesdays.


"Did you see or feel something and then arbitrarily wrote a song about it?"

The war. Killings. Seeing protests on the news.

From there, if interested, I did some more really bad songs. "Dirty Dirt". "Wandering Man". "Little girl three doors down". Yikes!

So, I didn't give my songwriting any serious thought at all. I got into bands about that same time, (15), and played in one that was the best in the state of NJ before I got into it. As pro as can be without being signed, and just covers. Catskills, getting out of school Fridays to take the bus up there. All kinds of dances, weddings, battle of the bands, etc. Never placed second in about 12 of them, (not from me being in though. I was just a normal playing Vox Jaguar organ player, who didn't sing at all.

Then, is '73, for another band I was in, I co-wrote two songs with the lead singer. ("Bathtub Gin", and "Walking the line"). The first while actually laying in a dry tub,(clothed), and sort of,,,well OK,,,drunk, and the lead singer sitting, (clothed) on
the closed toilet set cover. Gin was one of his favs, so the song became "Bathtub Gin". THAT was the first song that made me think I may have something. BUT not enough to think about it more than when just playing those two songs within the night's playing. It was enough for me I guess, to just have those two. I didn't sing lead at that point, so I didn't have that frontman mentality.

Then in 74, the drummer, bass player and I recorded 20 minutes of the only other songs I had, all instrumentals, (although "Walking on the Line" was one that had words, but we didn't include them in our live recording in my bedroom, (across the street from here where I grew up...mom's still there!) Sis too.
That collection is called "Twenty Minutes is a Lifetime", and to some even now, they consider that piece of work as one of my best. Weird how they all just poured out, from seemingly nowhere and with just going on feelings,,,,not thinking about chords, (although I knew what I was playing, "most of the time").
One of the songs that came out of that is one that some here like, called "Don't Ever Leave Me". (Still an instrumental, but is still one of my favorites. It was then, 1974, that I felt like I could compose "music", and with starting to make up various styles, (ragtime, to silly love songs, Ha!, to classic sounding standard type songs, (from hearing my dad play all the time on mandolin), I knew I wanted to only write what was going to come out naturally, and not try to write what was on the radio, as some said to do if I wanted a chance for a hit song. (I had a producer friend of my aunts who told me that, after hearing "Twenty Minutes is a Lifetime" (that 20 minutes piece of about 6 instrumentals). I knew he was right, but I thought that's what "they write".

Funny,,,,well not really, but I REALLY got into being a songwriter as the years pasted. The more time went on, the more I thought this is what I want to do! BUT time just kept on slipping away. So much so, that by time I actually formed a band for my music, it was last year! At age 53! Talk about not not planning!
I have such the desire NOW,,,,,why not THEN, when at the age of being able to be have a chance at a career for one's music?
BUT,,,,this band with Iggy is SO much fun,,,,,and work too, with the recording process taking longer than expected, but fun still, that it's all OK! I raised my kids how I wanted,,,,(to be there all the itme for them), so no regrets when I think about that!


Oh, I could even go on more,,,,,and this is already way too long and out of topic, so I'll say goodnight!

Goodnight!
Thanks for asking too, Alan. I'll read everyones reply either tonight or tomorrow, or both. Great question! Looking forward to everyone's first song story,,,and more of they do.
John