Two years on from my previous album, I guess I’m asking the question: what makes a great song?
Here I find myself in Malaysia, some 15 years on from a load of lyrics that I penned in this country. Back then, I wasn’t a father. Now, here I am considering what’s important and what’s not.
It’s strange how being a dad changes your perspective. I was cerebral about stuff back then, whereas now I think about it in concrete terms and why it matters.
For example: education is about more than just school. Mark Twain’s words were engrained in me from an early age because of my grandfather. “The best education you can get is to travel,” he said. “If you can’t travel, read as much as you can.” So I became a journalist, which in the initial stages afforded me both. There was a lot more reading than travelling though.
Some people think of travelling as something you should do before you “settle down”, because doing it with kids is hard work.
That’s true, but it’s not necessarily a reason not to. If you have the opportunity to travel with kids, why wouldn’t you? It’s been good for me, and it’ll continue to be good for my kids.
That informs the songs. In the initial stages of my songwriting life, lyrics were based on literature and ethereal ideas. Now, they’re based on real-life examples.
And the examples are plenty.
But what makes a great song? I have no idea. I’m interviewing the best people I know in the business to ask them and see what they say. In the interim, I’ll try trying stuff out.
