The Damn Boat Song
As I lay here wide awake at two in the morning (three in the morning according to Indiana time and my internal clock), I'm waging an ongoing battle in my head...with a song. This song shall herein be referred to as "The Damn Boat Song". Let me tell you about the boat song. As I sit here looking at the lyric sheet, I realize that this song has been on my plate for almost two months. This song has been my baby. This song has driven at least one of my co-writers nuts because I haven't shut up about it (but since we have started dating, I'll file that one under "boyfriend duties". Sorry sugar. ).
I've typed the lyrics on my computer, on my iPad, written them in multiple notebooks, and scribbled them out on post-its at work. Why? Because I'm super pumped about it!! It's fun! It's upbeat! It's probably the most "commercial" idea that I've had in a while! It's a song that I can almost hear a bunch of people singing along to at a bar! It's The Damn Boat Song! Boom!
But...as I have the lyrics pulled up once more (just hammered out some funky lines by the way), and as my 2 AM/3 AM mind is reeling, The Damn Boat Song is, shall we say, speaking to me? Yes, I'm still excited about it, but The Damn Boat Song has taught me something about writing....or I'm way too tired to be blogging, but stay with me here!
The Damn Boat Song...it's not even about a boat. Nope, it's not even about a boat. Now, I'm not going to go into detail about the song and spoil the big reveal when y'all hear it on the radio for the first time (Luke...have your people call my people. We can make this happen.), but what does The Damn Boat Song represent? Just like The Damn Boat Song isn't about a boat, maybe, sometimes, songwriting isn't really about the song? Oh snap! What did she just say?
Don't close your browser tab! I know, a song is the desired outcome. We are all chasing that dream cut (I'm not chasing though...I'm serving it up on a silver platter. Luke, seriously. Your people. My people. And I don't have people, so we can cut out the middleman formalities and you can email me, I'll drop you my digits, and we will have it cranked out for your 2016 summer anthem....as long as Jake Dodds doesn't call dibs). But, as I timed out the beats for the demo tonight, caught in a rip tide of excitement, frustration, and anxiety, I couldn't stop smiling. In all reality...the odds of this song making it anywhere are slim (Luke, I can be reached on Facebook. I'm on Twitter. My email link is somewhere on this blog. Well, just Email me here ). Jake may not even like it. But...The Damn Boat Song really isn't about The Damn Boat Song. It's about the dream. It's about the rush. It's about being passionate. Too many times, as a writer, I feel like I, personally, get caught up in the outcome. I forget about the process. Let me tell you, The Damn Boat Song has been a process. But, just as I like sitting by a lake, wetting a line...while catching a big one would be pretty sweet, fishing is about the process. It's about gathering my gear. It's about driving out to my lucky spots. Hiking the shoreline. Baiting my hooks. Casting, hoping, praying, and catching some rays. It's about turning on some tunes and singing along because I don't give a hoot about who hears me. It's about sipping some sweet tea, reflecting on recent events, and the excitement you feel when the bobber starts to wobble. It's about catching the 4" bluegill that isn't even big enough to be bait. Because, one day, you'll land a 16" mystery fish (Yeah, still have no idea what I caught a few weeks ago. I've googled pics and nothing that has been suggested really looks like it. But it was big).
Maybe I'm so excited about The Damn Boat Song because it could be my mystery fish? (Come on Luke. Or Jake Owen? That might work too? Oooo, how 'bout Luke featuring Jake? Or Jake featuring Luke? Omigod, boys, let me blow your mind. Jake Dodds, featuring Luke Bryan and Jake Owen! There we go boys! Platinum. Hit. Collaboration of the year. 2016 CMAs, here we come! *Drops Mic*) Maybe The Damn Boat Song won't be big enough to be bait. But there is one thing that The Damn Boat song has been. It's been two months of determination. It's been a reminder that, regardless of the outcome, I need to keep the process in mind. The excitement. The thrill. The rush. The joy that songwriting has brought me. That's what I fell in love with. And that is what will keep me pushing forward.
I've typed the lyrics on my computer, on my iPad, written them in multiple notebooks, and scribbled them out on post-its at work. Why? Because I'm super pumped about it!! It's fun! It's upbeat! It's probably the most "commercial" idea that I've had in a while! It's a song that I can almost hear a bunch of people singing along to at a bar! It's The Damn Boat Song! Boom!
But...as I have the lyrics pulled up once more (just hammered out some funky lines by the way), and as my 2 AM/3 AM mind is reeling, The Damn Boat Song is, shall we say, speaking to me? Yes, I'm still excited about it, but The Damn Boat Song has taught me something about writing....or I'm way too tired to be blogging, but stay with me here!
The Damn Boat Song...it's not even about a boat. Nope, it's not even about a boat. Now, I'm not going to go into detail about the song and spoil the big reveal when y'all hear it on the radio for the first time (Luke...have your people call my people. We can make this happen.), but what does The Damn Boat Song represent? Just like The Damn Boat Song isn't about a boat, maybe, sometimes, songwriting isn't really about the song? Oh snap! What did she just say?
Don't close your browser tab! I know, a song is the desired outcome. We are all chasing that dream cut (I'm not chasing though...I'm serving it up on a silver platter. Luke, seriously. Your people. My people. And I don't have people, so we can cut out the middleman formalities and you can email me, I'll drop you my digits, and we will have it cranked out for your 2016 summer anthem....as long as Jake Dodds doesn't call dibs). But, as I timed out the beats for the demo tonight, caught in a rip tide of excitement, frustration, and anxiety, I couldn't stop smiling. In all reality...the odds of this song making it anywhere are slim (Luke, I can be reached on Facebook. I'm on Twitter. My email link is somewhere on this blog. Well, just Email me here ). Jake may not even like it. But...The Damn Boat Song really isn't about The Damn Boat Song. It's about the dream. It's about the rush. It's about being passionate. Too many times, as a writer, I feel like I, personally, get caught up in the outcome. I forget about the process. Let me tell you, The Damn Boat Song has been a process. But, just as I like sitting by a lake, wetting a line...while catching a big one would be pretty sweet, fishing is about the process. It's about gathering my gear. It's about driving out to my lucky spots. Hiking the shoreline. Baiting my hooks. Casting, hoping, praying, and catching some rays. It's about turning on some tunes and singing along because I don't give a hoot about who hears me. It's about sipping some sweet tea, reflecting on recent events, and the excitement you feel when the bobber starts to wobble. It's about catching the 4" bluegill that isn't even big enough to be bait. Because, one day, you'll land a 16" mystery fish (Yeah, still have no idea what I caught a few weeks ago. I've googled pics and nothing that has been suggested really looks like it. But it was big).
Maybe I'm so excited about The Damn Boat Song because it could be my mystery fish? (Come on Luke. Or Jake Owen? That might work too? Oooo, how 'bout Luke featuring Jake? Or Jake featuring Luke? Omigod, boys, let me blow your mind. Jake Dodds, featuring Luke Bryan and Jake Owen! There we go boys! Platinum. Hit. Collaboration of the year. 2016 CMAs, here we come! *Drops Mic*) Maybe The Damn Boat Song won't be big enough to be bait. But there is one thing that The Damn Boat song has been. It's been two months of determination. It's been a reminder that, regardless of the outcome, I need to keep the process in mind. The excitement. The thrill. The rush. The joy that songwriting has brought me. That's what I fell in love with. And that is what will keep me pushing forward.
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