A while back I asked you to send me your questions for an FAQ page. We are actually still working on the new site; thanks for your patience. I got quite a few emails about my writing process- specifically lyrics. I thought I'd go ahead and write a little bit about this now.
My process for writing lyrics is always changing, since my music is always changing. When I'm working on my Fort Christmas stuff, I simply write down a bunch of loving words about Elsie (or a story we have) and make 'em rhyme. I don't really mask anything, I just say what I feel. Brian Wilson style. I figure it's much more fun for her if she doesn't have to try to figure out what I am trying to say.
For my "Jeremy Larson" music, it's a much different process. The most important thing I can do in a song, is transmit a feeling to you. It may not be an idea, thought, argument, or belief; usually it's just a feeling. Let me give you an example:
If I were to write a song about war in a traditional sense, I would say, "blah blah blah, this is what I think of war". If you agree with that belief, the song arouses sympathetic emotions in you. If you disagree with that belief, you're defenses may go up. But often times, your enjoyment of the song depends on your ability to relate to my belief. This method of song writing is not a futile exercise, but it's not my method. When I get an idea for a song, it often comes in the form of a cloud, or "ghost" (to use a dramatic metaphor). No matter what the emotion- excitement, anger, fear- it kind of hovers. I try to take that "ghost" and make it into something musical, and lyrical. My goal, is for that feeling to linger with you as the listener. So, going back to our example of a song about war. My goal is not to make you a convert to my line of thinking about war, but for you to feel everything that I feel when I think about war. Whether we relate on this subject, or marriage, divorce, religion, politics, family or anything else is somewhat irrelevant to me. I just want to take that feeling, and allow you to feel it.
To give you a possibly simpler example, let's say that I was a smoker and was trying to quit smoking. Unless you are a smoker that is trying to quit, you may not relate with a song about this. But if I was able to write a song that conveys the feelings of someone trying to quit smoking (loving something that you actually despise, etc.) it just might end up meaning a great deal to you. And you might never actually even know the true meaning of the song.
I hope that I've been able to explain that in a way that makes at least a little bit of sense. If you are a parent that is reading this, don't read too much into the whole "ghost" thing. I'm not trying to possess your kids. It was strictly a metaphor:) You laugh, but I swear, I'll get concerned emails...
Thanks for reading.
Jeremy
