Well here we are...this is the last song story. I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I have. If you are anything like me, a song means so much more to you when you know the history behind its creation. I will still blog regularly, so keep checking back.
"Enough For Me" seemed like a natural fit for the end of the record. I had trouble with the song order on the album, but that one screamed to be placed at the end.
It was actually written on-the-spot at a youth pastor's seminar. I was leading worship at this seminar, and the speaker gave a talk on God being all that we need. Before his presentation, he asked if I knew "Your Grace is Enough" because he wanted it played at the end. At the time, I didn't know the song, so I said, "No but I'll figure something out." During his presentation, I didn't listen to a word he said, but ended up writing some simple lyrics in my head. When his talk was done, I picked up my guitar and improvised a chord progression and melody line.
That might explain the simplicity of the song. That doesn't happen to me often. Some guys I know are great at coming up with spontaneous worship songs. Me...not so much. I love improvising songs that are meant to be funny and working off of the crowd, but the serious stuff doesn't come easily.
Some time later, I picked up a dobro that I had borrowed and thought, "Hmmm...I wonder." And sure enough, this song laid better on the dobro than it did on my regular acoustic. I don't play this song live often, simply because I don't own a dobro. Which reminds me...
If you would like to donate money to the "Buy Dan a Dobro" fund, please contact me. Please...
Showing posts with label Saturday Song Stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saturday Song Stories. Show all posts
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "California"
The concept behind this song is pretty straight-forward. Boy has desk job. Boy comes to dislike desk job. Boy quits desk job. Boy packs car full of people that make his life worth living. Boy drives 20 hours to California.
Michelle and I used to live in Kelowna BC. The aforementioned scenario was a very real temptation because Los Angeles was 20 hours of driving away from our door step. We didn't actually make the journey to California. Although, when I did quit my job, I put my family in a plane and went to Newfoundland. It's not exactly California, but most of the people that we love live there, so that counts for something.
Although I did lead a youth missions trip to Tijuana. We drove straight from K-Town to L.A. and then on to Tijuana. As we drove up through Oregon and California, I was simply amazed at how close the landscape was to what I had seen on the Road Runner cartoons. But in a 15 passenger van with ten people for such a large amount of time, there were times when I wished Wile-E-Coyote would come and eat me. I would have gladly surrendered to his "Acme" bombs.
I really like the line, "Everything in moderation, except love." That was sort of a reaction to the way people indulge in everything but the things that they should indulge in. It's just a roundabout way of quoting the great James Taylor, who wrote, "Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel."
You can check out California on my Myspace Page.
Michelle and I used to live in Kelowna BC. The aforementioned scenario was a very real temptation because Los Angeles was 20 hours of driving away from our door step. We didn't actually make the journey to California. Although, when I did quit my job, I put my family in a plane and went to Newfoundland. It's not exactly California, but most of the people that we love live there, so that counts for something.
Although I did lead a youth missions trip to Tijuana. We drove straight from K-Town to L.A. and then on to Tijuana. As we drove up through Oregon and California, I was simply amazed at how close the landscape was to what I had seen on the Road Runner cartoons. But in a 15 passenger van with ten people for such a large amount of time, there were times when I wished Wile-E-Coyote would come and eat me. I would have gladly surrendered to his "Acme" bombs.
I really like the line, "Everything in moderation, except love." That was sort of a reaction to the way people indulge in everything but the things that they should indulge in. It's just a roundabout way of quoting the great James Taylor, who wrote, "Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel."
You can check out California on my Myspace Page.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Everybody Hurtin'"
Everybody Hurtin' is a song that I think most people can relate to. The song is written in C6 tuning, which is actually a Led Zeppelin tuning...they used it in Bron Yr Aur (I think that's how it's spelled) and when I tried it, it seemed to work very well for blues and slide.
The version of Everybody Hurtin' that is on the album is not the original. That is the second version that is floating around...the first being a full on rock-blues tune with a bit of a Colin James feel to it, that was recorded for "One of a Kind", a songwriting competition and compilation album that I was a part of last year. This version that is on "Hope" has more of a delta blues sort of feel to it.
After I had come up with what I thought was a pretty cool lick, I began to think about lyrics. My origianl idea was to write something that was so stereotypically blues that it would almost be satire. But what came out was a song that dealt with the idea that there is a spot in each of us that is empty, hence the fact that on some level we all are hurting. I think that most of the vices in which we find ourselves snagged have such a hold because of the fact that we are trying to fill a void.
This one was recorded without a click track. Here's a secret...the tempo changes slightly throughout, but that doesn't bother me because I like it when songs have that human quality. And besides, you can make a game of it...see if you can count how many times the tempo fluctuates! It will be sure to add some life to your next party!
The version of Everybody Hurtin' that is on the album is not the original. That is the second version that is floating around...the first being a full on rock-blues tune with a bit of a Colin James feel to it, that was recorded for "One of a Kind", a songwriting competition and compilation album that I was a part of last year. This version that is on "Hope" has more of a delta blues sort of feel to it.
After I had come up with what I thought was a pretty cool lick, I began to think about lyrics. My origianl idea was to write something that was so stereotypically blues that it would almost be satire. But what came out was a song that dealt with the idea that there is a spot in each of us that is empty, hence the fact that on some level we all are hurting. I think that most of the vices in which we find ourselves snagged have such a hold because of the fact that we are trying to fill a void.
This one was recorded without a click track. Here's a secret...the tempo changes slightly throughout, but that doesn't bother me because I like it when songs have that human quality. And besides, you can make a game of it...see if you can count how many times the tempo fluctuates! It will be sure to add some life to your next party!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Main Street"
Wow...I can't believe that we are almost through the song stories. This is week 11 and there are only three more after this.
Main Street was written in one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring parts of our great country...Tim Horton's. I find that I concentrate best in busy coffee shops and for some reason much of my best reading and writing is done there.
It's hard to say if there was a specific situation that inspired Main Street. I don't remember one, but it was written as I began to think through some of the ways that us humans exist. I was probably watching my fellow coffee addicts interact with each other. Anyway, Main Street is a metaphor for the way that we all live according to the patterns of this world without really thinking about them. For instance, the first verse talks about how we dare not show weakness ("in our dresses and suits we try to hide the bruised truth") and how we work to build wealth without asking why we need so much ("fanning the flame of ritual gain"). The bridge sums it up well..."The tragedy of all this is that we're convinced that this is all there is. This is where everybody lives, and after all what option does life give?"
When we renew our minds and do not conform to the patterns of this world, it is almost as though we are singing a song, barely heard among the clamoring bustle, as verse two mentions. But when others see an alternate way of existence to the way of the masses, they sing along as well.
I know that that sort of talk rings a bit hollow these days, partly because everyone talks about making a change and doing things differently. The only way that I can see these ideals having meat on their bones is if one imitates Jesus. Anything else is just walking up the same street on a different sidewalk.
Main Street was written in one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring parts of our great country...Tim Horton's. I find that I concentrate best in busy coffee shops and for some reason much of my best reading and writing is done there.
It's hard to say if there was a specific situation that inspired Main Street. I don't remember one, but it was written as I began to think through some of the ways that us humans exist. I was probably watching my fellow coffee addicts interact with each other. Anyway, Main Street is a metaphor for the way that we all live according to the patterns of this world without really thinking about them. For instance, the first verse talks about how we dare not show weakness ("in our dresses and suits we try to hide the bruised truth") and how we work to build wealth without asking why we need so much ("fanning the flame of ritual gain"). The bridge sums it up well..."The tragedy of all this is that we're convinced that this is all there is. This is where everybody lives, and after all what option does life give?"
When we renew our minds and do not conform to the patterns of this world, it is almost as though we are singing a song, barely heard among the clamoring bustle, as verse two mentions. But when others see an alternate way of existence to the way of the masses, they sing along as well.
I know that that sort of talk rings a bit hollow these days, partly because everyone talks about making a change and doing things differently. The only way that I can see these ideals having meat on their bones is if one imitates Jesus. Anything else is just walking up the same street on a different sidewalk.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Deal Justly"
Michelle and I used to live in Kelowna BC. On Canada Day 2002, we were walking downtown, simply because we enjoyed the busyness and the people, not to mention the fireworks on the crowded lake shore. While on one of the less crowded streets, we heard some yelling. When we took notice of what was going on, we were shocked to see a group of three or four young white girls verbally harassing a young native lady. I won't tell you what sort of names they were calling her. Why were they doing it? No reason. Just because she was there.
She obviously felt threatened, and in an effort to find some security, (I guess we looked harmless enough) she came over to us. She was visibly shaken by the ordeal, and as we talked, she admitted that that sort of thing had happened before. She made a statement that stopped my heart...she said, "I don't trust white people." We talked for nearly 20 minutes, before we offered to walk her to where she was going. While on the way there, a friend of hers rode by on his bicycle and stopped. "Are these whiteys giving you a hard time?" "No, they're okay." She said.
That is the first time I had seen blatant racism at play. I had seen other minority groups on job sites do more work for less pay. I had heard jokes told by people who would not consider themselves to be racist. I had always known that some people groups get labelled and are often trapped within oppressive systems. But this is the first time that I had seen someone threatened, and verbally attacked because of their nationality.
I went home with too many emotions to count, and this is the song that came out. God called us to "Deal Justly, Love mercy, and walk humbly with our God." The line about how I would "rather not place myself in history's hands" is a reference to what I see as a strong need for God's people to make amends for past injustice, and work hard at bringing about a kingdom where the oppression that exists in our flawed system is done away with.
When I was in college I worked on a tree farm with a half dozen or so men who were from other countries. In conversation with a gentleman from India, he asked what I was studying in College. I told him Theology. I guess he thought I said Geology, because he got very excited. With his hand on my shoulder, he told me of how in India he was a university science professor who specialized in Geology. "Good, good, good" He said. Here is an academic professional, hoeing weeds on a dusty tree farm in Canada for much less than minimum wage. Justice? No.
She obviously felt threatened, and in an effort to find some security, (I guess we looked harmless enough) she came over to us. She was visibly shaken by the ordeal, and as we talked, she admitted that that sort of thing had happened before. She made a statement that stopped my heart...she said, "I don't trust white people." We talked for nearly 20 minutes, before we offered to walk her to where she was going. While on the way there, a friend of hers rode by on his bicycle and stopped. "Are these whiteys giving you a hard time?" "No, they're okay." She said.
That is the first time I had seen blatant racism at play. I had seen other minority groups on job sites do more work for less pay. I had heard jokes told by people who would not consider themselves to be racist. I had always known that some people groups get labelled and are often trapped within oppressive systems. But this is the first time that I had seen someone threatened, and verbally attacked because of their nationality.
I went home with too many emotions to count, and this is the song that came out. God called us to "Deal Justly, Love mercy, and walk humbly with our God." The line about how I would "rather not place myself in history's hands" is a reference to what I see as a strong need for God's people to make amends for past injustice, and work hard at bringing about a kingdom where the oppression that exists in our flawed system is done away with.
When I was in college I worked on a tree farm with a half dozen or so men who were from other countries. In conversation with a gentleman from India, he asked what I was studying in College. I told him Theology. I guess he thought I said Geology, because he got very excited. With his hand on my shoulder, he told me of how in India he was a university science professor who specialized in Geology. "Good, good, good" He said. Here is an academic professional, hoeing weeds on a dusty tree farm in Canada for much less than minimum wage. Justice? No.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Struggling"
After a week-long absence, the Song Stories are back. I know, you've been losing sleep ;)
When I first started to develop a style of guitar playing, using my fingers rather than a pick, I wrote a chord progression that I thought was pretty catchy. The lyrics that went along with it were a bit of an anti-war protest thing, that focused on the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. I know, pretty light stuff...
But it was one of those songs that I liked but I didn't want to put on "Hope".
During the time I was recording the album, I remember sitting on the couch with my daughter. All I really wanted to do was hold her, but she kept getting up and down, up and down. I wanted to sit with her for a while, but she wanted to use me as a piece of playground equipment.
Then it sort of dawned on me; I do that to God. Why can't I just sit with him? Why do I get up and get down, up and down? Often I am not good at abiding in Him. I am much too restless for my own good. Anyway, I wrote the lyrics to "Struggling" and coupled it with the chord progression that I spoke of earlier. "Struggling" was born.
When I first started to develop a style of guitar playing, using my fingers rather than a pick, I wrote a chord progression that I thought was pretty catchy. The lyrics that went along with it were a bit of an anti-war protest thing, that focused on the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. I know, pretty light stuff...
But it was one of those songs that I liked but I didn't want to put on "Hope".
During the time I was recording the album, I remember sitting on the couch with my daughter. All I really wanted to do was hold her, but she kept getting up and down, up and down. I wanted to sit with her for a while, but she wanted to use me as a piece of playground equipment.
Then it sort of dawned on me; I do that to God. Why can't I just sit with him? Why do I get up and get down, up and down? Often I am not good at abiding in Him. I am much too restless for my own good. Anyway, I wrote the lyrics to "Struggling" and coupled it with the chord progression that I spoke of earlier. "Struggling" was born.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Restless Wanderer"
Restless wanderer is a song for my family. I love them. I wanted to write a song about them. I almost didn't include it because that sounds so cliche. So, I decided to write a song that admits my shortcomings, but also my good-intentions and desire to live up to the task at hand.
The line, "Lately I've been forming in myself the character of Cain", is reference to his disregard for his family members, and how when he had killed his brother, he lamented the fact that he would now be a restless wanderer on the earth (Genesis 4:12,14). This is how many men live their lives; wandering. Not by having affairs, maybe, but by not giving the spiritual care to their families that is required of them. To me, wandering is a metaphor for not living up to the high calling of fatherhood, and husbandhood (if that is a word) and giving more care to other things. Not settling down, I guess, or realizing just how much our actions affect our families.
In my opinion, this verse sums up the point of the song. "Little Ones with innocent eyes, reminding me to hope that the seeds I've sown in you will bear some fruit. If I've scattered weeds, I pray they're choked out by my love, both for my Savior and the love I have for you."
I really like this song because it is the most real one on the album. First of all, the false start in the intro (which my mother totally hated) is completely real. The other guy talking ("Any time.")is Dean Stairs, my producer. Secondly, as you may have noticed, there are some "accidental variations" in the chord progression at a couple of points, which I love. And thirdly, the whole song has a Blue-Rodeo doing a rough practice in a smoky room sort of vibe to it, almost like you shouldn't be there.
The line, "Lately I've been forming in myself the character of Cain", is reference to his disregard for his family members, and how when he had killed his brother, he lamented the fact that he would now be a restless wanderer on the earth (Genesis 4:12,14). This is how many men live their lives; wandering. Not by having affairs, maybe, but by not giving the spiritual care to their families that is required of them. To me, wandering is a metaphor for not living up to the high calling of fatherhood, and husbandhood (if that is a word) and giving more care to other things. Not settling down, I guess, or realizing just how much our actions affect our families.
In my opinion, this verse sums up the point of the song. "Little Ones with innocent eyes, reminding me to hope that the seeds I've sown in you will bear some fruit. If I've scattered weeds, I pray they're choked out by my love, both for my Savior and the love I have for you."
I really like this song because it is the most real one on the album. First of all, the false start in the intro (which my mother totally hated) is completely real. The other guy talking ("Any time.")is Dean Stairs, my producer. Secondly, as you may have noticed, there are some "accidental variations" in the chord progression at a couple of points, which I love. And thirdly, the whole song has a Blue-Rodeo doing a rough practice in a smoky room sort of vibe to it, almost like you shouldn't be there.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday...Ummm....I mean Saturday Song Stories: "Wounded (Song for the Orphans)"
Last Spring as I was finishing up in the studio, a man named Junior Andrews came to our church. Junior is the director of an Organization called Village of Hope in Lilongwe Malawi. Junior spoke of children who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The situation in Africa is at epidemic proportions. On that morning, Junior showed pictures. He said names. He explained individual situations. These were children that were just as real as my own.
The website www.un.org estimates that there are between 850,000 and 1.2 million AIDS orpahns in Malawi alone. The government can only afford to throw $250 000 at the problem.
I have to admit, I can't relate to this scope of need. A million children with no parents. How is that possible in a world like ours?
I went home that morning overwhelmed, so I picked up my guitar. The only way that I can explain it is that within 20 minutes this song had erupted. I felt that day that even though I wasn't able to give a home to an orphan, I could offer this. How powerful is a song? Can it make a difference? I pray each time that I perform it that it will be a tool in God's hands.
I also have a brother that is passionate about orphans in Mexico. I have seen the compassion of God reflected in my brother Rick's eyes as he speaks of real children who have been rescued, and the many more that need care.
And that compassion is essentially what this song is about. God cares for these "little wounded souls" and commissions us to be the hands that deliver his practical care. I guess as I worte this song, I pictured God reaching out to a street child in Malawi, picking him up, and whispering to him "In my house there are no orphans."
The website www.un.org estimates that there are between 850,000 and 1.2 million AIDS orpahns in Malawi alone. The government can only afford to throw $250 000 at the problem.
I have to admit, I can't relate to this scope of need. A million children with no parents. How is that possible in a world like ours?
I went home that morning overwhelmed, so I picked up my guitar. The only way that I can explain it is that within 20 minutes this song had erupted. I felt that day that even though I wasn't able to give a home to an orphan, I could offer this. How powerful is a song? Can it make a difference? I pray each time that I perform it that it will be a tool in God's hands.
I also have a brother that is passionate about orphans in Mexico. I have seen the compassion of God reflected in my brother Rick's eyes as he speaks of real children who have been rescued, and the many more that need care.
And that compassion is essentially what this song is about. God cares for these "little wounded souls" and commissions us to be the hands that deliver his practical care. I guess as I worte this song, I pictured God reaching out to a street child in Malawi, picking him up, and whispering to him "In my house there are no orphans."
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Dress Myself"
I've never performed Dress Myself live. It's actually the only one on "Hope" that has never been crowd-tested. I'm not sure why...maybe because it's the artsy song on the album (every album needs an artsy 3/4 time song). But I don't think that's the reason. I've never been afraid of taking risks in front of a crowd.
Maybe it's because the meaning that I'm trying to get across in "Dress Myself" is a bit more veiled than most of the others. Or maybe because the opening imagery, of Jesus wrapping a towel around his waist as He washes the disciples feet, is more dusty than sacred (Religion tends to favor the images of Jesus that are not dusty). But then that's in essence what Jesus did. He, being divine, walked our dirty roads and stepped in things that could hardly be called sacred. He was God with dirty feet.
And yet He took the time to model the attitude that we need to have, by washing the feet of his disciples... "feet that have pounded the earth, propelled by a restless heart." The chorus says, "No servant greater than his master, yet I've pursued prominence. You were humiliated for me. I will dress myself in humility". The song is essentially about conforming our attitude to be like our savior's, despite the dusty roads that we have to walk.
When I brought this song into the studio, I had no idea what it would turn out to be. But I think that it turned out to be one of my favorites on the album. Maybe I should start playing it live.
Maybe it's because the meaning that I'm trying to get across in "Dress Myself" is a bit more veiled than most of the others. Or maybe because the opening imagery, of Jesus wrapping a towel around his waist as He washes the disciples feet, is more dusty than sacred (Religion tends to favor the images of Jesus that are not dusty). But then that's in essence what Jesus did. He, being divine, walked our dirty roads and stepped in things that could hardly be called sacred. He was God with dirty feet.
And yet He took the time to model the attitude that we need to have, by washing the feet of his disciples... "feet that have pounded the earth, propelled by a restless heart." The chorus says, "No servant greater than his master, yet I've pursued prominence. You were humiliated for me. I will dress myself in humility". The song is essentially about conforming our attitude to be like our savior's, despite the dusty roads that we have to walk.
When I brought this song into the studio, I had no idea what it would turn out to be. But I think that it turned out to be one of my favorites on the album. Maybe I should start playing it live.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Create In Me"
As odd as this might sound..."Create in Me" was inspired by the writings of a man with a pretty brutal past. This man, being in a position of authority, used his power to lure another man's wife to sleep with him. After his adulterous affair with this woman, she revealed to him that she was pregnant. So in a desperate attempt to cover it up, he ended up arranging the murder of his mistress' husband. Sounds like the storyline to a daytime soap.
It's actually the story of David...the king of Israel. After this dirty laundry had been laid out, he wrote Psalm 51, with the words "Create in me a clean heart." By stating that he needed God to create a clean heart in him, I think he was implying that there had never been one there before. Whatever was there previous to this, exhibited itself in lust, illicit sex, murder, deceit. Call it what you will, it needed to be replaced, and the replacement had to be fashioned from nothing.
The second verse of "Create in Me", at first glance, seems to not necessarily fit with the rest of the song. The first verse speaks of the need for our souls to be awaked to the truth of Christ, and how the "Man of Sorrows" (Jesus), gave so much to pave the way for that awakening.
But the second verse speaks of the need for us to be agents of restoration in relationships, and feed orphans and touch lepers, a theme that is not explicit elsewhere in the song. I took the song in this direction, because I see a huge connection between us having a new heart, and us feeling compelled to do the things in our world such as feed the hungry, be agents of restoration, and touch those that are without the warmth of human relationship. How can our heart be recreated if we have no desire to bring good news to fruition in the lives of people in practical ways. The Bible is full of commands to take care of those that have lost the ability to care for themselves.
Alright, enough preaching...
By entering your email in the "Join My Mailing List" widget in the sidebar to the left, you will get access to a free download of "Create in Me" along with a couple of other songs from the album. Hope you enjoy.
It's actually the story of David...the king of Israel. After this dirty laundry had been laid out, he wrote Psalm 51, with the words "Create in me a clean heart." By stating that he needed God to create a clean heart in him, I think he was implying that there had never been one there before. Whatever was there previous to this, exhibited itself in lust, illicit sex, murder, deceit. Call it what you will, it needed to be replaced, and the replacement had to be fashioned from nothing.
The second verse of "Create in Me", at first glance, seems to not necessarily fit with the rest of the song. The first verse speaks of the need for our souls to be awaked to the truth of Christ, and how the "Man of Sorrows" (Jesus), gave so much to pave the way for that awakening.
But the second verse speaks of the need for us to be agents of restoration in relationships, and feed orphans and touch lepers, a theme that is not explicit elsewhere in the song. I took the song in this direction, because I see a huge connection between us having a new heart, and us feeling compelled to do the things in our world such as feed the hungry, be agents of restoration, and touch those that are without the warmth of human relationship. How can our heart be recreated if we have no desire to bring good news to fruition in the lives of people in practical ways. The Bible is full of commands to take care of those that have lost the ability to care for themselves.
Alright, enough preaching...
By entering your email in the "Join My Mailing List" widget in the sidebar to the left, you will get access to a free download of "Create in Me" along with a couple of other songs from the album. Hope you enjoy.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Oddity"
[od-i-tee]
1. an odd or remarkably unusual person, thing, or event.
2. the quality of being odd; singularity, strangeness, or eccentricity.
3. an odd characteristic or trait; peculiarity.
When I perform Oddity live, I invariably have someone come to me and either say, "I loved that Odyssey song", or "What in the world does oddity mean?"
This song was originally recorded for the Hope In The Midst of a Storm album, a fundraiser for the Janeway Children's Hospital in St. John's. I wanted to contribute this one in particular because of the message.
Have you ever know anyone with a disease like cancer. My father is bravely fighting a battle with cancer at the moment. It's not a fair disease. In fact, there are few things that make sense in our world. There are so many diseases, inhumanities, hurts, frustrations and disappointments, that they become the norm. Pain and hatred sometimes seem like the patterns of this world. We've adapted to their presence, so much so that we do nothing and then justify our inaction.
Then love comes on the scene. I'm not talking about love that is prepackaged by the media, or a false love like "I love Tim Horton's" (Which I do, by the way). I'm talking about a love that is pure and rich and bottomless...so much so that it is an irregularity in the pattern of this world. In the way that our humanity operates, God's love can only be considered an oddity.
"You took a criminal heart and you gave it reprieve, You took a barren soul and you helped it conceive...This love is an oddity, this grace an anomaly, and I've never seen anything like this before."
1. an odd or remarkably unusual person, thing, or event.
2. the quality of being odd; singularity, strangeness, or eccentricity.
3. an odd characteristic or trait; peculiarity.
When I perform Oddity live, I invariably have someone come to me and either say, "I loved that Odyssey song", or "What in the world does oddity mean?"
This song was originally recorded for the Hope In The Midst of a Storm album, a fundraiser for the Janeway Children's Hospital in St. John's. I wanted to contribute this one in particular because of the message.
Have you ever know anyone with a disease like cancer. My father is bravely fighting a battle with cancer at the moment. It's not a fair disease. In fact, there are few things that make sense in our world. There are so many diseases, inhumanities, hurts, frustrations and disappointments, that they become the norm. Pain and hatred sometimes seem like the patterns of this world. We've adapted to their presence, so much so that we do nothing and then justify our inaction.
Then love comes on the scene. I'm not talking about love that is prepackaged by the media, or a false love like "I love Tim Horton's" (Which I do, by the way). I'm talking about a love that is pure and rich and bottomless...so much so that it is an irregularity in the pattern of this world. In the way that our humanity operates, God's love can only be considered an oddity.
"You took a criminal heart and you gave it reprieve, You took a barren soul and you helped it conceive...This love is an oddity, this grace an anomaly, and I've never seen anything like this before."
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Hope Will Rise"
When I first stared to learn how to finger-pick (I'm talking about guitar, not my nose), I came up with a catchy pattern that I would use to impress people when we were sitting around someone's living room. I could play it fast because I would use it as a warm-up whenever I practiced, seeing how fast I could play it. But try as I might, I couldn't put words to it.
One night as I read through the writings of an ancient prophet named Isaiah, the words struck me as profound. Isaiah 35 talks about God coming to save his people, a pretty common theme in the Bible. But the imagery that Isaiah used was intense. Lines Like "Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way", "say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear, your God will come...", and "he will come to save you...Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy...They will enter Zion with singing."
It's every songwriters dream to have someone else write the poetic stuff for you (after all, Isaiah isn't about to sue me for copyright infringement). When I played around with different chord progressions, it fit perfectly with my show-off finger-picking lick.
How often in our world are we faced with fears? And how comforting is it to know that God will cause hope to rise within us because of his promises? It has happened on a few occasions that people who have heard this song, among a couple of others on the album, found comfort in the midst of storms that they were facing. That is one of the reasons why I write music.
(Please note, that the phrase "Finger-picking lick" is not an endorsement of KFC)
One night as I read through the writings of an ancient prophet named Isaiah, the words struck me as profound. Isaiah 35 talks about God coming to save his people, a pretty common theme in the Bible. But the imagery that Isaiah used was intense. Lines Like "Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way", "say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear, your God will come...", and "he will come to save you...Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy...They will enter Zion with singing."
It's every songwriters dream to have someone else write the poetic stuff for you (after all, Isaiah isn't about to sue me for copyright infringement). When I played around with different chord progressions, it fit perfectly with my show-off finger-picking lick.
How often in our world are we faced with fears? And how comforting is it to know that God will cause hope to rise within us because of his promises? It has happened on a few occasions that people who have heard this song, among a couple of others on the album, found comfort in the midst of storms that they were facing. That is one of the reasons why I write music.
(Please note, that the phrase "Finger-picking lick" is not an endorsement of KFC)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Like Your Love"
As any songwriter will tell you, there is no one way to write a song. Some come easily and others are hard work. Like Your Love, the second song on the album that talks about God's love and how it remains the same in a world that is in a constant state of change, is one of those songs that needed time to marinate...sort of like a $1.99 fast fry steak. Here's what I mean.
In early 2006, I wrote the first line, "The Sunset sets the city ablaze in a sultry yellow-orange haze", while walking in Deer Lake NL. I think it was late spring, and the setting sun was bright and orange and it seemed to be setting the whole town on fire. This line came to me, but nothing else. I wrote it down and let it marinate.
Around the same time, I had also written a song called Tired of Gone about a man whose love had left him. The song was over the top in terms of how sad it was. It contained lines like "Now their house is a park where mommas play with their babies in the noonday." The song ends with a poor old man sitting in a coffee shop dreaming about being in love with every girl that walks in. I actually performed it once in concert and apologized for how mournful it was. That song got put away to marinate.
Then, in early 2008, the night before I was to go into the studio with my contributions to the "Hope In The Midst of a Storm" Project, I looked through my notebooks. I came across these bits and pieces and they all seemed to fit together, as if they had finished marinating and were now ready to be grilled. All of these pieces - the sunset line, the bridge part from "Tired of Gone" (Seen a million faces pass me by...) a jazz inspired chord progression- all came together to make my fast fry steak into a piece of meat that doesn't taste half bad.
The moral of this story: You don't always need to rush your creative ideas. Don't force it. Ideas often need time to marinate.
In early 2006, I wrote the first line, "The Sunset sets the city ablaze in a sultry yellow-orange haze", while walking in Deer Lake NL. I think it was late spring, and the setting sun was bright and orange and it seemed to be setting the whole town on fire. This line came to me, but nothing else. I wrote it down and let it marinate.
Around the same time, I had also written a song called Tired of Gone about a man whose love had left him. The song was over the top in terms of how sad it was. It contained lines like "Now their house is a park where mommas play with their babies in the noonday." The song ends with a poor old man sitting in a coffee shop dreaming about being in love with every girl that walks in. I actually performed it once in concert and apologized for how mournful it was. That song got put away to marinate.
Then, in early 2008, the night before I was to go into the studio with my contributions to the "Hope In The Midst of a Storm" Project, I looked through my notebooks. I came across these bits and pieces and they all seemed to fit together, as if they had finished marinating and were now ready to be grilled. All of these pieces - the sunset line, the bridge part from "Tired of Gone" (Seen a million faces pass me by...) a jazz inspired chord progression- all came together to make my fast fry steak into a piece of meat that doesn't taste half bad.
The moral of this story: You don't always need to rush your creative ideas. Don't force it. Ideas often need time to marinate.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Saturday Song Stories - "Not Be Afraid"
Songwriters will often talk of times when songs seem to write themselves. One of the rare times that has happened for me is with "Not Be Afraid", the album's opening track.
One Saturday night in early 2006, I turned on the news. Big mistake. There were bombings in the Middle East, train wrecks, people killing each other, politicians lying... I'm not one of those people that is always griping about the state of the world, but I have to admit that it was a particularly scary news cast. It seems that our world is fueled by fear. If this world is all there is, we have reason to be afraid.
People even try to capitalize on this fear. For instance...There is even a recent television commercial that sells bathtubs to elderly people. The commercial has clips of people who are 75+ talking about how afraid they are of falling in the bathtub. Once the comsumer is sufficiently convinced that they need to be afraid of falling in their bathtub, they are urged to buy the slip-proof tub. Ours is a world where danger really does lurk around every corner and towel rack.
And so, on my basement couch after I had turned off the news, "Not Be Afraid" was born. It started as a reaction to the fearsome problems that the world is facing, but turned into a prayer that simply says, "I will not be afraid...I am safe within your arms." Repeatedly in the Bible we are told to "Fear Not". Whether we face death, poverty, sickness, or slippery bathtubs, we have no need to fear while we rest in the shadow of His wings.
One Saturday night in early 2006, I turned on the news. Big mistake. There were bombings in the Middle East, train wrecks, people killing each other, politicians lying... I'm not one of those people that is always griping about the state of the world, but I have to admit that it was a particularly scary news cast. It seems that our world is fueled by fear. If this world is all there is, we have reason to be afraid.
People even try to capitalize on this fear. For instance...There is even a recent television commercial that sells bathtubs to elderly people. The commercial has clips of people who are 75+ talking about how afraid they are of falling in the bathtub. Once the comsumer is sufficiently convinced that they need to be afraid of falling in their bathtub, they are urged to buy the slip-proof tub. Ours is a world where danger really does lurk around every corner and towel rack.
And so, on my basement couch after I had turned off the news, "Not Be Afraid" was born. It started as a reaction to the fearsome problems that the world is facing, but turned into a prayer that simply says, "I will not be afraid...I am safe within your arms." Repeatedly in the Bible we are told to "Fear Not". Whether we face death, poverty, sickness, or slippery bathtubs, we have no need to fear while we rest in the shadow of His wings.
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