Still Co-Writing After All These Years

I’m still doing it. But way less than I used to. Co-writing that is. And it’s not because I’m not a machine anymore. Although I’m not. It’s because … well it’s complicated.

When I started out I was 20. Everyone else was 20. We liked to write about the same things. You know … 20-something things. Now to be clear, I don’t blame anyone for being 20. It’s just that I have a wider palette now.

Although, I have to say, when I was a youngin there were songs about bullfrogs, dogs named Boo, rats named Ben and horses with no name. It wasn’t always about hooking up.

Oh and also, I’m don’t love writing to prefabricated loops. Not judging. I mean, it can be viby but I much prefer sitting across from someone with a guitar in their lap.

That’s how it was with Bre Kennedy — a recording artist sent to me by Marshall Altman. (The “sender” matters.) But a few weeks before we had the SongSex we had SongSex Foreplay: we met for coffee and quiche in North Hollywood. And we talked. Stuff came up — stuff we could and would write about — stuff that we didn’t have to make up on the spot had we not had the foreplay.

The girl had game. She knew her way around that Gibson. Key changes. Alternate tunings. My dream. I play, but I don’t love to play. I go to all the same places. I bore myself. I’d rather someone take me to a place I didn’t know existed when we walked into the room.

She had words, rhymes, lungs and humor. AND she got me believing I was BadAss. In fact when I found an elusive word and started jumping up and down with my fists in the air she said…”that’s what it must feel like to be the best songwriter in the world.” Which, of course, I’m not. And I’m not suggesting she was serious. But you know what? I did feel like I was. Just for that minute. We all deserve to feel that way when we crack a code. When we’re on our game. And it helps to be on ones game when we’re working with someone who’s on theirs.

This is what I miss. If it could be like this all the time, I’d be a machine again.

I love what we wrote. We documented it on a circa 1970s cassette tape recorder that I retrieved from my piano bench. I usually employ Voice Memos like everyone else but when I’m tapping a lyric out in Notes I don’t want to be toggling Apps. That tape recorder may be squeaky but it gets the job done.

Hey…20 years ago it worked for me and Keith Urban as well.

I wonder how much I can get for that Keith work tape. Just kidding, Keith. I would Never!

I miss having fun.

I’m having a blast with Eve Nelson too. We don’t think of it as work. We just write what feels good and if it sucks we toss it and start on something else. When we’re on a roll we laugh out loud cuz we know we still “have it.” But perhaps it’s gotten lost along the way chasing algorithms.

Now, I guess if someone arranged a co-write for me with Lady Gaga I’d show the f*ck up! I’m no fool. And if I didn’t have fun for some reason but she cut the song I’d have no regret. Hey … this is business (too). And if she didn’t cut the song, at least I’d have a selfie.

But here’s the thing … there are no guarantees and the biggest hits I ever had were not co-written with superstars. They fell out of the air between 2 inspired writers without a plan. And that, my friends is my happy place. It’s good to be back.