Human
When we write things down we’re more invested in them compared to when we record a digital voice memo. Napkins (and receipts and the like) are physical. They have energy. We find them the next day in the bottom of purses and pockets. The words become lyrics. Lyrics become songs. Songs have lives of their own. Some die a quick death. Some live long and prosper. Today, I give you “Human” 2.0, a song I started on a napkin in a ladies room; made famous by The Pretenders 20 years ago.
Takin’ It To The Streets
My colleague (and “wifey”) Suzan Koc and I were enjoying our weekly float-in-my-pool catch-ups — talking about how musicians are dealing with venues being shut down. She said she was tired of livestreams and that the Italians had the right idea when they just went out onto their balconies and played. She said, “Shelly…you should go out on your front steps with a guitar and an Amp and just sing. Don’t even promote it. Don’t do it for likes. Give back to the people who’ve been watching you through a screen all these months. They deserve live music. Real live music.”
Chrissie Hynde Revisited
To have someone who is perfectly capable of writing her own iconic material, someone you’ve put on a pedestal your whole life, someone who’s blazed the trail for so many women, make a choice to record YOUR song is a songwriter’s dream.
