Last year I wrote only one song – Sword of Love. The year before, I don’t think I wrote any. I wasn’t trying, I didn’t particularly want any, I was concerned with getting my back catalogue heard and even rediscovering old songs. I had a couple of sketches but no hope or intention of filling them in.
Curiously I’ve now written three in two weeks. Suddenly it seems quite easy, effortless. With one I sat down to write – to write anything – and as some words went down, so a rhythm and tune seemed to appear in my head. I wrote six fairly satisfactory verses and a chorus and, while I’ve edited them a little, they stand. Finally a week or so later I tried the guitar and worked out a rough chord sequence. So this song’s about 60% there (probably called Jenny I’m Not the Enemy). The next one was one day last week walking home from Queensferry village, the rhythm of my walk sparked off a walking bassline in my brain and out came a slightly strange rant along the lines of Bob Dylan or The Desert Was Better. When I got home I wrote down what I could remember and it pretty much stands up by itself – When I First Came Home from Egypt. I even played it at the Listening Room on Sunday night. Which was interesting because the third song was born and pretty much completed on the drive into town for that same Listening Room session. A song on a CD together with something I saw from the windscreen sparked off an idea – Green Lights All the Way; I switched off the CD player and 15m later had a chorus and about three verses. On the drive home, another verse. They’re all pretty light, catchy and poppy, good fare for the Wright Brothers, as Nelson agreed tonight when he came round to finish off Arty French Film. It’s been fun to be back in the saddle – This Horse can walk some more after all!