~Janet’s Blog
Songs Are Memories
Every song on all of my CDs represents a moment in my life. Experiences that have made an impact on me that were important enough to put on paper and partner with a tune.
After experiencing a great sense of accomplishment producing my first two CDs (Strings Attached and Up & Strumming), I felt a tug to write some blues. I have always loved the blues. I was about 9 years old when I was introduced to the song, Stormy Monday. I fell in love with it immediately. I sang it all the time at home and at Girl Scout camp-outs. Whether people were listening or not I just loved singing that song over and over. Something about it was different. Something about it resonated with something deep inside of me. Blues spoke a special language. A language I needed to speak to.
Memories Have Songs
After writing a couple of my own blues songs I decided this next CD would have a very strong blues presence, hence the name BlueStrings.
Little did I know how fitting it would be to focus on the blues. I had a lot blues coming my way. Maybe it was my subconscious getting me ready for the many changes coming round the bend.
Writing songs for BlueStrings has been a journey all its own. Very “emotionally tactile,” you could say. These songs have each been written while I have been living through the experience, instead of them being reflections of moments past.
A few of the songs going into BlueStrings are about the journey of being a mom to a teenager. Composing these songs helped me come to terms with nagging issues. Writing the lyrics helped get out my feelings of fear, anxiety, and sadness about all that is to come and how quickly the journey of raising a child flies by.
Writing in the present moment has made the writing process even more intense and tiring than usual, almost like being in a self-induced, self-directed counseling session. I just let the feelings flow out in the form of words. I didn’t question or critique whether they made any sense. I just captured potential lyrics on paper to see what would come. Lots of tearful and thought-provoking moments were involved in the writing of a few of these songs. Lots. And lots.
And Some Songs Create Memories
In spite of the painful process of creating some of these songs, the end result has become some of the best songs I have ever written.
One thing that is important to me as a songwriter is that I not only have painted a clear picture of my experience from my point of view but that my listeners will be able to see the picture, too. Sometimes artists use lyrics in such an abstract way that it can be hard to follow what the message is. My goal is to not only have the satisfaction of expressing what I mean clearly, but for the listener to be able climb aboard and experience the journey of the song through their own life story while hearing and understanding mine.
Ultimately, my desire is to connect with people. By openly sharing my life journey I hope to help others feel like they aren’t alone in their own life journey.
BlueStrings = Blues + Strings
Blues is easy to play, but hard to feel.
The process of writing these songs has been therapeutic for me.
It’s important for all of us to stop and reflect on the moments that we are presently living in. Listening to our hearts and acknowledging our feelings is important. We can do this by writing music or poetry, journaling, painting, working with clay or even just verbally sharing with a friend.
By providing ourselves that time and space we are doing self care. Through our actions we are telling ourselves that we matter and our feelings have value. Ultimately, by allowing ourselves the time to recognize our present situation it helps us move beyond it into our future.
Because not all songs are blues.
Even though blues songs rock…. You know, just like this new album. Which, by the way, we’d be happy to alert you to just before it comes out. Just leave a message at in the contact window on the bottom right corner of our web page (that little pop-up box) and let us know you want advance notice.
What’s your story? Please share your experience of the blues. We’ll be glad you did.
~Janet