Songwriting inspirations

Watched my U2 DVD today...the first section on the DVD is on the making of the CD. It was interesting to hear them talk about making music and their song writing process. I was listening to the CD last night and looking up the lyrics to the songs and was totally blown away. These guys are amazing. I started thinking about my own songs and it was discouraging yet inspiring at the same time. There is always a danger in comparing yourself to others, yet I find it hard not to do at times. I always end up watching people play the guitar, and then comparing my abilities to theirs....when I do this I sell myself short. I forget that I am watching guys who have 20 years on me. They have more experience that brings about things to write about and have been playing and singing longer. Even though I get a bit down on myself, it's more of a motivational factor than anything else--see what can be done!

In the DVD Bono says things that encourage me in my process of song writing. He said, "With U2 it's song writing by accident really...We don't really know what we're doing and when we do it doesn't seem to help." He also says about the song, "Sometimes you can't make it on your own" that the song had "been around for a few years...it was just waiting". I feel the same way about my songs. I write a draft of it and it's alright, but it doesn't really hit me as it should. So, I let it sit for a while, hoping that one day it will come together and it will "be like it was always there". Or, you have lyrics sitting in your notebook, just waiting to be pieced together, changed, reorganized, set in the best place...then you can think about the music. Or maybe you have the music first and no words. It's a long process. It's hard. Sometimes you have to go full circle, like U2's producer Flood said. You work with the song, change it up, and then end up right back where you started. Sometimes I wish I had people to collaborate with cause it would make things easier...but then you'd have more people with more ideas all needing to be tried. I guess I just need to take it as it comes.

I've realized that I had songs in me that I just never gave voice to. I would think of something, or a really good one liner would come into my head, but I would never write it down. I've stopped that foolishness. When I feel something, I write it down. Even if it's only a sentence, or an idea of something to write about. At least then I am acknowledging the thought and opening doors for it to continue. So, I guess I'm a bit like U2...I don't really know what I'm doing, and when I write a song, it's more on accident--and when I try and force it, it doesn't seem to help.