June 8, 2018
Linda’s Lair, Monroe, Washington State
I wanted to write a song for a group bro Mike and I are producing - BORN TO FLY, a very good band that features Carol Ann Wood on lead vocals. Brian the guitarist also sings well, and the two of them trading storylines in a song appealed to my imagination.
Rog sitting in with BORN TO FLY
So, that ancient question: “How do you write a song?”
Like Budgeron, Richard Bach’s ferret writer said, “Don’t think; don’t care; have fun.”
Instead of thinking and agonizing over achieving perfection, what if you “empty the glass” and watch, with a quiet mind what fills it up? What if you have a general - definitely not specific - idea of what you want, and then, with faith that it will be there, wait.
Before hot tubbing, Rog always takes a dip in the pond...
I pictured her face and the sound of her voice. I pictured her bubbly personality, and how she would respond to the first verse of the song. I pictured Brian singing an almost country song that spoke of misunderstanding and mutually-agreed harmony.
My favorite place to stretch the bod and meditate is the hot tub. So I’m lying back, looking at the trees, hearing the pink noise of the waterfall,* and boom! Happy! There’s the song title. And the words easily flowed:
© 2018 Words and music by Roger Fisher Singin’ String Publishing, ASCAP
HAPPY
You shoulda seen the look on my face
male voice
As you walked out the door you slammed
My best intentions down with your
Misconception that I could have done more
What more can I do
Than visualize you
harmony
Happy healthy wise and wealthy
Happy healthy wealthy and wise
female voice
If only you could read my mind
As I walked out the door
You’d know I always try
To be helpful with your
Most unlikely ambitions
Need I say more
Yes I’ll give you your space
And hope that you’re
harmony
Happy healthy wise and wealthy
Happy healthy wealthy and wise
female voice
Do you treasure the time that you have to give
male voice
Do you live to work or work to live
female voice
Have you forgotten the person you truly are
wow moment Solo
In your quest for success and becoming a star
to each other
If only we could be our best influence
Time after time
Maybe we’d see improvement
In melody and rhyme
And maybe our vision would greatly improve
If we focused on harmony rhythm and groove
harmony
Happy healthy wise and wealthy
Happy healthy wealthy and wise
After the words were written, it seemed to address certain people in my life - perfectly. I hadn’t intended that... funny how this stuff works. Kind of takes us back to the idea that in addition to intellectualizing, maybe we should be visualizing.
An interesting author who borrows my eyes from time to time speaks about holding on to the vision of what you want manifested in your life. Mike Dooley suggests that, rather than envisioning owning a "1950 Ford flathead eight”, one might have better fortune by envisioning a “sweet old car I can fall in love with.” And if you are concerned about HOW you’re going to get it, FUGEDABOUDIT.
Wondering how is not visualization. That’s similar to, when you’re meditating, if you try not to think, that’s not meditation.
If you’re trying to figure out how to write a song, good luck! “The answer my
friend, is blowing in the wind.”
When I was in third grade, I felt a big “crush” for Gwen Schmitt, so I prayed that we could be sitting next to each other. She was older, and the chances for us sitting together were slim. Guess what? She flunked that grade and the next year, there she was, sitting next to me! By that time I was no longer interested.
Funny how this stuff works.
Sister Kay, Brother Mike, & Rog
When we were the age to be in Little League baseball, I had a healthy imagination. Part of our house was an exposed solid concrete wall with an area of grass in front. I would spend hours there, throwing the ball against the wall, imagining whole ballgames - every pitch, every strike every ball, every hit, every out until the game was over. Of course I was the up-and-coming best hitter, best fielder, you can see where this is going. I WAS THE HERO! And so it was in other tangents of visualization. I needed to be the hero. So when the Beatles came along there it was... I wanted to be a musical hero like they were for me. I wanted to thrill people to the depth of their souls, wanted to write songs that moved millions. So bro Mike and I lived and breathed music. Slowly, bit-by-bit, we manifested various levels of success, climbing a mountain of belief with joy in the effort that eventually worked. Probably would have been a good idea to not envision all those lovely women.
You’ve heard the phrase, “Be careful what you wish for.” Well, yeah... if you are obsessed with the possibility that you may get in a severe car crash, that preoccupation will eventually, probably manifest just that. And if you’re a child that lives the dream of being a big star someday, it seems the chances of that happening are greatly improved. Why?
Have you ever been around someone who seems to know everything? Gets old real fast.
Maybe this universe of time and space is more malleable than we realize. Maybe there are so many alternative parallel universes that whatever we wish for CAN BE - just a matter of being tenacious - maybe believing is seeing.
But instead of asking why or how, one should ask what gets in the way of effective visualization. Compare: person A has a focused vision of driving their favorite car; they live in the house of their dreams, eating the finest foods, drinking the finest wine, attracting a beautiful mate. Person B has a mind (and probably mouth) that runs rampant, with little control over it. Person A will probably eventually live the life they imagine, while person B constantly plays catch-up, struggling to get everything done, struggling to be happy, struggling with chaos.
It seems the key relies on something similar to what I described in a previous blog, well worth reading: BASH.
If you think about it, it seems everything that exists, every invention, every innovation on any scale was first imagined, or if not, happy accidents led to the evolution of an idea or experiment.
You puzzle over how to solve a specific dilemma. You wonder and wish. Within an hour, day, week... whatever, the solution pops into your mind. “THAT’S IT!” The answer is clear when it happens, same with the best lyric or melody or odd chord added to the progression. It pops in. In other words, you are not in control here. It all comes from somewhere that nobody can name. The fact that some people are more productive conduits than others is because those people empty the glass and ask that this vision be fulfilled. And they don’t let up. Day after day, week after week, year after year, decade after decade, whatever it takes. Tenacious visualization is powerful.
When this song comes out and you hear the chorus, you’ll likely not be able to get it out of your head, which is a good thing because “HAPPY HEALTHY WEALTHY AND WISE is one of the best phrases I can imagine that you ever visualize...funny how this stuff works.
* The difference between white and pink noise is this: pink noise is random, like ocean waves crashing, or waterfalls. White noise is manmade, all frequencies between 20 and 20K Hz at the same intensity. This is used in scientific studies; recording studio calibration, etc.