Tips from a Songwriter

Jane singing a sweet song (photo: D. Moyer)

Jane did a beautiful job at Sally's Salon today. She sang one of the 25 songs she has written. This one she wrote when she was 8. She's working well with her back-up band, and is even generous with them. Mike on mandolin and Dave on clarinet both got nice long solos.

After supper, another songwriter, Jen Gilbert, was asking Jane about her song-writing practices. I took notes because I'd like Astronaut Love Triangle to have 25 songs.

"I write most of my songs in the bath. Sometimes two songs in one bath. Because there's nothing else to do in there...

I just cannot write rock songs. I write sweet songs. I have no idea how to write campfire songs...

[Mentions a collaboration effort with her guitarist brother, Liam.]

But then we had the idea 'toothpaste'. We wrote a song about how back in the old days they didn't have toothpaste... How they came up with the name 'Colgate'.

It just shows you don't know what to do, but then you have an idea. I would never have guessed I'd write a campfire song about toothpaste."