All songwriters have rules and routines that work best. Some writers are only able to work at the butt crack of dawn before the birds have had a chance to influence the day. Everybody has routines that help ease the burdens of tedious chores. Maybe you can’t pay bills unless you are wearing your fuzzy pink slippers. Maybe you can’t do dishes without listening to some Conway Twitty. Maybe you can’t go for a run without first preparing your post-run treat of microwaveable pizza rolls.
My songwriting routines have changed over the years. When I was younger, I needed a notebook and a pencil. I would grab my guitar and turn on the television. Background noise was essential to get a good flow. Without a distraction, the judgmental and insecure parts of my brain second-guessed every word, note, and strum.
There have been several distinct phases regarding my preferred choice of background noise. There was a phase where I couldn’t write without reruns of Saturday Night Live. It was before I got married and I was living with my Dad. This was a pre-streaming world. In the afternoons I tuned in for a giant block of Saturday Night Live episodes. It was all Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, and Gilda Radner. They were legends. I wrote a lot during that phase. I wrote the last third of Princess and the Hero. I wrote a song called Valentine’s Day Massacre during that phase which might explain why the first line of the song references the year 1981. Shadowlands was written during that phase. The record I made with my sister was also written during that time.
At my current stage in life, I do not need to turn on the television. My life is noisy enough without extra background noise. I love the classics but my kid’s racket is the best distraction.