You must take space from your unfinished songs
Too often the relentless grind towards perfection ends in something less than brilliant
I write a lot about finishing—about giving yourself permission to write shitty songs, about ‘getting it done’ rather than ‘making it perfect’.
I’ve written significantly less about the need to take space from a song as you’re writing it. And it’s a true and vital need.
Too often the relentless grind towards perfection ends in an ordinary song. We work and rework it so much we numb our ability to sense the song’s aliveness.
When this starts to happen knowing how to set the song aside and when to return to it can help you keep your song feeling fresh—more resonant to others, and more interesting to you.
So with the aim of helping you all find that edge and make it work for you, this week I’m sharing ‘Memos on distance and vanishing.
Big love,
Lucy
‘Memos on distance and vanishing
MEMO - “Send the song on a round-the-world trip”
This distance is created by sending your song out into the world on a grand tour. Share a recording of your song with 3 - 5 of your most trusted listeners. Ask them for their honest first reactions, lovingly shared. Don’t work on or listen to the song until you’ve heard back from everyone.
MEMO - “Plant the song and enjoy just watering it for a moment”
Distance created by loving temporary burial—what we can do for all seeds. Put aside writing the song for a time, and instead immerse yourself in precedents, references, and inspiration. Absorb other music with similar aims and aesthetics. Learn from it. Return to the song when you’re bursting.
MEMO - “Tell the song you need to see other songs”
This distance is created by you moving away from the song, rather than sending the song away or forcing it underground. Move toward art forms, genres, and aesthetics that seem opposite to the shape your song is trying to take. Write very different songs. Listen to very different songs. Return when you feel a pull back to your original song as a need for relief.
Yeah I can relate to this in terms of writing a new blog post Lucy. Sometimes you just need some space from it to come back with a renewed sense of what to do. Like Don Draper said in Mad Men: “Peggy, just think about it. Deeply. Then forget it. And an idea will jump up in your face.”