Posts in my A Song A Month Series have been thin on the ground in recent times. A combination of pressure of work/life and a consequent lack of time to allow any kind of inspiration to ferment resulted in a lack of songs. Sorry good people of the internet. But lo, what tidings I bring of good news. Not one, not two, but three songs I offer to you on this final day of 2016. Showing therefore that I actually managed to complete a reasonable song every two months this year. Pete and I were also late recording the videos as he has been somewhat busy focusing on being a father for the first time to Alex. Congratulations to him and his wife Lilian. They are a beautiful family.
August’s offering (I actually did write it in August) is called Dance of Love. This is about the search that many of us undertake for meaning and purpose and how hard it is to find, often. The song pivots on the chorus, a kind of yearning offer of gift, verging on lament, from God, inviting me/us to join him in the ‘dance of love’. I love the idea of God dancing with us, especially as my dancing is pretty naff.
In September I wrote Crucify, a song which is quite confrontational. I hesitate to say controversial, as I doubt enough people will hear it to elevate it to such dizzy heights. It’s about challenging Christians to stop petty internal squabbles about things that only matter to Christians and get on instead with doing what we were called to do, shining the light of God into the world, standing out as people of faith. We do so by humility, rather than power, serving rather than being served, rejoicing in the right kind of weakness rather than seeking to make ourselves as strong or influential as possible.* I continue to be less and less convinced that God needs me to be influential or inspiring. I think his desire is that I am faithful and live in ways that just, merciful and humble.
In November, I wrote What You Do. Or should I say I finished What You Do. The verses of this song are from a song that my first band Freeslave, worked on way back in 2006. The song never saw the light of day, because the band finished. I’ve always liked the verses, but I felt like the rest of the song needed something a little different. One day last month I sat at the piano that you see in all these videos and it all flowed out. Here’s what flowed out.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these songs and the other tracks that have emerged this year. I’m pleased that I’ve started writing songs again and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next. Perhaps a new recording from me in 2017….Stranger things have happened.
Thanks to Pete Thorn for all his help with these songs and videos this year. He’s one of the best friends any guy could ask for.
*in my opinion