Letter No. 43 [writing “hold me” part I]
Dear Friend,
This is the first month of the challenge! Yep…I’m doing another challenge. I’m beginning to think I can’t do anything without a challenge…
That being said, my first single is about to be released (January 16), and I wanted to share the story of how I wrote and produced it. I’m going to do this in two parts, and talk about the recording, engineering, and release in part two.
The Challenge:
First of all, if you haven’t heard about the challenge, I’m trying to release a single every month in 2021. I’m doing this for a couple of reasons:
I want to really learn the recording, producing, and engineering process, as well as practice release strategies and marketing. I’ve always learned best by DOING, so that’s why I’m choosing this way to grow.
I have a lot of music to share! I’ve almost finished my 100 day songwriting/composing challenge from this past year, and there are a lot of songs I wrote through that that I love and want to develop. I also have a hundred or so songs from the past couple years and want to share my favorites.
I want to grow my platform and see where it leads. I’m not exactly sure what the future looks like for my music career, but I know I want this. I think the challenge will help.
Inspiration:
Since starting the 100 day songwriting/composing challenge, I’ve gotten into the habit of writing music almost daily. Sometimes it’s a melody, sometimes lyrics, sometimes both.
I wrote “Hold Me” one evening in December of 2020. I was feeling the weight of the events of the past months, and a melody with the words, “Hold me, while the snow keeps on falling, and the world out our window moves on,” came to me. I hurried upstairs, singing the melody the whole way so I wouldn’t forget it. I recorded the melody with Voice Memos, and then sat down in my closet studio and started playing chords on my midi controller.
I wasn’t writing for the challenge, but to release my emotions, which I often do. After recording a few instrumental tracks, I added the vocals and quickly came to the lyrics for the chorus and first verse. It wasn’t until a couple weeks later that I wrote the lyrics for the second verse.
Behind the Lyrics:
As I mentioned above, the lyrics are about the things that have been happening in 2020, both on a global level and on a personal level. I’m not even sure who I was writing the song to, but it’s a plea to me. When I first wrote it, it was myself crying out, feeling lonely, feeling discouraged, and as I’ve continued work on it, I want it to be that for anyone who needs someone to hear their plea.
The first verse goes:
So these are the days that you warned me of My grandfather’s passed in his sleep
The fear of the future is running those
Who seek to be safe, safe
In September, my grandfather, who had come to live with us after his health took a turn the previous November, passed away in his sleep, and it was the first time a close family member had passed for myself and my siblings. I’ve written a handful of songs trying to process his death—I don’t think we can ever be prepared for death, even when we expect it.
The second verse goes:
The times seem to shift like this winter wind It blows through the coat to the bone
I watch as our country divides itself
While saying it’s strong, strong
The second half of this verse talks about seeing how our communities and countries became so ruled by fear—fear for health, safety, our economy. I definitely would have felt that same fear, and struggled with it at times, but as a believer, I rest in the peace of Jesus through salvation.
Finally, the chorus goes:
Hold me while the snow keeps on falling And the world out our window
Moves on, on
Hold me, through this pain I am feeling And what now is familiar in me
Every time I sing this, I picture an evening scene of large, silent flakes falling outside my window, where I know the people there are going on about their lives, even the painful parts. In many ways, It’s a scene of feeling alone, but I also feel like it’s a scene of comfort in a way, because someone is listening.
Next letter, I’ll share the process of recording, engineering, and releasing this song. It really is very special to me, and I can’t wait for you to hear it this Saturday.
Your friend,
Tara