Is this how you think a "true" songwriter should be working?
Not  necessarily.  I  think  a  true songwriter  should  have  to  almost analyse himself constantly, analyse the song he has just written and see if it has been constructed out of his head or out of his heart. A truly great song is one that has been sung from the depths of the heart and one that really comes from the soul, but there aren't  too many writers like that nowadays.

It seems as though the whole industry is geared to writing a  hit  song,  which  is  different  to writing a true song. To write a hit song, all you have to do is to steal a melody from another hit, which is what most groups are doing now. If you  are  interested  in  becoming involved in the music business, you must decide if you wish to become a pop star or an artiste. You will have to decide which. To become an artiste means taking a path of rigorous self-analysis, and exploring oneself in order for the music to come from the deepest parts of your own being. It's not an easy path to take. Frankly, it's easier to become a pop star.

Of all  the tracks you've written, which are your favourites?
I like "Hide In Your Shell", "Give A Little Bit", "Fool's Overture" and probably the most  famous piece of music I've ever written, "The Logical Song".

Why?
Well, "Give Me A Little Bit" is an example of a very successful simple song.  It's  very  difficult  to  write successful simple songs. "The Logical Song" is a very unique lyric, and it's hard to write a unique song nowadays. "Fool's Overture" is an epic which worked, and "Hide In Your Shell" is just  a  beautiful  melody  with  good lyrics. On this album, I like "In Jeopardy" which is proving a big success.

"Give Me Love, Give Me Life" is probably one of the best things I've written. It's reached about 80% of its potential, but I feel it could be better. "Only Because Of You" is dedicated to  God.

You  mentioned  meditation earlier.  How  much  of  this  is  a religious experience?
My interpretation of God  is that force  which makes everything  work in the world. God is part of everything.  Whether  I  call  it  God  or something else, the music is coming from somewhere other than me. The way  I  view  music  is  that  it  is something almost separate from me. I think the music is coming through me rather than from me. I see myself as a channel for it, rather than the author of it. Sometimes, even I am blown away with what comes through: By trying to clear myself out as a sort of channel, the better it comes, so I try to keep myself healthy, full of energy, pure of heart as much as possible, and then apply the energy. It's not a passive thing: you really have to work hard. It's like being a transmitter. I'm the antenna, and the signal you get in the end, depends totally on just how good that antenna is.

Copyright Norene Skene & Songwriter Magazine: All Rights Reserved