Songwriting is the charmer’s art. When I first hear a song that moves me, I become thoughtlessly rude. My senses shift from whatever or whomever held my attention to the source. I am instantly captivated by a voice. A groove. A line of melody, A wave of harmony. Songs like John and Paul’s A Day in the Life, Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne, Joan Baez’ version of Tom Paxton’s There But By Fortune, Pentangle’s version of Lord Franklin, Jackson Browne’s Our Lady of the Well, Jimi’s take on All Along the Watchtower.

The work of the songwriter is to sustain the charm. To use the power of music and poetry to suspend the laws of gravity, etiquette and reason. To levitate the listener. To state something sonically that could not be said by words alone. A great song is a potion of what the songwriter feels. An infusion of sensation given by ear.