A Song for You — Custom Songs by David LaMotte

When I put out my first recording, in 1991, on cassette, it had a song on it called ‘Song For You.’ It was for you, in a general sense, and it still is. Since then, however, I’ve occasionally been asked to write songs for particular events, people, or projects, in a more specific sense. I thought it might be interesting to put a few of them in one place so that people can hear them. And if you’re interested in commissioning a song as a gift for someone or for a particular purpose, I’d love to hear from you. There are more details about that here, if you’re ready to dig into that. For now, though, here are some songs, and a bit about who they were created for, as well as the process I used to get there. Hope you enjoy them!

Bob’s Song / Living Until We Die

In 2017, Pat Shufeldt wrote to say that she would like to talk to me about writing a song for her husband, Bob, who was dying of glioblastoma. I was deeply moved by that request, and I told Pat I’d be honored to try. I asked her to put together a document about Bob — stories about him, or that he loved to tell, favorite places, sayings, jokes, art, songs, where he grew up, his family, what other people say about him, etc. When I asked Pat to do that, however, it didn’t occur to me that Pat is a librarian. She prepared a beautiful and thorough document, and reading through it, I got a much better picture of Bob, and the song began to form. Nearly every line in the song has a personal reference drawn from that document. Pat was not uncomfortable talking about the fact that Bob’s time would not be long, and it seemed right that the song not shy away from that either.

I had arranged with Pat to Skype with them to play the song for Bob and a couple of friends who were coming to visit as Bob rested in their home, in the care of hospice nurses. As the time came closer, though, it became clear that I could drive the 90 minutes to come and play it for them in person at their home in Greenville, SC. I asked Pat if it would be OK if my son Mason came with me, as he wanted to come along. So we made the short trip to play it for Bob, Pat and a couple of their dear friends. He wasn’t talking much by that point, but his hand clapped on his knee under his blanket at the end of the song.

Bob’s Song / Living Until We Die
© 2017 David LaMotte (Dryad Publishing, Inc./ASCAP)

South Central Illinois wheat fields, hardy things grow in that land
The crops and the trees and the people, including a certain young man
Learned how to work in that fresh air, learned how to sweat in that sun
Sun’s going down but he’s still there, determined to get the job done

One foot, one foot in front of the other
One job to do, then another
One moment at a time
One hand, one reaching out to another
We’re gonna make it together
Living until we die

Grew to a man and he married, loves her with all of his soul
They went exploring together, ever intrepid and bold
Never afraid of a project, happy to give it a try
The lawn or the dogs or the plumbing, call him and he’ll come on by

One love, one love can last you a lifetime
Steady and true like a good rhyme
One moment at a time
One hand, one reaching out to another
We’re gonna make it together
Living until we die

Laugh ’til you find that you’re tearful, laugh ’til you fill up a well
A few jokes can last you a lifetime, if you just tell ’em real well
He says the data is quite clear, never one time in his life
No man who’s washing the dishes has ever been shot by his wife

One joke, one joke you tell to a good friend
Don’t even get to the joke’s end
You’ve heard it so many times
One hand, one reaching out to another
Laughing and crying together
Living until we die

Quite a few falls turned to winter, quite a few rings in that tree
Spirit infused in a solid one day is gonna break free

On to the wild and the wonder, on to the rest that he’s earned
Hold tight to love that he gave us, and to the lessons we learned, with

One foot, one foot in front of the other
One job to do, then another
One moment at a time
One hand, one reaching out to another
We’re gonna make it together
Living until we die

For his last Christmas it was such a joy to present my husband with the surprise gift of a song written especially for him by one of his favorite musicians. Having David and Mason come to our home for David to sing it in person was an unexpected added blessing for us, and for the dear friends who shared the occasion.

Prior to his visit, David also recorded a studio version of the Bob’s Song with additional instrumentation. During the recording session he even arranged a Skype session so that the other musicians and I could meet.

Having listened to the recording numerous times since Bob’s death, it continues to lift my spirits as I am reminded of our good times together, the many people whose lives he touched—and his love of a good joke. ”
— Pat Shufeldt

A Place To Go

Dr. Carla Sofka, of Siena College, has an academic interest in how museums that commemorate tragedies can serve as healing spaces for people who were and are directly affected by those tragedies. Recognizing that music can also play a very important role in healing, she contacted me to explore an interdisciplinary collaboration to try to capture a bit of that story in a song. I asked Dr. Sofka to send me some of her own academic writing on the subject, and she also allowed me to read original source material, including comment cards left at the New York State Museum’s World Trade Center Exhibit, the World Trade Center Tribute Center, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. I value and respect Dr. Sofka’s work, and it was a privilege to be asked to try to capture some of it.

This process was a beautiful collaboration for both of us, and I ran several versions past Dr. Sofka for feedback. When I got a bit stuck with some of the lyric, I even had the opportunity to co-write with my wife, Deanna, who is a skilled writer, and got me through the log jam. I then hired some great musician friends for the recording. Dr. Sofka and I were later invited to present on this project at an academic museum conference in Australia. Most importantly to me, though, the song resonates with some people I care about who lost people they loved in the twin towers.

A Place to Go

Coffee in the kitchen, the morning talk show on
The network interrupted, then all his thoughts were gone
The blue sky and the black smoke, he couldn’t hear a sound
His coffee cup and future lay shattered on the ground

The smell of smoke and ashes, the steel against his skin
The photographs of faces that will not smile again
He takes a picture from his wallet and he soaks it with his tears
He didn’t get to tell her, he wonders if she hears

He needs a place to go to remember
A place to go to make it real
He needs a place to go to hear the story
And just to feel

And all these long years later he finds himself surprised
An old song while he’s driving, and tears fall from his eyes
And it’s not like he’s not trying, but everything’s a cue
Now the anniversary will be coming up soon

We all lost something, someone or somewhere safe
Somehow we have to name it, to claim it

When strangers stand in silence, together but alone
Cut off conversations can cut down to the bone
And when you’re wounded deeply and it hasn’t healed up right
You have to cut it open to give it air and light

We need a place to go to remember
A place to go to make it real
We need a place to go to hear the story and just to feel
We need a place to go to remember
A place to go to make it real
We need a place to go
And maybe in time to begin to heal

Changes

The Mission Hospital System in Western North Carolina has done good Type II Diabetes prevention work in recent years. Part of that work is peer-supported behavior modification for healthier lifestyle choices. They approached me, after a recommendation from the good folks at Kudzu Brands, to write a song for them.

I set up a meeting with several of their staff — including the program’s director, medical folks, and admin staff — to generate ideas and pieces of inspiration to write the song from, as well as to get a sense of how they want the song to sound — what mood, what tempo, what genre…? They wanted something anthemic, with conviction and motivation in it, that sounded like it came out of North Carolina, maybe with hints of a country sound.

When I asked them about success stories, stories of folks who had really turned things around, they told me that when doctors ask patients about their children and grandchildren, and then gently point out that they might want to be around to see them grow up, that seemed to be the strongest motivator for people, along with a simple desire to feel better. This is the song I wrote for them.

Since this was to be a song for commercial use — in PSA’s on radio and TV, for instance, I gave them four versions of the song — the full arrangement (above), a 30-second version with just the tag line sung at the end, a 60-second version with just the tag sung, and a completely instrumental version of the song that they could use as a pad underneath speech. Here is one use they put the song to — a PSA for the ACT Now program with my song in the background.

Changes

Waking up, I’m aching and I’m breaking my own heart
Feeling sore, I’m wanting more, I’m wondering where to start
It’ll take some work, no doubt, but don’t you count me out

I’ve gotta make some changes
‘Cause I don’t want to miss my life
Gonna make some changes
I wanna look myself in the eye, and smile
And I’m not gonna wait for someday
I’m gonna make some changes

I’ve had enough of feeling rough, I’m doing what I say
I’m walking more, I’m keeping score, my someday is today
‘Cause the kids are grown, they’ve had their own, I love them more than air
Their wedding days are years away and if I want to be there
I’ve gotta make some changes

Back To You

My friend Jeff Hutchins wrote a children’s book called Denton the Dragon in Tales of Bubbleland, and commissioned not just one, but a whole album‘s worth of musicians to craft songs around the stories in the book. I was honored to be one of them, and this is the song I wrote for his project. In this case, we didn’t have a series of meetings and brainstorming sessions; the inspiration came almost entirely from reading one of the stories in the book, about a little girl named Tangorra, and a bit of conversation with the author. Barbie, who runs my office, says it’s one of her favorite songs of mine.

Back to You

I know you had this little dream
A star of stage and screen
You just wanted to be seen
I know you put your weight down fast
Thought your blues had passed
You wanted it to last
But when the curtain rose upon your play
The story turned and went the other way
What could you do or say?
Now there’s someone standing in your place
Smile upon her face
The winner of the race
The spotlight lights you up in blue
The people stare at you
Wondering what you’ll do
But that bright light’s reflecting in your eyes
You listen close and find yourself surprised
That voice in you is wise

Don’t you know your love runs round and round and round
It’s spilling out all over this whole town
And when you lift someone up high
It’s hard to say just why
But it lifts you up too
Your love comes back to you

The sharp pain softens to a blur
You’re stronger than you were
You’re smiling back at her
You see you’re bigger than you know
It always hurts to grow
But your heart begins to show

Don’t you know your love runs round and round and round?
It’s spilling out all over this whole town
And when you lift someone up high
It’s hard to say just why
But it lifts you up too
I’m telling you true
Your love comes back to you

Thanks for checking these out! If you would like to commission a song, here are some details about how that could happen. I will look forward to hearing from you!

— David

A Song for You — Custom Songs by David LaMotte

Bob’s Song / Living Until We Die