Songs That Tell Stories

The definition of music is subjective and determined largely by the listener. We all have different tastes, different preferences, and different ideas about what makes a song meaningful.  Much of the popular music we hear today is collaborative. One person may write the lyrics, another compose or arrange the music, others perform the vocals and instrumentation, and still others engineer, mix, master, and produce the finished recording. More often than not, creating a professionally released song is a team effort rather than the work of one person doing everything.

Many of the biggest names in music don’t write all of their own lyrics, play every instrument, arrange every part, or engineer and produce their recordings. Does that make their music less original, legitimate, or meaningful? For most listeners, the answer is no. They simply hear a song they connect with.  Some people prefer artists who write and perform their own music. Others care more about the finished song. Live performances give us an opportunity to connect directly with performers and hear their voices and musicianship in a more immediate setting. Studio recordings give artists and producers the ability to refine every element and create the best possible version of a song.

Technology has been part of that process for decades. Mixing boards, digital recording, pitch correction, effects, sampling, synthesizers, computers, and countless other tools have changed how music is created and produced. Does using those tools make the underlying song less authentic?

Again, the listener ultimately decides.

There are many talented lyricists and storytellers who remain relatively unknown simply because they aren’t singers or musicians. Great lyrics may never be heard because the person who wrote them doesn’t have access to the musicians, vocalists, studios, producers, or financial resources necessary to turn those words into a finished recording.

At the same time, some people feel that popular music has lost some of the storytelling and soul it once had. Many successful songs today are intentionally simple, rhythmic, catchy, and easy to remember. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But there are also listeners who still want a story. They want characters, emotion, meaning, faith, heartbreak, humor, redemption, and a message woven into the music.

That’s where technology—and now artificial intelligence—has created an entirely new opportunity.

Today, a lyricist can use computer and AI-assisted tools to help create the arrangement, instrumentation, and vocals needed to bring original lyrics to life. What once might have required hiring a composer, musicians, singers, engineers, and a recording studio can now be accomplished far more affordably.

That doesn’t mean everyone has to embrace it.

Some music purists don’t want AI involved in music at all. I respect that. Others simply want to hear a good song, enjoy a great story, and feel something when it’s over.

I am a lyricist and storyteller.

My songs are personal to me. The concepts, stories, messages, and original lyrics begin with me. I write the initial lyrics myself. At times, I use AI as a research tool to explore subject matter or verify historical information. I may also use it after I’ve written a song to help edit, organize, or format my lyrics for publishing or sheet music.  But AI does not originate and write the stories I want to tell. The songs begin with me.

Once the lyrics are written, I decide how I want the song to sound. I select the genre, instrumentation, tempo, vocal characteristics, arrangement, and overall feel. I listen, adjust, rearrange, and experiment through multiple iterations until the song sounds the way I believe it should.  

The technology may provide the instruments and the voice, but I’m making the creative decisions about the song I want to produce.  By the time I arrive at the final cut, my fingerprints are all over it.  I then handle the production and release process necessary to make my music available through major streaming services under my own name and label, consistent with the rights and terms governing the tools and distribution services I use.

I also identify my music as AI-assisted. I don’t hide the technology involved, and I don’t pretend to be something I’m not.  Some people will say it takes no talent or creativity to make music using AI. They’re entitled to that opinion. What I can say is that a tremendous amount of thought, emotion, time, experimentation, and personal experience goes into my songs.

As for whether I have talent?

I’ll leave that to the listener.

I’m not doing this because I’m chasing fame, fortune, or notoriety. I do it because I love writing songs. I love telling stories. And there’s something incredibly rewarding about hearing words that once existed only in my head or on a piece of paper suddenly come alive with melody, instrumentation, and voice.  Most of all, I enjoy sharing those songs with people who appreciate them.  As long as there are people who enjoy listening, I’ll continue writing, creating, and making my music available.

So, what is music?

You be the judge.