How many songs get lost? Most. Let me break it down for you. On average three or four songs come to me each day. Because I must function as a normal person, I couldn’t possibly stop working, driving, talking to my loved ones etc. every time a song comes to me. So, most of my songs are lost as fast as they come. Sometimes I will pull over my vehicle and grab my pen and paper. I try to make sure I have something to write on and my favorite blue ink pen with me. Sometimes I must write the words on a receipt, again, often lost. Sometimes I am awakened in the middle of the night by a song. I have learned that, as much as it feels good to fall back asleep, I must get up and write it down. Some of my best work comes to me in the middle of the night.

Over the years I have filled countless notebooks full of songs. Some of these notebooks are so old that they have fallen apart or been misplaced. Here is my best guess at how many songs get lost. For every 50 songs that come to me, 1 gets captured (written into the magic book with the magic blue pen). For every 100 captured songs, 1 gets set free (turned into a song that can be performed in front of an audience). For every 100 songs that have been “set free”, 1 gets eternal life (professionally recorded).

So, if you see Chris J daydreaming or struggling to stay engaged, don’t be offended. Hand me my magic book and blue pen and feel good. You might have said or done something that I find inspiring.

I have been blessed with songs. At any time, a song can come to me. What makes this phenomenon even more magical is that when they come to me, they are always accompanied by music. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to capture it. I have learned that, if possible, I need to stop what I am doing and write my ideas down. Once I have them written, I can read the words back and hear the music. I would say that less than 1% of my songs get captured. Once they are captured, I need to turn them into music that others can enjoy. I call this setting the songs free. I have performed in front of some very large crowds.

One of the greatest thrills I have had in my life was to witness people singing along with the songs I created. They wanted me to see them doing this. They would strive to get to the front of stage and mouth the words extra animatedly. It was as if they were saying “do you see that I know your words and your words have made me feel”

The next step is to give the songs eternal life. This means professional recording. This requires time and resources. I have been fortunate enough, dedicated enough, worked hard enough and been recognized enough to professionally record hundreds of songs. I will go into great depth about those experiences in subsequent blogs. The pinnacle goal is to hear the songs on the radio, used in a movie or somehow make the song(s) massively popular. I don’t care who is singing. I just want to make the world “feel”.