h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In 'Tribute' by Tenacious D, two hard rockin amigos are challenged by a daemon to play the best song in the world... Or I'll eat your souls...said Mr Grohl.

So they played the first thing that came into their heads, and it just so happened to be....

Anyway, I had a Jack Black moment this morning, feeling rather Christmassy, and a bit smoochy, I picked up a guitar (from the guitar corner that's appeared in out dining room since lockdown began) and played, and sang, and made up a love song called Dance For You, on the spot, right there and then!

Now it may not have been the greatest song in the world, but it was pretty bloody good for me, wife very impressed.

Two minutes later, tried to do it again...

Nothing, lyrics, chords, tune, all gone from my head like poor old Tenacious D... I'll have to do a tribute.

Happy Christmas to all

and a very happy Christmas to you and yours, too

This happens to me with every single song I write. I work and work on it, get it down, and it's just right. Play it. Then forget it.

I remember it later - a day, a week... I've never figured out why that happens. I call it the 'letting go' phase, after Aleister Crowley.

Now, the recall process is sped up if I wrote it down or recorded it...

I'm usually able to write down the notes. Then I find that I can remember the notes okay, but not the words -- so I make up new words.

I could never settle on just one favorite song.

It's like the song, "If I'm not near the girl I love, I love the girl I'm near." My favorite is whatever I'm interested in now.

Write another one, FWR. If you had one great song in you, maybe you have a second or third.

I sometimes compose ditties when I can't sleep. Of course they're gone in the morning. I can't even him them into my phone to record them in case it woke hubbie.

Just goes to show that there obviously *are* infinite tunes that can be composed with the 12 notes we have available. There are so many lovely ones out there and probably just as many which never left their composer's imagination.

"Hum", not "him"!

The need for a private place to compose is obviously on the list of requirements...

My point was, this was totally spontaneous, unprepared, unplanned AND came out in tune, in time and sounded rather nice.

The ones I write are usually, er.. unique... But this was a one off. Maybe you need to know the Tenacious D song to get the point.

Anyway, moving on...

In other words, a musical miracle?

Spontaneous creation is unpredictable.

A bleeding gigantic musical merry Christmas miracle, witnessed by my one true fan!

Might your wife remember it, then?

"Maybe you need to know the Tenacious D song to get the point." [FWR]

Maybe you were channeling Beyonce, who recorded a song by the same title as the one you wrote.

Do you remember the lyrics of the song you wrote? Writing them down and then reading them might jog your memory of the tune.

There may be ways of remembering lost memories....

I know and love the Tenacious D song. My sons and a friend made a version of the iconic video that went with it. I would say "spoof" but you can't really parody that. We had a great laugh. I must see if a copy still exists. It would help if I could remember what format they made it in. Might even have been VHS.

Did you build a recording booth? Please share! Lol