Notes on writing “Home Means You”
I was trying to write a non-cliché song about home. I’ve written dozens of home songs and will probably write dozens more. The whole “a house isn’t a home” idea has certainly been covered before, so I was trying to find a small twist on it.
I think the line that works best is:
“No, a house won’t do.”
I like the conversational feeling of it. Simple enough to say out loud. Simple enough to sing.
The thing I wrestled with most was the title. “Home Means You” sits pretty close to songs like “Home Is You” or “You’re My Home,” and the artist side of me wanted to call it something slightly stranger like “It Cannot Be a House” or “A House Won’t Do.”
But the publisher side of me felt “Home Means You” was probably the clearest and strongest choice.
So that’s where I landed.
I think part of songwriting and especially releasing music is learning which hills to die on and which compromises are ok.
Good luck with your own songs this week.
I’ll see you out there.
Love,
Aaron