Notes on Writing “Forgiveness”
One time our family rented a car that came with SiriusXM radio. Instead of searching around for something we liked, we just let the station keep playing whatever it wanted. At some point, this song came on by a band I can no longer remember. But in the middle of the song was this long instrumental section with a strange horn sound that felt playful and human and a little odd. I remember thinking: I want to try something like that.
So I started building this piano part with rounded tones and then layered in this strange little instrumental riff.
Around that same time, I was thinking a lot about forgiveness. Mostly because I started realizing that many of the people I’ve hurt were also the people I loved most.
And somehow those two ideas—the strange playful riff and the thought of forgiveness—started getting tangled together into the same song.
I don’t know if I was trying to make a hit or even say something clear. I think I was mostly trying to make something that felt interesting and compelling to me.
One person I trust listened to an early version and encouraged me to keep going, while also pointing out that the strange instrumental sound might need a little shaping to fit the song better. “It’s 10% too trumpety,” he said.
That’s often how these songs come together for me. A strange idea. A line or two. A feeling. Then a handful of trusted people helping me hear what’s actually there.