I can’t even begin telling you how rewarding it is to write songs loaded with meaning. As I’ve been saying, recognizing recurring thoughts and feelings and putting it into songs has been like therapy to me.

I started writing Song for Aline back in October of 2014 and finished it a couple of months later, as I wanted to have it ready as a birthday gift for my daughter.

Recording it was kind of tricky as I didn’t have my regular gear with me, so I had to improvise, which meant using my iPhone to record the acoustic guitar and vocals, using my iPad to do some of the arrangement, and finishing it all off on my Mac (I normally use a PC where I have all of my stuff set up). Also, the acoustic guitar is a cheap one I use in Brazil, and its sound isn’t great. Despite the constraints, I think the result came out well.

The Writing Process

While visiting my daughter back in October of 2014 there was one morning when she was sleeping and I felt like picking up my acoustic guitar and writing a song. As I normally do, I caught it on video so I wouldn’t forget what and how I was playing (some of this footage was added to the "official" video for the song).

In the same sitting, I wrote the melody which became the lick played on the electric guitar. I also picked up a notepad and wrote words that became the lyrics for the song (the handwritten notes are shown later in this post).

In the following months, I kept refining the lyrics and the vocal lines I started to hear, and once I got to something I thought could work, I finally sat down to record the song. While recording I decided to also add some notes played on the keyboard in order to beef up the instrumental.

Musical Influences

I can’t think of any musical influences I had while putting together this song. It’s usually common for my influences to come to mind, but for this song that hasn’t happened. I’m curious to hear from other people what this song might sound like to them.

Writing the Guitar Solos

There are no guitar solos in this song. There’s a simple guitar lick I introduced in the middle of the song, which I originally thought would be played at the intro on the acoustic guitar, and there’s a small part where I’ve used some special processing as I wanted to have some room to put some voices and conversations from my personal files.

Writing the Lyrics

Most of the lyrics were written in that initial sitting: I wrote down what came to mind at that moment. Later, I just added a couple more sentences and switched words and moved them around to make it fit the vocal melodies.

Usually I write lyrics on my computer. This time, though, I wrote it with a stylus on my iPad. I do not like my handwriting, but for some reason I wanted this one to be done this way. It felt more organic (even though I was writing it on a screen!). Those initial thoughts and words can be seen right below...
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Writing the Vocals

After I’ve recorded a rough version of the song played on the acoustic guitar, I kept listening to it while driving around, and vocal melodies started shaping up in my mind. As some parts stuck to my brain, I recorded it on Evernote so I wouldn’t forget (and also so I could hear it to see if it was working). The recording shows the parts I had lyrics for, and also the parts where I didn’t have the words yet, but had a general idea as to what the melody lines should be (lots of mumbling there).

Next, I did a slightly better recording, done when I had more solid ideas for lyrics and vocals (but still, some mumbling here and there while I looked for the words I wanted)...

Writing the Keyboard Parts

The keyboard parts came up naturally as I recorded the acoustic guitar. I didn’t want anything complicated; just an extra layer to support the guitars and vocals.

What's the song about?

This song is all about my relationship with my daughter. While some things are clearly explained in the lyrics and video, other things may only make sense to myself, working as a reminder for things that are important to me.

What was I feeling as I was writing the song?

My daughter had asked me to be with her at a father-daughter dance at school, so I was very joyful, beyond myself! I flew all the way from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Houston, US, just for that. It was an unforgettable trip. We’ve had such a great time together, just the two of us. I just had to capture that feeling in a song.

The Video

Putting the video together was a lot of work, but at the same time, very enjoyable. It was a trip down memory lane. I wanted to capture the feeling around the time I wrote the song and mix it with thoughts and memories from all stages of Aline’s life up to that point. That means I’ve gone through thousands of pictures and hours of video footage.

While I have tons of digital pictures, I didn’t have much of her first 2 years, since those have been mindlessly hidden away from me. It was painful to know I didn’t have those pictures. Fortunately, I got copies of some of those from friends.

So many parents have the tendency to shoot tons of videos of their kids and never watch it. I’m the opposite, as I’m always going back and watching bits and pieces. And it’s great!

With so much visual material, I wanted to add everything to the video. The way I found to do this was by splitting up the screen in 4 pieces and cram as much material in it I could. It’s a video to be watched several times; each time paying attention to one section of the screen.

You may wonder what’s with the black portions in the video. The "full version" of the video is intended for personal-viewing only; for the public version, I’ve removed some pictures and footage.

During that visit in October, 2014, I’ve made some great pictures of Aline. So much so that I decided to get one of them tattooed. It was another way I thought to make those moments stick around forever.



What have I used in this production?

Acoustic Guitar
Schecter Guitar
iRig Keyboard
iRig Mic
Garage Band (iPad/Mac)
Sony Vegas
iPhone camera

The Lyrics

I have put you through such big changes
Then I wasn’t there, but you’ve pulled it through

You understood me
You knew it
And didn’t judge me
Even though I wasn’t there

I'll never forget those first 21 days
You gave me a scare when you were just so little
I'll always remember the first time I had you on my arms
I'll always remember you laying on my lap

Sleeping as I worked
Sweet oblivion
I’m so eager to see you grow
But can't see you go

I know I raise you for the world
But please don't forget me as I grow old
I'm sorry for each time I was too busy for you
You are my daughter, and you'll always be

Call me
I’ll walk, I’ll drive, I’ll get on a plane
And I’ll be there… for you!

A bright light told me I’d very be proud of you
I'm so delighted by you

We drifted apart
But now we’re pulled together
I miss being called dad
I need you around

I can see now why choosing is so hard
You can do anything you want!
I can’t help but see a better version of myself in you
Do you even realize how special you are?

Call me
I’ll walk, I’ll drive, I’ll get on a plane
And I’ll be there… for you!

A bright light told me I’d very be proud of you
I'm so delighted by you

I can see now why choosing is so hard
You can do anything you want!
I can’t help but see a better version of myself in you
Do you even realize how special you are?