church music evolved as a result of moments like this in musical history . It was a gamechanger .
The studio sessions which led to The Beatles ’ Rubber Soul album found the band without the sort of songs anyone expected of them , including themselves . Needing to get something done , the band ultimately reached in a bunch of new and adventurous directions . In that process , they showed the world a new glimpse of what was possible , and produced the first full album of Pop Art .
What is my point in sharing this story ?
Well , for starters , great art is often born in adversity . It is forged by limitations and and found under pressure . So don ’ t expect to see miracles and then spend your whole life avoiding the very context in which they occur . Don ’ t ignore your constraints and struggles if you want to come up with something real and true — those things are an integral part of you .
But more specifically , the point I ’ m driving at is this :
When you feel like you don ’ t have anything to sing about … Sing about that .
Honesty is compelling . Authenticity is the very lifeblood of artistry .
And it is so very easy to forget this . So incredibly , deceptively , repeatedly easy to forget .
I thought about that Beatles anecdote recently , after encountering a similar situation to John . I had been developing a musical idea for a long time . As I kept coming back to it , the chords and melody continued to develop and crystallize , but the lyrics had yet to evolve beyond hums and mumbles . It was starting to get annoying . The familiar songwriter ’ s discouragement was setting in — the feeling of being on the precipice of discovering something you love , but it ’ s just out of reach . It ’ s out of focus and evading your grasp . And this went on …
And on …
… And in my frustration with not having any strong feeling about the direction the song wanted to go lyrically or thematically , I realized something . In my being laid bare , I had finally found myself in the posture of an honest prayer for the first time . I had fought the song , but I hadn ’ t been fully me with it .
So I took the cap off my pen , opened up my notebook , and it started happening .
What can I say that hasn ’ t been said ? What can I sing that hasn ’ t been sung ? Here I am , dust and vapor Like a blank sheet of paper Ink and pen , well up again Stir in me a symphony Find the words I ’ ve never heard before And whisper them to me I ’ m empty
You see , even when there ’ s nothing to sing about , there ’ s something to sing about .
Kevin MacDougall Worship leader , published and recorded songwriter , engineer and producer . macdougall . k @ gmail . com