How Does it Feel?

How does it feel to hear your own song on the radio?
I've been asked that in lots of interviews.
The first time it happened to me, I was in my home state (Louisiana)on Interstate 10 between Lake Charles and Lafayette. My littleToyota's radio was churning out tunes, when suddenly MY voicecame out of the speakers.
I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck. My realitybent out of shape for a moment. This was long before the days of Myspace, so mentally, I just didn't have a place to put this event. MY SONG WAS BEING PLAYED ON THE RADIO!
When I realized that it was actually happening, I unconsciouslypulled over to wipe the tears out of my eyes so I wouldn't wreck. My only regret was that I was in the car alone at the time and had no one to high five with! I told my family later and we all jumped and danced around in the kitchen like a bunchof idiots.
IF YOU THINK THAT'S SOMETHING
That was certainly a significant mile-marker for me personally. And yet it paled fairly quickly. There were others that followed (like getting my first royalty check--that was prettyfun.)
But there are two things that have consistently outshone that "first time on the radio" moment: One is any time I'm playing live and the room grows quiet as I start to play a song I've written, and everyone in the room kind of "breathes in"...Priceless. I'd do it for free til I die.
The other one is when I get letters from people who have heard one of my songs and been "changed" somehow by it.
If you write songs, you know how unglamorous the writer's roomcan be. It's you, 4 walls, and a guitar or keyboard.
But think about it... from that little nothing place, I can fire a friendly missile that will cause someone miles away (and even years later) to pull their car off the road and weep.
I can sing a tale that will mend a thousand marriages, givingsomeone the hope to carry on even when it's hard.
My pen can pour out a simple song that makes me mysteriously "important" to people I've never even met.
I've been well-paid from my songs, and so can you... but that still doesn't hold a candle to getting a letter from someone who says my song "changed their life."
(I get that kind of feedback a lot from a song I co-wrote withmy friend Chuck White, called "About Goodbye"...you can hear iton my Myspace page: www.myspace.com/morgancryarmusic )
As songwriters, we also sometimes get to provide the "movie soundtrack" for people's special moments.
You know yourself that when you hear certain songs, you feel apang of emotion (happy or sad) only because that's what was playing when something important happened to you.
THE BEST AWARD
Yes, I've had the ego boost of accepting awards among my peers.There have been #1 single parties where I was the guest of honor. Getting all dressed up and getting on camera makes you feel important for a moment.
Going from Lousiana redneck to respected songwriter is a surrealexperience. But...
Having people express true-life gratitude and appreciation for one of my songs far outweighs all the glamorous stuff.
If you've never had this experience, I can help you make it cometrue. There are skills I can teach you that will let you writesongs that wrestle people to the ground and change them.
If you want to write great songs, just click here.
I wish you all the best.