The Puerto Rico Song

If you haven’t…here

A few things…

-Do we have a song of the summer for the first time in a long time?

-It’s fun and funny and catchy.

-I’ve had a million conversations about Suno and AI music…No one ever brought up the possibility of a song like this being the song that everyone would pass around. No one knows anything.

-I can’t tell if the collective everyone knows the song since the streaming numbers aren’t crazy, but I’ve been in two different green rooms with all different people and everyone knew it.

-Suno is really good at a handful of genres and this is one of them. The cheesy 80s tv theme song and voice. It’s fantastic.

-It’s been a long time since Weird Al or anyone funny has had a hit, which probably helped this one stick out.

-Speaking of sticking out…’one flag is white, the other dark blue’…it doesn’t rhyme and it’s amazing.

-Saxboy Billy has a bunch more songs that are a lot like this one, but they didn’t hit.

-You could easily make a bunch of songs that are a lot like this one, but they probably won’t hit.

-Saxboy Billy is honest about what his contribution is and what it isn’t.

-The original is just one time through the lyrics. The Spotify version is doubled. I prefer the original.

Here are some interesting questions throw around with your friends…

Is it a good song?

Is Saxboy Billy an artist?

Who should get paid?

How did Suno know to take his prompt and make that song?

How would you feel about it if the lyrics were also computer generated?

What about if there wasn’t any real person attached to it?

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Keep Initiating

You have to be willing to initiate. To go first. To organize something. To invite people.

Your project or party or book club might not work but the only way to find out is to take the leap.

And even when it doesn’t work everyone is appreciative of the experience…appreciative of DOING something, not just talking about doing something.

And the appreciation that others have (even if it fails) makes it clear that the world needs people like you to go first. Your initiative generates their joy, gratitude, purposefulness, connection.

Being an initiator is a heavy lift but it’s worth it. And we need it.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

How All The Songs Start

It starts with excitement and willingness. Maybe not much. But a little more than you had the moment before.

When you begin you have nothing.

But then you’re rolling through ideas. Bad ones, decent ones, doesn’t matter. And then one of them causes you to follow it. To see how the next chord or word or note might go with it.

And it’s hard and confusing and never in a straight line but then you have a song.

Maybe it’s Bohemian Rhapsody…or maybe it’s a demo that no one hears.

Both of them start the exact same way.

»» So of course the next question…how do you know?

You don’t. That’s what being a songwriter is all about. The writing. The writing is the good, fun, hard part. The writing is the joy for the true songwriter.

Also…your discernment gets better with time.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Explaining The Music

When you play your music for someone, what do you feel as though you have to explain in order for them to understand it better, like it better, connect with it better?

Now…what has to change about the music in order to negate the need for the explanation and to truly let the music do the talking?

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

You Can Play A Cool Music Thing...

But until you put some words over it…

Adding words (in our modern culture) dramatically increases the likelihood someone will like it, look it up, play it again, share it, love it forever.

The voice changes everything. The voice reaches out for emotional connection…from singer to listeners, and from listeners to their own lives.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Big Strokes

When asking for feedback on a project it’s easy and safe for the other person to offer up some minor tweaks and changes. It keeps things conversational and light. And maybe that’s all you want.

But what about when you’re open to big strokes and big changes…you need someone who cares enough to dig in and take some swings. It’s not about tweaking, but changing. That’s a scary and valuable conversation for both sides.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple