As a songwriter, it’s never been my purpose to discuss or write about what my songs mean or the motivations behind writing them. The reason for that is because I have always felt that it’s better to leave interpretation up to the listener so that they can derive from the song what they want and to determine what it means to them.  Recently though, I have had a lot of people asking about how I came up with the Johnny Depp Song from my second record, Trip To Horizon.  I’m not sure why this song has gotten more attention than any other song on the record, other than it does mention the famous actor and some of his movies by name.

Instead of simply talking about how the my Johnny Depp Song came about, I thought I would start with sharing a bit of how the song-writing process works for me.  Every songwriter has a different take on how to create, but at the end of the day, it’s the journey the artist goes through that really counts.  Sometimes a song may develop through a lyric idea or an isolated thing that you see or hear, even a single word or title idea can spark the beginning of a song.  Who knows, maybe Paul McCartney heard someone say “Hey, Jude!” and instantly thought of a song title.  Other writers find a particular chord progression or a simple riff that sets them off.  Keith Richards for example, woke up one night with the main guitar part of “Satisfaction” in his head and he was off and running to write this classic Rolling Stones song.

For me, songwriting is all about telling stories that when the listener hears it, the song means something to them.  That’s why it usually starts with trying to tell a story that means something to me.  In the case of the Johnny Depp Song, I had been watching an interview with director Wes Craven, who while discussing his movie A Nightmare on Elm Street, said it wasn’t until after Johnny Depp auditioned that his daughter saw the actor’s head shot and thought he was perfect for the role.  As an artist who has spent a lot of time in Hollywood as a musician and actress (and dealing with LOTS of rejection), I found it very funny that it was the picture that was so important.

I’m very influenced by writers like Warren Zevon and Joan Didion who can look at a subject and always find a unique, funny way of bringing it to light.  So, having spent my time in the trenches of Hollywood, (and hopefully channeling my best Zevon and Didion), the Johnny Depp Song came about as a tongue in cheek point of view on the whole ‘Hollywood thing’. Hopefully this article helps clarify some of the questions I have been receiving about the process I went through when writing my Johnny Depp song.

A Quick Back Story About How I Wrote My Johnny Depp Song

I had nearly 30 songs ready to go for my second record, but still needed to make a lot of choices to pick the right ones for recording.  Some of the songs had taken some time to write, while other ideas came together pretty quickly. I wrote my Johnny Depp Song all in a few hours. It was the one song that fell into place lyrically and musically all at once.  I was really happy with the humorous lyrics, and found a great high energy chord progression and melody line and I had no doubt at all when writing my Johnny Depp Song .  After I had all the songs recorded in rough form, I gave them to my producer and some very good friends and fans.

I asked all of them to rank their most favorite 12 songs and the most interesting thing happened.  They all came back with “Johnny Depp” at the top of the list.  I knew then that it would be a stand out and it was so fun to write because there was an ease and joy about it.  The same ease of creation happened in the studio when we recorded my Johnny Depp Song  .  It’s not often that all the stars line up so well when creating a song, but I look forward to having that same kind of experience with a few songs for my third record.

After a number of shows, I kept having people urge me to do a live video of my Johnny Depp Song (it seems to be a lot of people’s favorite song). I had been thinking for a while of the best way to get some really great video of my band, so I started doing some planning.  First, I knew that to get really great sound and video, the location would need to be one that we could control. Clubs are tough because of all the craziness that goes with them. The answer was right in front of me.  We would do it as a house concert. We would be able to get the exact shots we want, sound, etc. and have a lot of fun too. I also thought, what a great way to say thanks to some of my strongest fans, by inviting them to my house concert and performing for them.

After setting up some stage lighting, hanging some drapes and string lights, we had a nice stage to work from.  We were pretty sure my Johnny Depp Song would be the one to put on the internet first, so I made it the lead off song of the set to get the show kicked off right.  We actually had to play the Johnny Depp Song twice because the audience kept requesting that we play it again.  It’s a great feeling to know that people like my music enough to request hearing it a second time.  We had such a great time at the house concert that we are having another one next month.

Whenever an artist decides to do a record, they know they will have to spend at least a year after it is finished promoting it by touring. As I was finishing up mixing my second record, “Trip to Horizon”, I knew I would have to have an incredible Americana Band to support the record for playing live shows.  I felt that the first person I had to find was a great lead guitarist. My music is very guitar oriented because for the most part, that’s how I write most of my songs.  After auditioning many lead guitar players, I came upon the most amazing young guitarist, Mario Gorito, who really seemed to understand the feel of my music right from the start and had the ability to play anything. It has been a great relief to  have such a wonderful talent in Mario and the right person for this critical role in my Americana Band.

I made a decision early on that the musicians in my band would have to not only be great players, but would have to be people I could trust and get along with because we would  be spending a lot of time together on the road and rehearsing.  That was a major reason for choosing my drummer, Bobby McBride, who had toured with me to support my first record.  Not only is he a fantastic drummer, but he is also a great songwriter and lover of Americana music. I knew that the final piece to my Americana Band, the bass player, would have to be able to match up to the quality of the other musicians. I am so glad that I found an incredible bassist, Luca Spanio, to round out the band.  It is critical in a band that the bass and drums be ‘in the pocket’ to allow the lead guitarist and vocalist to move freely in the music and Bobby and Luca have that gift.  It’s always difficult finding and keeping good musicians in a band and I am very happy to have the right players for my Americana Band.

There is a quality and depth to writing Roots Rock Music. It is very challenging because some amazing writers have set the bar quite high.  In roots rock, there is an honesty and sincerity that forces the writer to look more deeply into what the song is about. I guess you could say, ‘there’s nowhere to hide’ because of the raw, open nature of the music. I love roots rock because of the drive to always tell a great story and not just look at the subject of the song from one perspective. Roots rock developed in musical history from folk, blues and country which makes me as the writer strive to keep the song very grounded.

The very slice of life and observational point of view that Roots Rock Music has challenges me to not be drawn into gimmicks or ‘write for hooks’, but to stay focused on the main goal of telling a story and creating a melody line that the listener can be swept away by. I also love the challenge and reward of finding just the right mix of instruments to go with the lyrics and melody. It’s a great feeling to write a song and then be able to combine the feel of the guitars, with other colors like the warmth and drive of the B3 organ, the high wail of the pedal steel and lightness of the melodica. I find that Roots Rock Music gives me that perfect canvas as an artist to try to take the listener with me on a journey through the song.

I guess every songwriter has a story about the influences that shaped who they are as an artist.  For me, I was influenced very early on by some great Americana Music writers who had the ability to create great music within a wide range of musical genres.  I remember sneaking out my bedroom window to go see a Bob Seger concert with several friends.  One of my friends even made it up to the stage and shook Bob’s hand.  Well, that was all it took, I knew I had to be an Americana artist.  I couldn’t wait for the next Springsteen or Tom Petty record to come out and would be first in line to get my copy. 

I think the thing about Americana Music that gets me most, is the stories that the artist tells.  When Bruce talks about Rat meeting up with the Barefoot Girl across the Jersey state line in “Jungleland”, it’s like watching a movie in your head.  Or, in “American Girl” when Tom Petty sings about it being ‘cold that night as she stood alone on her balcony’, you can just feel the chill.

I had an assignment once in a photography class to take pictures of a live performance, so I went to see Emmylou Harris and Chuck Berry, a couple of great Americana legends, and got right up to the stage.  I am forever influenced by Emmylou’s amazing, angelic voice and Chuck’s showmanship.  I still have the pics and they are incredible!  I knew even as a young teen that if I wanted to write like these great artists, I would need to play guitar, so I worked hard with my guitar teacher on many great songs by music stars like Dolly Parton (Jolene), Roy Orbison (Blue Bayou) and Gary White (Long Long Time), which gave me the drive to try to create like they did.

I feel lucky to have been impacted by such amazing Americana Music artists and to have worked on their music with a great teacher because it helped make me the writer I am today.  Maybe we should work on some songs.

I recently had someone ask me what my top three favorite Americana Songs are.  That’s a tough one though, to break it down to just three.  When I thought about it, one of the first that jumped right to mind was “Second Hand News”, by Lindsey Buckingham off of one of the great rock records of the 1970′s.  Many people think of Fleetwood Mac as pop/rock, but Lindsey is as Americana as it gets.  This song made me want to be a singer-songwriter and artist.  As the opening song, it set the tone for the rest of the record.  I knew one day I wanted to write a lot of Americana Songs and Second Hand News made me want to achieve that.

As my second choice, I would say it’s a tie for every song Buddy Holly ever wrote.  This guy was a songwriting freak who wrote all classic Americana Songs, but I guess if I had to choose it would be “True Love Ways” or “Oh Boy”.  I did a version of Oh Boy and had so much fun with it.  When I work on a Buddy Holly song, it always inspires me to write and try to do my best.

Lastly, I would have to say “Ring of Fire”, performed by Johnny Cash and written by June Carter-Cash.  June Carter tapped into the total essence of Americana Songs when she wrote that.  When she writes, ‘I fell for you like a child, oh but the fire went wild’, I am completely swept away by this song.

Johnny Depp Song – House Concert Video