Restless: A lesson about a song that needs to exist right now

“We may act like the wind, but we are merely the leaves.”

—source unknown

Travel inspires me. After more than forty years of delayed gratification, Alison and I spent the last two weeks touring the desert southwest. Our 2200 mile adventure offered up incredible scenery and experiences, many of which were cataloged along the way for future songwriting inspiration.

One of our last stops was Sante Fe, New Mexico where, in addition to breathtaking hikes, art walks and gallery tours, while overnighting at the El Rey Court, we happened upon a “lobby concert” by R.O. Shapiro, who to our delight, turned out to be an immensely talented songwriter and performer. His songs were by turn humorous and poignant, driven by great melodies showcasing Shapiro’s impressive vocal range — packaged in a thoroughly engaging style which the audience clearly embraced. After enjoying his hour-plus set, we left the lobby feeling elated and fulfilled by an artist in full command of his gifts.

Of course, as a songwriter I was taking copious mental notes about aspects of his performance that I might adapt/adopt for my own. I was particularly taken with his opening song (the title I missed) but which essentially conveyed the message “welcome to the performance you are about to hear, sit back relax, let’s have fun you’re in very good hands” perfectly setting the stage for the rest of the evening’s fine performance. As a performing songwriter, I thought this was a neat trick: write a song that essentially communicates to your audience all the good things you will help them experience as a result of your performance. It was all very convincing and I thought “I’m going to write a song like that too!”

With the wind at my back, by the time we walked from the lobby to our room I had already sketched out in my brain an idea for a melody. As my head hit the pillow, some pretty good lines started creeping into my remaining consciousness. By 2AM I was tossing and turning giddy with excitement with multiple phrases and lines quickly turning into verses. Of course, I was too tired to write any of this down. When morning came, of course, this captivating new number was a total blur.

Not to be dismayed, about a day and half later we returned from our trip, and the first thing I did was pick up my guitar attempting to re-create the magic fairy dust at home in Seattle that last appeared 1500 miles away in Sante Fe. While I fervently believed this would be possible, after recording multiple demos, sing-humming through alternative melodies, switching up keys, tempo, etc nothing clicked. It was okay but it just wasn’t “that song” that I thought I had totally nailed in Sante Fe.

So, after the better part of two days, I stopped and said to myself: try something completely different. A random a post in my IG feed appeared from a songwriting instructor (sorry I did not capture his name) who was extolling the virtues of Jeff Tweedy’s writing, of which I am a big fan, (if you haven’t yet, DO give a deep listen to his latest “Twilight Override”) and made the observation that many Tweedy songs frequently rely on the harmonic underpinning of a single chord: Am+9. He cited examples of songs that included this device (of course shifting keys by simply sliding a capo up and down the neck) and I thought “Huh, I should try that out.”

I went ahead and strummed this magic chord and simultaneously the opening lyric, melody and meter “restless, the sky is thick and full” emerged fully formed. This one exercise, completely out of left field, inside of an hour, yielded a complete and perfectly good new song that had absolutely nothing to do with the song I thought I was supposed to be perfecting. (You can listen to demo and read lyrics below.)

This episode served up a powerful lesson about songwriting: some songs are meant to exist RIGHT now. And rather than force something that clearly isn’t working it can be a smart strategy to simply hit “reset”. While I’ve made great strides over the past several years to lean into and depend on the discipline of songwriting craft, the catalyst of inspiration is the powerful and necessary spark that allows us to move forward with clarity and purpose.

So put simply, next time I get stuck crafting the magnum opus and getting nowhere, it’s time for me to remember: I am not the wind, merely the leaf. Surrender my ego to the winds of inspiration and become the leaf, letting the wind take me where it needs me to go.

What song(s) of yours needs to be released right now? Would love to hear about it.

PS: R.O Shapiro will be performing in Seattle at the Conor Byrne Coop on Nov 5th. Highly recommend you catch his show.

Listen to “Restless” demo on Bandcamp:

Restless
The sky is thick and full

Lost in my habits
Drowning in the swell

Full of ideas
And words I know so well

Ears filled with stories
Clear as a bell

But I’m hopelessly tired
And I’m restless

Awakened
Night begins to thin

Polished blue of light
Draped upon my skin

Worlds are unfolding
Endless eternities

Consciousness yearning
For the clarity to see

The beauty
In front of me

Silence
Listen close my friends

Windless humming, out in space
Where the future has no end

Grasping at stars
Showered in grace

Gravity holds
This universe in place

So let it be
Restless

(c) 2025 Mark Ippolito

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