13. Boston Pops and Arthur FiedlerStar Dust
When we talk about great American songs, this is the ground zero for the way that I listen and write. Or at least aspire to write. In at least a moment in my career, there’s a timeless gem embedded at the heart of it, like ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ or ‘Star Dust’. It’s not making songs for the moment, it’s stepping out and making the best you can, making it timeless. It’s not a great way of saying it, but a lot of the songs on my Baker’s Dozen list have moments in them. They can still hit you as hard as they can hit people in 1938. That is something I feel is worth aspiring to. It’s not something you can dial up in a program, you can’t force it or pretend you’ve got it when you haven’t; it’s just there. It’s a higher spiritual essence that you know is there in you; on your best days you’re just hoping to reveal some of it.
