A LOVE STORY

I recently finished a unique labor of love: a music album with a narrative arc that begins with the first song and ends with the 15th and final song to conclude the story. Like so many of us trapped inside during the Covid-19 pandemic, I was looking for a creative outlet. A LOVE STORY is the result.

https://soundcloud.com/user-467782134/sets/first-love

The first song on the album (FIRST LOVE) is about a young girl spying on her brother’s best friend. The second song (EMBERS) is from his perspective, as he realizes his mistake for not noticing his best friend’s little sister. In high school, she’s wildly popular and he realizes that he’s missed his chance. Each successive song follows their life journeys in alternating fashion: girl/boy/girl/boy, etc., until the 15th and final song, a duet.

An amazingly talented singer from Ohio (Maggie O’Keefe) sings the girl’s part. A wonderful singer-songwriter-producer based in Nashville (Kevin Embleton, who’s been touring as lead guitar this year for Jordan St. Cyr) produced it. I wrote the music and lyrics and sang the boy’s part. The album cover is from Noa Spiegel, age 6. It’s a drawing and coloring of a princess falling in love with her prince.

Here’s the overview, told through each song. The lyrics are below.

A Love Story

First song (FIRST LOVE): From the girl’s perspective, she has a crush on her older brother’s best friend. She’s three years younger than him and sees him around the house constantly. She dreams about what it would be like to be in love with him. He, of course, doesn’t notice her. But he is her first love, one she will never forget.

Second song (EMBERS): From his perspective, he’s in high school now. He’s a senior. She’s wildly popular as a freshman in school. He regrets that he never really paid attention to her, and now it’s too late. She’s so popular that he realizes he likely missed his chance.

Third song (FORGOTTEN): She still remembers her first love. It all comes roaring back when her older brother gets married while he’s still in college, and he comes back as her older brother’s best friend at the wedding. They re-connect and talk as young adults for the very first time at the wedding and the reception.

Fourth song (YOUR WORDS): He’s now in college, about to graduate. He has no idea what to do with his life. He’s lost, with no ambition and no plan. Her older brother says something to her about how his best friend is drifting, so she writes him a note. He writes back. They begin to write every day. She convinces him to think big and reach for the stars. She gives him the courage to go west and try to make it in Hollywood. She believes in him. So, he goes.

Fifth song (TOMORROW): She’s in college now. This fifth song is a turning point, and the end of the first act. Her best friend commits suicide. She’s beside herself with grief. She blames herself for not seeing it; not stopping it. She doesn’t know who to talk to about it, so she pours out her heart in letters to him. He’s now in Hollywood trying to make it there. But he isn’t physically nearby, and she falls in love far too quickly with someone else she meets at her college. Her college boyfriend fills the emotional hole at the center of her life.

Sixth song (PRETEND): He tries to write to her, to tell her not to get married to someone he knows she doesn’t love. They talk on the phone. They write letters back and forth. He’s quite angry with her for getting married when he knows it’s a lie and that she doesn’t love him. She breaks off all contact with him, and vows to get married.

Seventh song (STEAL AWAY): On the day of her wedding, she finally realizes that he was right. She doesn’t love the man she’s about to marry. She calls it off. She does her best to let her fiancé down gently. But she is now truly and hopelessly lost and alone. She doesn’t know if she will ever find love.

Eighth song (FADE AWAY): He hears that she called off the wedding at the last minute. But he knows that she’s now all alone. He desperately wishes that he hadn’t broken off his relationship with her. He wishes that they could talk again on the phone until all hours of the night. But he doesn’t reach out to her. He doesn’t know if she’ll ever speak to him again. Still, he knows that she is living with the fear that she may never find love.

Ninth song (DESTINY): She’d always believed in destiny; that she would find her one, true love. But now she doesn’t believe it. She’s afraid. She’s worried that she will end up alone, and that perhaps fate and destiny aren’t real. That there may not be the ONE.

Tenth song (GLORY): Just when he was beginning to think that he’d never make it — that his dreams were at an end in Hollywood — lightning struck. He landed a big role and began the very quick ascent to fame. Overnight, he had friends everywhere. None of them were genuine, though, and he knows it. When a movie flops, they disappear. When he makes it big, again, they reappear. He wonders if any of it is real. This is the end of the second act.

Eleventh song (OUR DAY): She watches his rise to fame from afar. She always knew he’d make it. But it was still a shock to see his face everywhere she looked. She wants to talk to him again, to tell him that fame and glory are fleeting. All we have is each and every day, our family and our real friends. But she knows that time has passed. She can only watch him from a distance.

Twelfth song (ONE I COULD KNOW): He’s now incredibly famous — and lonelier than he’s ever been in his life. He yearns for the one who will love him for who he truly is — not for who he is in the movies. He doesn’t know where to turn, who to trust. He is just as lost as she was once when her best friend committed suicide and then she called off her wedding. He thinks of her still, even now. But he doesn’t call or write. He’s all alone. Perhaps forever.

Thirteenth song (THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY): She knows he’s lonely. She can see it in his eyes on every screen where he appears. But she’s helpless to do anything about it She wants to go back in time, to correct the mistake she now realizes that she’s made. But she can’t. So, instead, she decides to make one, last attempt. She goes to LA to see if she can make her way through all the gatekeepers around him. To see him one last time.

Fourteenth song (BLINDED BY THE FEAR): He knows, now, that he made a mistake. He missed the one, real love he could have had. He knows that it was her. It was always her. But it’s too late, now. He’s trapped by his fame, and his life in Hollywood. It will never be different. He knows his life is a lie, just pretend. He’d like to escape it, to say goodbye to the life that has shaped and trapped him with the allure of fame and glory. But, somewhere deep inside, he still hopes to find the love he’d missed because he’d been blind to it.

Fifteenth song (REMEMBER): She travels to Los Angeles for a red-carpet premiere for his latest blockbuster movie. She fights through the crowd just to catch a glimpse of him. She sees him with a beautiful girl on one arm, surrounded by fans pressing in on all sides. She hopes he might see her. But she despairs and loses hope. He then sees her in the crowd. His heart leaps at the sight of her. Their eyes meet. She fights her way through the crowd. He bolts from the red carpet and fights his way through the fans. They meet in the middle of the crowd and embrace. The last verse and chorus is a duet — both of their voices, together, finally realizing that they’ve found love in time.

The lyrics to the 15 songs, in order, are below.

1. FIRST LOVE

C add 9 / A

When you were there I’d often wait…for you to

Notice me when I walked by

I’d try to linger in the hall…and make you

Look at me when I caught your eye

But you’d just wander off again…and I’d

Wonder why you couldn’t see

I’d lie awake at night and dream…you would

Choose to find what we might be

F / C

First love is real

Though the heartache will fade away

From memories we feel

Every day

Whenever anyone would say…it’s just

A silly phase that wouldn’t last

I’d tell them three years wasn’t much…and that

All those days were not so vast

And even though I knew the truth…that you’d

Always be my brother’s friend

I believed that you would see…we were

Meant to be and I’d pretend

CHORUS

It broke my heart the day I learned…you’d found

Someone new, that you could love

I cried for days that you were gone…and the

Thoughts of you were not enough

And even though you disappeared…I still

Wondered why we’d never be

And now I lie awake at night…and I

Sometimes cry to set you free

CHORUS

2. EMBERS

E, A, D, A, E

One day, you were just a little girl

On a Sunday, when I’d visit and you’d wander

My way, and I never seemed to care

That the girl I’d see in the halls

Would peek around the walls

But then you became the kind of girl

That the world knew would light up every room

That you came to and I watched as you’d ignore

Every look that always came your way

On every single day

C, E

How I wish you’d remember

That a love never dies

You’d discover the embers

Still alive in your eyes

Some days, I would pass you in the halls

And I’d always try to see if you were ever looking

My way, but you always had a boy

Who would follow you wherever you would go

Like puppies in the snow

I know I will always regret

I was too slow to see what you’d become

While the window would close to your heart

As the two of us would live different days

And go our separate ways

CHORUS

3. FORGOTTEN

Am, C, D, E

Am, E, Am

I did my best to leave it all behind

I’d forgotten the love we didn’t find

But then I saw you that day with your friends

And I fell once again

D, Am

E

There are days in our lives

When we find what we’ve lost

And we hope it survives

Though it comes at a cost

The wedding day was more than I could bear

I’d forgotten the ways in which I cared

As I watched you when the vows were read

I barely heard what they said

CHORUS

When you agreed to be the best man at his side

I’d forgotten you’d introduced his bride

And when you said my brother’s love would last

I remembered our past

CHORUS

We had a chance to spend a moment alone

I’d forgotten the way the years had flown

And when you told me you wondered where they’d gone

I could only look on

CHORUS

4. YOUR WORDS

A, D. A, E, A

C, D, A

All my friends just seemed to know

Where their lives just had to go

But not me

All my stars seemed to cross

I just couldn’t seem to find my way

Every path just seemed to say

That I was lost

My college days had reached an end

And it was hard to play pretend

Cause I knew

That I had no place to go

And then one day your note arrived

So full of hope it soon revived

What I should know

As your words appeared

They settled all my fears

You knew just what to say

Til I found my way

You wrote each day so I could see

That you believed what I could be

If I tried

To conquer fears that we all know

Every word you wrote was kind

They were meant to help me find

Where I should go

I packed my bags and headed west

Though I was scared I’d do my best

To journey

Where you told me I should be

Without your words I’d never try

To reach the stars and wonder why

You believe

CHORUS

5. TOMORROW

Am, E

Some days lie

When they cast a shadow

So we try

To find a world we know

On those days

I just find your letters

And I pray

I’ll always hear your words

Am, E, Am D, Am, E, Am

If you believe a life’s what it seems

You’ll always regret when it’s done

But if you see your life’s full of dreams

You’ll always believe you’re the one

My best friend

Took her life for granted

She’d just spend

Her time alone in bed

When she died

She never knew tomorrow

And I cried

I didn’t know where to go

CHORUS

When you heard

That her life was stolen

You wrote words

Meant to make me whole

Now I see

How to live tomorrow

And I’ll be

In a place to know

CHORUS

6. PRETEND

D, A, E

When I heard about the news

I wondered why you’d ever choose

To live a life you don’t believe

And give him more than you receive

You said you’d loved him for awhile

And he always made you smile

Though I knew it wasn’t true

I was sure you’d see it through

C, Am, E

But I know it’s a lie

And I’ll always wonder why

You pretend you’re in love

When you know it’s not enough

When I tried to tell you why

I could see it made you cry

Then you told me you were sure

And you ended what we were

As your wedding day arrived

I felt the distance in our lives

It broke my heart to see you go

And turn away from what you know

CHORUS

7. STEAL AWAY

D, A, Cadd9, G

A

I wasn’t sure if I would ever know
That what we had was real
Cause in my mind, the doubt would always grow
Until it made me steal
Away

I’d always try to find it in my heart
To give you more than I received
And as I did, I’d always play my part
To make us both believe
I’d stay

D, C, D, G

D, G, A

We pretend that our lies are forgotten
And life is just as it seems
But then we find that the truth is always off in
A place we know from our dreams

And on that day, I knew what I should do
With all your friends around
Cause when I looked, I saw that it was true
We’d lost the world we’d found
Til now

I know it hurts that we were not enough
And that I just walked away
But now I’m sure you’ll find a girl to love
Who hears you when you say
Your vows

CHORUS

8. FADE AWAY

A, E, D, E

The day I learned that you were alone

I wondered why I’d ever made you cry

And now I feel the pain that you’ve known

I wish I’d tried to take away the lie

D, A, E, A

There’s a reason we should try

To listen as we go throughout our day

Cause there are times in our lives

When everything we know will fade away

The time we talked you said you were sure

You’d found the one, a bright and shining sun

You said you knew your love would endure

That it was done, your life had just begun

CHORUS

Your brother said that when the day arrived

You walked away from vows you meant to say

You broke his heart and pain is what survived

And now I pray you haven’t lost your way

CHORUS

Now you’re alone and living with the fear

You’ll never find a love that makes you blind

To all the doubts that never disappear

And cause our mind to wonder when it’s time

CHORUS

9. DESTINY

G, Em, C, D

I know you tried to tell me I was wrong
To fall for a shadow who travelled with the sun
And in my heart I knew where I belonged
But I was so worried I’d never find the one

C, D, C, D, C, D, G

We believe that destiny is real
And it’s written in the stars
But then we find our fate is never sealed
As we wonder who we are

And now I see the reason I’m afraid
I’m worried that one day I’ll find myself alone
But if it’s true that this is what awaits
Then I’ll know our journey was never set in stone

CHORUS

I wish I’d known that love is just a dream
And all that we cherish can vanish with the wind
For all our hopes are never what they seem
As we see forever will always have an end

CHORUS

10. GLORY

D, Cadd9

Just when I thought the dream was at an end
The lightning struck and it’s hard to pretend
That all I’ve wished and all I’ve known
Would matter more than the fame that I own

A, Cadd9

We all know
The world’s just a shadow
Still we try
To see if it’s all a lie

When it began I never really tried
To wonder why they’re along for the ride
They were friends who followed me around
And then they left when I fell to the ground

CHORUS

When I’m alone I wonder if it’s real
The sudden fame and the glory it steals
I wish I’d known that everywhere I go
They just believe what they’ve seen in a show

CHORUS

So now I’m lost, hoping that it lasts
But in my heart I still search for my past
When life was young and full of silly dreams
And our love wasn’t more than it seems

CHORUS

11. OUR DAY

D, F, C, G

They say it goes before we ever fall
As all we know is burned up in the fire
But now I see your face on every wall
So you can be the one we all admire

A, G
D, G, D

But fame is always fleeting
It disappears and it fades away
And all that’s left is the meaning
Of our day

I watched you go and find your heart’s desire
But still I know it wasn’t why you tried
To travel far and suddenly aspire
To be a star with nowhere left to hide

CHORUS

I wish I’d found the time to tell you why
That we are bound to live with our mistakes
And now I see that you may never try
To just believe the life that we could make

CHORUS

12. ONE I COULD KNOW

G, Cadd9
D

Once in awhile
We stumble on a trial
That makes the world a lonely place

And when it falls
It tumbles down the walls
And makes us see the empty space

Cadd9, D
G, Cadd9, G

Our lives are what we sow
As friends just come and go
How I wish there was one
I could know

There was a day
When nothing ever stayed
And all my friends became a ghost

That’s when I learned
That nothing’s ever earned
When fame is built on what we post

CHORUS

So now I know
That life is just a show
And it just ends without a score

And what we say
Will always drift away
And all that’s left is nothing more

CHORUS

13. THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY

A, E
D, E

I know that you’re lonely
I see it in your eyes
I wish you could only
See the truth in the lies

But you’re just a star now
In a world all your own
I wish that you knew how
To learn from you’ve known

D, A, E, A
D, A, E

We peer through a window
At the moments we fear
While the places we’ve been to disappear

Through the glass in the darkness
You can still see the light
And I know there is kindness in sight

When I tried to find you
They told me you were gone
I know that you’re blinded
To the truth of the dawn

So I took a journey
I was sure wouldn’t last
I’d go where you’d see me
And hope you’d see your past

CHORUS

14. BLINDED BY THE FEAR

Am, D7

In a land where they build out our dreams
I know my world is more than it seems
Yet I know what I’d like to explore
And when I find it I’ll walk through the door

C, D, G, Em
C, D, G

I’m sure I’ll see you
When you magically appear
And I won’t be blinded
By the fear

I’d like to say that I know how it ends
But it’s a lie and it’s all just pretend
I wish I knew the way to escape
I’d say goodbye to the life that I’ve shaped

CHORUS

But just for now I’ll try to believe
That I am more than all I’ve achieved
Yet I still hope I know how to find
The love I’ve missed cause I’ve been so blind

CHORUS

15. REMEMBER

Am, D7, G, Em
Am, D7, G

When I arrived I wondered if I would ever see you
And when I did my heart fell cause you were surrounded
You had a girl on one arm as fans would try to please you
That’s when I knew I’d failed you for good

C add 9, D

Now we know our lives are what we see
And what we seek is where we remember
So when we know that we were meant to be
We can find our love in the embers
(Of the fire inside)

There was a time I’d wondered if I would ever find you
And then I saw you smiling in the crowd all around me
That’s when I saw the love there that I had just been blind to
So I just left the carpet to see

CHORUS

When you’re in love you wonder why hearts will just stop beating
That’s what I felt when you fought the crowd just to find me
I held you close and I heard the sound of just your breathing
That’s when I knew we’d found love in time

CHORUS