Fundamental Forces
What the Heck Are Fundamental Forces?
I never read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but I saw the movie. Do you remember Deep Thought? Created to provide the ultimate answer and after millions of years… 42.
I don’t know what that really has to do with anything, except back in early 2023 I was studying the AI transformation that was unfolding with the latest GTP model iterations and how ChatGPT had taken the world by storm. I decided to try it out with a vague concept for a song I was forming.
It began with my question, “How do the fundamental forces manifest for human perception of everyday life?” The conversation progressed to, “What are some popular songs about the fundamental forces?”
Answer… “There are not many popular songs specifically about the fundamental forces.”
Challenge accepted!
Finding Perspective
Describe examples of the effects of each fundamental force that can be seen or felt by humans.
Gravity, electricity, magnetism, colors and nuclear forces provide the start of scaffolding for my song. Perhaps a story around how these forces impact us? Or maybe a love song?
Write metaphors for a love song using the fundamental forces relative to meeting someone, falling in love and long-term relationships.
As a song writing neophyte, I tried too hard early on to come up with interesting metaphors for my songs. Could AI help me fast-track coming up with compelling and interesting metaphors. Cue the Price Is Right “loser trombone”… The AI was describing romance. I had something else in mind.
But after noodling on some bland and cheesy romantic metaphors, the lyrics for a simple 3 verse, 3 chorus, outro song structure came together quickly.
Finding perspective...
The fundamental forces...
Are nuclear reactions...
Fueling my attraction...
To you... To you
I created a quick demo, posted it on Instagram and then let it sit in the compost pile of my mind for 6 months.
What’s That Smell?
The compost actually started getting ripe after three or four months. In July 2023, I reach out to Mike Fonte, and extremely talented guitarist I met while I was producing Covers. He played brilliantly on a number of my covers – and my original song “Mac the Gun / Jabberwock.”
Mike said he was up for it. His reaction after listening, “Seems pretty straightforward. I’ll have it to you by next week.” Mike’s note delivering the stems the following week, “It’s a cool song. I am enjoying it!”
What Magda Heard
Shortly after re-connecting with Mike I reached out to Magda about a commission for the cover art. She was also down with working on the project and listened to the song. Her first question: “Is it supposed to stay abstract, or did you have a specific meaning in mind, such as love?”
Great question! My response? Both
Magda came back with “a brief realisation” (Yes, Magda lives in the UK). Perhaps the Angel character we created for Vinyl Scars was a cosmic-scale embodiment of the fundamental force, cradling the Earth. That’s what she heard in the song.
I sent some links of Webb Telescope images for background inspiration for the cosmic environment. The cosmic scale of the Angel and her water effects, the planets, the stars… I still stop and stare every time I see it.
The collaboration with Magda helped me better understand the song I was creating before I could fully articulate it myself.
Who Is “You”?
Did you know that the worldwide indie music community is incredibly engaged and supportive of each other? Jump on any of the social media platforms and look for indie musicians. You’ll see what I mean. I’ve met artists from around the world – some even in person!
On Vinyl Scars I wrote a love song and songs with religious and spiritual themes. What was Fundamental Forces? Perhaps both, and I figured that would limit its appeal. As I posted demos on social media, no one asked, nor seemed to care about the question or answer.
The positive feedback from my friends from the UK, Iceland and the US on my SoundCloud demo was encouraging, especially given some of their music genres spanned folk, rock, blues and even extreme metal. So I figured I would let beauty be in the eye of the beholder, or in this case, interpretation be in the ear of the listener.
Finishing The Long Game
“Fundamental Forces” was the first music I released since i released Vinyl Scars. Thirteen months later, after sufficient reflection, composting and collaboration, I released it in November of 2023.
It has always been my plan to have it be the closing track on Lessons From The Long Game. If “Slow Grace” is a central lesson I learned producing on the Long Game project, then “Fundamental Forces” is the ultimate aspiration.
The long game’s real destination is divine love, and the only way to experience it is to give it.
Easy to write. Nearly impossible in our current form.