Justin and I sat together one Sunday night brainstorming lyrics. I wanted the song to be about things that a boy would say to his Dad in a letter at all different phases of his life. Justin sat and just talked while I took notes. He talked about how he felt toward his Dad when he was little and how he feels now. I then took a few days going through the things he had said, and pondering on my own and put it all into lyrical form. It was a cool thing to ponder, and interesting to think of a chorus that would be fitting for each one of these letters. What is something that a boy, a dad, and a grandpa would ALL want to day in a letter to their fathers? Jayden (my 11 year old step-son) helped me decide between two options of lyrics that the child would sing. That was great because then when he recorded it, it made him feel more connected to the song and the lyrics.
The verse from the Grandpa, at the end (included in the video, Dear Dad-Thank YOU) was written last, after I already had the melody to the whole rest of the song in place. Wendy came over to hear what I had so far, to help her get a feel for the video, and after hearing it she brought up having the song come full circle, and bringing up memories in the Grandpa's verse that were also mentioned in the child's verse. PERFECT! That was it! Lyrics in place.
One of the other things I LOVED about this experience was having my kids, husband, and father included in the videos and having Jayden, my step-son, Justin, AND my Dad all singing on it. Talk about moving for me! It was such a special thing and I feel so grateful to have the opportunities that I have.
To HEAR the song behind the vidoes:
Dear Dad
Dear Dad-Thank You
Dear Dad- One Word
