My Songwriting Process: From “No” to Time Is a Hammer

 

I wanted to share this example because it illustrates how I write songs.

 

The song Time Is a Hammer began as a piece called “No,” written shortly after the death of my dog, Zeus. The melody and lyrics were already there. The core song—the part that mattered most—was complete.

 

I write songs using Touch Notation, focusing first on melody and lyrics. Long before there is a finished recording, there is a song.

 

What changed over time was not the songwriting itself, but how the song was presented. Through arrangement, instrumentation, and production, No eventually evolved into Time Is a Hammer.

 

I share both versions because they demonstrate something important about my creative process. The finished recording did not begin with production. It began with a melody, a lyric, and an idea worth exploring.

 

My philosophy is simple:

 

If a song works with nothing more than melody and words, it has the potential to become something lasting.

 

The original version of No and the finished version of Time Is a Hammer represent two stages of the same creative journey. The song remained the same at its core. The presentation evolved around it.