I was driving through West Texas yesterday and listening to the radio. Since it was February 13, there were a lot of references to Valentine’s Day, which made me especially miss my lifelong Valentine. As I listened to the love songs, I felt regret that I had never written a love song to/about Myra. While she loved to hear me sing and play my guitar, the songs I sang to her were written by others.

Our life together and love would have generated a song if I had just committed the time to it. Myra could have been a collaborator because she was the resident lyricist. While I always knew the tune, she was the one who remembered the lyrics to fill in my lapses. When I thought about our life together, several key thoughts came to mind, and I quickly recorded them on my iPhone’s “Notes” app. 

I opened that app this morning and thought, “I wonder what AI would do with these memories. I found a site that had me pick a genre (Country), write a brief description of the song’s theme, and then click “generate.” Within seconds, a three-verse, choruses, bridge, and outro emerged. With a bit of tweaking of the first two verses, this was the result:

Startin’ Our Life on a Sunday Night

(Verse 1)  I remember that church, On a December Sunday night,               With poinsettia arrangements, And the candles burnin’ bright.                      You wore my sister’s dress, You didn’t mind that it’d been worn,                    You didn’t want a diamond, Just love in simple form.  

(Chorus)  Oh, we made it simple, Just love and a song,                                         In the glow of those candles, Where we both belong.                                          You didn’t need the jewels, Just a heart that sings true,                                        In a world full of chaos, It was just me and you.  

(Verse 2)  Your smile was like sunshine, As I strummed my old guitar,   Singing love songs penned by others, They came right from my heart,   Though I never wrote a verse, Just for you to hold near,                                    But in that quiet moment, Your laughter filled my ear.  

(Chorus)  Oh, we made it simple, Just love and a song,                                         In the glow of those candles, Where we both belong.                                          You didn’t need the jewels, Just a heart that sings true,                                        In a world full of chaos, It was just me and you.  

(Verse 3)  Your eyes sparkled like starlight, As the preacher spoke slow,    With our friends all around us, And the sweet scent of hope.                         You’d have eloped in a heartbeat, But my folks had their say,                           Yet we danced through the night, In our own special way.  

(Chorus)  Oh, we made it simple, Just love and a song,                                         In the glow of those candles, Where we both belong.                                          You didn’t need the jewels, Just a heart that sings true,                                        In a world full of chaos, It was just me and you.  

(Bridge)  Now every time I play, I catch a glimpse of your smile,                      In our little world, Babe, We’ve traveled every mile.                                            No diamonds, no big wedding, Just a love that won’t fade,                                 In the echoes of that night, Our sweet memories made.  

(Chorus)  Oh, we made it simple, Just love and a song,                                         In the glow of those candles, Where we both belong.                                          You didn’t need the jewels, Just a heart that sings true,                                        In a world full of chaos, It was just me and you.  

(Outro)  So here’s to the moments, The laughter, the tears,                                  In our simple love story, We’ve conquered our fears.                                        With no diamond in sight, Just soul’s pure embrace,                                             In this simple forever, You’ll always find your place.

There are still a few things that I would change, but overall, I was amazed at how this captured the simple essence of our relationship. I sent the lyrics to my daughters and received a quick response from my middle daughter: “Well, I’m already crying after the first line!” 

AI’s impact on society is hotly debated. My oldest daughter is a creative writer and enjoys the process of crafting her words. Thus, she avoids the help that AI might give her. My youngest daughter is in a corporate management role where quick correspondence and decisions are frequently needed. She often utilizes AI, from generating emails to comparing annual employee performance reviews to quickly analyze changes in performance. As I did with the above song lyrics, she uses AI suggestions as a springboard for her spin on things.

I can somewhat rationalize the use of AI in this songwriting endeavor. My original thoughts prompted AI’s first draft, which served as a springboard for my revisions. Most musicians collaborate in song development. However, the problem is, who would know AI was involved in the first place? How many songs are already being generated by AI?

What are your thoughts about using AI in the area of creativity?

P.S. AI wrote this blog post. Just kidding!