My Story, Part 16: "Songs for five year olds"
To read all my previous “stories“, starting at Part 15, click here >>> https://mltshp.com/p/1ITU3
Of all the different things I've done, the one I'm proudest of is the “Art Project“, the beast I've dedicated the last 10 years to.
When my daughter Adora was a baby we went to the Rose Bowl flea market, and a Disney cartoonist was offering cute $10 portraits to passerbys. So I got one of Adora. Later on I got another illustration, and then another. Before long, I found myself in a full time gig hiring hundreds - and eventually thousands - of artists from all over the world who used her face as their model, muse, inspiration and Objet d'art.
It became a massive project with many moving parts, and I'm going to write a little chapter about it soon. As of today there are 2,629 (!) original artworks featuring her. (There's even one from mltshp's own @Spingo https://mltshp.com/p/1HWLO !)
But the portion of the art project I am most proud of is the musical section.
When Adora was four, her mom left in unhappy circumstances, and I unexpectedly became a (mostly) single dad. It was challenging, and I tried my best to continue giving her a good life.
I discovered at that time was that she was very good at - and that she also loved to - compose songs. Naturally, I encouraged it. We had a lot of fun writing songs together and separately. In 2015 I published her first book of 25 poems “Songs for Five Year Olds“, later following it with two more books, “Songs for Six Year Olds“ and “Songs For My Mom“. All together she / we composed over 100 songs, many of which - if I may say so myself - are outstanding!
It seemed that she was born with a natural talent for songwriting. Soon she started composing complete songs, both lyrics and melodies, on her own and at the drop of a hat. It was a joy to behold.
Around the time her second book came out, I started commissioning musicians I found online to sing her compositions. 60 of her songs found themselves on Soundcloud. A folk singer from Indiana named Douglas Haines did a collection of 19 of her poems. And if “The Project“ would have become “successful“, we could sell CD’s of these songs. (You can listen to his “Douglas Haines Sings Adora Levin” here https://soundcloud.com/adorasda... )
So anyway, the clip above is typical to how it would go down:
This was 6 years ago, when she was four. I laid next to her in bed before she went to sleep, and she came up with the initial kernel of a song. The next day, we wrote “Doesn't matter what you do“, and some time later, an Israeli rock musician named Tal Ornan played it here https://soundcloud.com/adorasda...
Here are the full lyrics:
- - - - - - - - - -
Doesn’t matter where you go
I will always follow
If you fly alone to Mars
I’ll be your Apollo.
- - - - - - - - - -
Doesn’t matter what you do
I will always love you
Doesn’t matter what you say
This will always be true.
- - - - - - - - - -
Even if you make mistakes
You don’t have to worry
I will always hold your hand
so you won’t be sorry.
- - - - - - - - - -
Doesn’t matter what you are
Doesn’t matter what you do
I will always be with you -
Yabba dabba dabba doo!
- - - - - - - - - -
#adora
Of all the different things I've done, the one I'm proudest of is the “Art Project“, the beast I've dedicated the last 10 years to.
When my daughter Adora was a baby we went to the Rose Bowl flea market, and a Disney cartoonist was offering cute $10 portraits to passerbys. So I got one of Adora. Later on I got another illustration, and then another. Before long, I found myself in a full time gig hiring hundreds - and eventually thousands - of artists from all over the world who used her face as their model, muse, inspiration and Objet d'art.
It became a massive project with many moving parts, and I'm going to write a little chapter about it soon. As of today there are 2,629 (!) original artworks featuring her. (There's even one from mltshp's own @Spingo https://mltshp.com/p/1HWLO !)
But the portion of the art project I am most proud of is the musical section.
When Adora was four, her mom left in unhappy circumstances, and I unexpectedly became a (mostly) single dad. It was challenging, and I tried my best to continue giving her a good life.
I discovered at that time was that she was very good at - and that she also loved to - compose songs. Naturally, I encouraged it. We had a lot of fun writing songs together and separately. In 2015 I published her first book of 25 poems “Songs for Five Year Olds“, later following it with two more books, “Songs for Six Year Olds“ and “Songs For My Mom“. All together she / we composed over 100 songs, many of which - if I may say so myself - are outstanding!
It seemed that she was born with a natural talent for songwriting. Soon she started composing complete songs, both lyrics and melodies, on her own and at the drop of a hat. It was a joy to behold.
Around the time her second book came out, I started commissioning musicians I found online to sing her compositions. 60 of her songs found themselves on Soundcloud. A folk singer from Indiana named Douglas Haines did a collection of 19 of her poems. And if “The Project“ would have become “successful“, we could sell CD’s of these songs. (You can listen to his “Douglas Haines Sings Adora Levin” here https://soundcloud.com/adorasda... )
So anyway, the clip above is typical to how it would go down:
This was 6 years ago, when she was four. I laid next to her in bed before she went to sleep, and she came up with the initial kernel of a song. The next day, we wrote “Doesn't matter what you do“, and some time later, an Israeli rock musician named Tal Ornan played it here https://soundcloud.com/adorasda...
Here are the full lyrics:
- - - - - - - - - -
Doesn’t matter where you go
I will always follow
If you fly alone to Mars
I’ll be your Apollo.
- - - - - - - - - -
Doesn’t matter what you do
I will always love you
Doesn’t matter what you say
This will always be true.
- - - - - - - - - -
Even if you make mistakes
You don’t have to worry
I will always hold your hand
so you won’t be sorry.
- - - - - - - - - -
Doesn’t matter what you are
Doesn’t matter what you do
I will always be with you -
Yabba dabba dabba doo!
- - - - - - - - - -
#adora
