On My Bike

…to the roses

Songwriting: Young, strong, free, and foolishly immortal is typically how I feel while I’m on my bicycle, so when this song came to me, my wheels started spinning. At the time, I was riding through one of my favorite neighborhoods, scenic and scented with four glorious rose gardens. At first, I thought this song would be a lighthearted love song to bike riding, but before I knew it, a relationship-metaphor hijacked the third chorus. Since I've barely written any relationship songs, I went along for the ride. Besides, who can’t relate to having a few potholes and puddles to navigate with their significant other?

     My biggest struggle with lyrics came in the second line of the chorus. The word “portals” felt too sci-fi, but I loved the alliteration, and that it rhymed with “immortal.” I was determined to make it make sense. After numerous iterations that I couldn’t live with, I noticed that when I squinted, closed roads looked a lot like portals. That settled it. Serendipitously, I later discovered a feature in iMovie that makes the bike rider look like she’s disappearing into a portal. Gotta love when the god of flukes sends affirmations!

Bridge: This is a true story that happened 25 years ago while I was taking a walk in one of the parks nearby. Out of nowhere, I heard a little girl riding toward me on her bike, exclaiming out loud, “Oh how happy I am…” She recited all the reasons why as she rode past me, her voice trailing off as she disappeared around the bend. I have told this adorable story many times over the years. That it found a place in my love song to bicycles, makes me oh so happy.

Recording: Same old struggles as with all my other songs, but if I’m remembering correctly—and it’s possible that I’m not—it didn’t take quite as much hair pulling to complete the recording. I know this because by the time I finished, I wasn’t totally sick of the song.

Wins: I came up with a few vocal embellishments during the recording process that hadn’t occurred to me before. Some of them were necessary because my timing was off. For instance, I had played an extra bar at the end of the bridge, so I came up with a child-like hum to make the mistake seem intentional. Another example happened as I was recording the 4th line in the 3rd verse. The word “free” fell out of my mouth arpeggiated, and since it matched the feeling of freedom, I kept it. I also like that it’s a variation in melody from the first two verses.

Loses: After converting the recording to an mp3, and listening to it through my computer, the song sounded tinny. I went back and remastered it from the pop preset to ballad. I think that helped a little. But the sound quality is definitely richer coming through my amplifier, and the discrepancy is disappointing.

Video: Though I didn’t get sick of my song during the recording process, making the video was a different story. Trying to coordinate the timing of images with the lyrics was perfectionist-hell. The last line in the second chorus on the word “road” was particularly beastly. The color of the images are supposed to change with each interval, but I couldn’t get it right. Actually, I got it right in iMovie, but converting the video to an mp4 mysteriously screwed up the timing. After 31 failed conversions, I’m still determined to make it work, so I’m pacing my patience. I gave it another try this morning—fingers crossed—but I’m not going to watch the mp4 until tomorrow! Times like these require time-outs! Times like these also call for Voltaire's mantra: “The best is the enemy of the good.” Do you wonder how well I let those wise words sink in? If you watched the video, you know the answer.

Wins: With the exception of Bird In The Birdbath, this might be the happiest song I’ve ever written. What could be more fun for a happy song than an animated video? Unfortunately, I didn’t know the first thing about animation. Then a class in Procreate came into my life. By the end of the term, I had learned how to make short animations (giphys). While there are things in my video I wish I had the stamina to do over, or do better, the best is the enemy of the good, the best is the enemy of the good, the best is the enemy of the good.*

*I didn’t want to admit it, but I eventually went back and reworked a few things that were bothering me. The good is the enemy of the best.

for the video:

Click Me

Lyrics:

On my bike I feel young, I feel young on my bike

All the lines on my face are erased in the sun, cause          

two-wheeled fun never grows old, yeah, I feel young

And I feel young, I feel young, I feel young

As I peddle on down to the roses

around potholes, puddles, and portals that are closed

Riding like I’m immortal

and nothing can break (brake) me on these broken roads

On my bike I feel strong, I feel strong on my bike

I don’t mind my pace is slow or who races by on the road,

I’m rolling along, nothing’s wrong on my bike, yeah, I feel strong

And I feel strong, I feel strong, I feel strong

As I peddle on down to the roses

around potholes, puddles, and portals that are closed

Riding like I’m immortal

and nothing can break me on these broken roads

And a little girl rode by me one day

Talking to herself I heard her say,

“Oh how happy I am, I have my bike, I have my bell, and my yellow helmet…”

my bike, my bell, and my yellow helmet,

and oh how happy I am.

On my bike I feel free, I feel free on my bike

My wheels are wings, downhill I fly, weightless as daylight

That giddy bird on her bike is me, and I feel free

I feel free, I feel free, come with me

And we’ll peddle on down to the roses

around potholes, puddles, and portals that are closed

Riding like we’re immortal

And nothing can break you and me on these broken roads

On these broken roads…